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Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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Posted by jim_w_ny Zone 5a (My Page) on Sat, Feb 6, 10 at 9:05
| So often one or the other is mentioned but rarely both. It would be handy to have this info. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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| Are you talking about plastic nursery pots? I just measured a one-gallon black plastic nursery pot, and the top diameter is 6.5 inches. Josh |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on
Sat, Feb 6, 10 at 12:55
| It's difficult to assign a volume based on pot diameter because both the depth and the shape of the container play heavily into the determination. E.g., a truncated cone has less volume than a cylinder of the same (opening) diameter ht., and a 12" deep container with a given diameter will hold twice as much soil as a 6" deep container with the same diameter. Al |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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| Measuring straight sided tapering pots in inches: the area (pi or 3.142 x radius squared) of the top + the area of the bottom divided by 2 and then multiplied by the height gives you the volume in cubic inches. Divided by 1728 gives cubic feet. I cubic foot = 7.48 US gallons. A quicker way: (Diameter top + Diameter bottom divided by 4) squared,...then multiply by the height by 0.0136 = volume in US gallons.
(For volume in liters multiply height by 0.051) |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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| I should have said roughly speaking...Like a 16" pot is like 3 gallons? Now that is a off the top of my head guess. Probably all wrong. But I'm just looking for ball park sizes. And recognizing that shape has a lot to do with it. Anyway thanks all. |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on
Sun, Feb 7, 10 at 11:34
| Take 1/2 of the diameter and multiply it by itself, then multiply that answer by 3. In this case half of 16 is 8 - 8x8=64 64x3=192. This roughly gives you the surface area of the container opening. To get the volume, multiply by the ht of the container. Let's say the container is 10" deep. 192x10= 1,920 cubic inches for the volume. To convert cubic inches to (liquid measure) gallons, divide by 230. so 1,920 divided by 230= 8-1/3 gallons. That would be for a container with straight sides, For tapered nursery containers, deduct about 25% of the volume of containers with straight sides, so a tapered container would hold closer to 6 gallons. Al |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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| Thanks Al. I will make my own table for various common sizes. Next I need to consult with rose people on their experiences with potting different types of roses. |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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| Be careful making comparisons with nursery containers and volumes. For reasons known only to the nursery industry, labled volumes do not necessarily match actual volume. For example, a standard #1 round black nursery pot, known as a "trade" gallon, holds only 3 quarts of soil. |
Here is a link that might be useful: common nursery containers and their volumes
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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| Thanks gardengal, math makes me dizzy. For those of us who can remember the pre-plastic days with the straight sided metal cans that every can had to be cut down the side to get the plant out, who longs for the good old days? A one gallon metal can was able to hold one gallon liquid and so they were referred as "one gallon containers". When Plastic pots were made with a taper that allowed the plant to slip out, the pots to be able to stack together, we were all so grateful, who cared that they no longer held a gallon. Someone filed a complaint a few years ago with the weight and measures people that they were paying for a one gallon measure that was not "one gallon". Now you will notice they refer to them as "trade one gallon", thus avoiding the claim of "not containing one gallon". Al |
RE: Translation please - Pot diameter (inches) to gallons)
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Yep, my "one gallon" plastic pots are labeled .71 gallon.
However, I use the term "one gallon" since most folks are familiar with the container size. Josh |
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