My 1st grow started before I found AFN was in 3 gallon pots, tied them honeys down hard, even to other pots and tent posts...AFN helped me finish em up respectful. about 6 inches over on any side you could measure and only about half the pots were full of roots.....granted using Happy Frog soil, and figuring out my PH was off till corrected...but 2nd grow was much better and 2.5 gallon fabric "bags" in a wire frame...same size root ball...all in all, we experiment like crazy, roots grow down, roots grow sideways......it's your grow, grow it like you want it.