Why all the transplanting?
- Thread starter condor420
- Start date
soil
soil
1. I germinate seedlings in 16 oz plastic cups or 4 inch pots. 2. Then I transplant to 6 or 8 inch pots when rootbound. 3. When the plants are about 30 days old/12-16 inches tall...I switch to 12/12 flowering cycle and when the plants show their sex...I do the final transplant into 10inch/3 gal pots.
soil
1. I germinate seedlings in 16 oz plastic cups or 4 inch pots. 2. Then I transplant to 6 or 8 inch pots when rootbound. 3. When the plants are about 30 days old/12-16 inches tall...I switch to 12/12 flowering cycle and when the plants show their sex...I do the final transplant into 10inch/3 gal pots.
W
Woall
If you transplant seedlings into big pots won't a nice root base form eventually? Less efficient I understand, but the plant will become root bound in a big pot eventually right? Does it just take longer to grow into big healthy plants with thick stems if you don't transplant as much, or does not transplanting much ensure that your plants will NEVER reach that quality? I transplanted my small seedling into a pot 9 or 10 inches deep and pretty wide... It doesn't seem to have weak stems. I guess it will probably be at least another few weeks before it's rootbound... if you have a vegging plant that is rootbound is it always a good idea to transplant to a bigger container for flowering? or will a rootbound plant flower in the container it's vegging in just fine?
Personally, I begin in a 16oz beer cup, when the root system completely fills that space I upgrade to a 2 liter pop bottle. When that space completely fills in, I re-pot to the final bucket. I believe confining the root system as described promotes a healthier root system which in turn promotes a healthier plant.
The root zone is the most important part of the plant. It's eventual size and health is entirely dependant upon how healthy your roots are.
Keeping them compact and thick allows them to spread and expand when transplanted.
The root zone is the most important part of the plant. It's eventual size and health is entirely dependant upon how healthy your roots are.
Keeping them compact and thick allows them to spread and expand when transplanted.
I do exactly as you have described, along with giving the plant a week in the final pot before going in to the flower room.
yeah, the roots grow down and out until they reach the bottom/edge of the pot and then they tend to circle. if they have done this 3 times in their life before each repot, you basically have more roots on the plant which allows the plant to grow bigger and better. More roots = more feeding capability.
V.
p.s. thanks owl mirror for the response!
V.
p.s. thanks owl mirror for the response!
sure you can do that, but it is very hard to know how much mixture is getting to what, you are bound to be left with excessively wet or dry spots, which will cause issues
Patient 957
Member
Is it necessary to do all the transplanting or can i just put my sprouts in the size container they will end up in?
Hi Condor,
Most authors and gardeners explain the need for small-to-large container transplants is due to the fact that cannabis grows one main root with all other roots growing sideways out from the main root. Once the roots reach the container walls, they grow sideways (a.k.a. around) the medium creating the root ball/mass.
DJ Short mentions in several of his articles that if you take a seedling from a 2" container and directly transplant it into an 8" container, the buds will not be as big or healthy as they would be if you'd have transplanted to a 4" container prior to the 8" - and so on depending on the size containers you are using.
As with any plant, the larger the root mass, the healthier the overall plant will be. Soma adds, that it is also much easier to control water/nutrients during the early phases of growth by keeping the seedlings in smaller containers.
Hope this helps!
Peace,
P.957
indicapimp
Member
Good info. I have two unresolved questions that relate to this topic: 1.) what is considered a mature plant from seed to flower stage. in other words how old or mature should the planet before flipping to 12/12? Second, i normally like to transplant into final container after the plant has been sexed, is this to late in the flowering process to slow growth due to root development?
thanks,
P.S. not trying to hijack the thread...
thanks,
P.S. not trying to hijack the thread...
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Patient 957
Member
The correct timing will depend on the strain's genetics - but most authors and growers agree that you should wait til the pre-flowers develop and the plants have shown sex. You can veg indefinitely until you get the desired size you are looking for. For example if you are in an area of Cali that only allows the state maximums (6 adult, 12 young plants) you'd definitely want to grow out your 6 adults as large as you could before flowering to maximize budding sites and bud development per plant. But if you're in Oakland, where the maximum allowed is 72 adult plants, you could do a SOG grow with tons of 1-gallon plants that would need to be forced into flower after the plants have grown to around 12-16" tall (again depends on how big you want to get the plant before forcing flower).
As long as you're keeping them under 18+ hours of light a day, they will (in theory) just keep developing branches and leaves. Just remember, the size of the root mass will proportionately effect how large the plant will be able to grow. DJ Short, and I believe Cervantes as well, say it's best to have your plants just becoming pot-bound/root-bound by the time it's in full bud. It will increase your yield.
I hope this helps!
Peace,
P.957
PS - I don't know if this is a peer-reviewed fact or not...but according to SeeMoreBuds, if you force a plant into flower before it reaches sexual maturity (shows sex - preflowers) it will more than double in size. Thus a lot of SOG growers tend to wait for their seedlings/clones to take root, and then transplant into their "final" container and just immediately start their grow in 12/12 (especially for tall sativa strains that love to stretch).
PSS - I just took a snap shot of two of my containers out on the balcony. They are both 1-gallon containers, the one on the left has 3 plants and the one of the right has only 1. They are all the same batch of seeds (unknown strain from bagseed)...and the 3 on the left are only 4 days younger in development than the one on the right. You can see the difference the size of the rootball makes on overall growth potential (the 3 on the left were just supercropped this morning...they're not sick or dying. lol):
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indicapimp
Member
Thanks, this is my point, and for a point of reference I am asking for best result's for bud formation and weight with minimum veg time for seeds. If I wait for pre-flowers then the plants are going to be big...Not my first rodeo but I like to keep the plant about a meter tall for 600w to work most efficient? Second, I was thinking more like 16 plants per 600w under Ultra Cool XL 6" Reflector. So I was thinking more minimum size to maturity vs days lost in 12/12 for transplant to fill new pot size. I have felt at times with other factors in play...LIKE HEAT, that the plant slows in growth once it had been sexed and transplanted; and I never get the last size pot root bound as seems to be the goal for max bud size? Hmmm...
Patient 957
Member
Thanks, this is my point, and for a point of reference I am asking for best result's for bud formation and weight with minimum veg time for seeds. If I wait for pre-flowers then the plants are going to be big...Not my first rodeo but I like to keep the plant about a meter tall for 600w to work most efficient? Second, I was thinking more like 16 plants per 600w under Ultra Cool XL 6" Reflector. So I was thinking more minimum size to maturity vs days lost in 12/12 for transplant to fill new pot size. I have felt at times with other factors in play...LIKE HEAT, that the plant slows in growth once it had been sexed and transplanted; and I never get the last size pot root bound as seems to be the goal for max bud size? Hmmm...
The plant is a very easy species to manipulate. You can supercrop or prune to get the desired size/shape you want to maximize yields. Soma suggests to make sure you don't crop or prune 2 weeks before initiating flowering, and to stake your plants at the fist sign of bud formation.
The plants I have out on the balcony are my first grow...so it's still a learning experience for me - but one that's been very rewarding so far. hehe I'll be transplanting them on Sept. 7th into 3-gallon containers in preparation for the natural light cycle shift for my area of Cali - natural 12/12 starts early Sept for my latitude.
Good luck!
P.957
Well, something I haven't heard....if you re-pot and you are an organic grower, it gives you the ability to make different soil batches with different nutrient strengths....in a large pot you have to layer, which in not quite as much control...
dank.Frank
dank.Frank
Patient 957
Member
Ya...once I get my tent and ventilation gear I'll be able to start another group of 8 plants. For that I will be doing seedling growth in only Light Warrior as the current mixture (FFOF and LW with worm castings) was a bit too strong and stunted their initial growth a bit. When I transplant in a few more weeks they're just going into more of the same mixture. Thanks for the tip!
Keep the peace.
P.957
touchofgrey
Active member
great thread here. I was just thinking ahead to the next run and thought why not just plant the cuttings straight into a 3 gal and skip the 1 gal but forcing more root growth by getting them a little rootbound at each stage makes a lot of sense. The roots always seem real packed when I've repotted before and now I see that's a good thing.
BTW, I always go into 3 gallons just before 12/12 too
BTW, I always go into 3 gallons just before 12/12 too
S
sparkjumper
When you start a seedplant or new cut in a large container the roots tend to grow along the sides and out the bottom holes leaving a "big empty"in the middle of the pot.We shouldnt try and duplicate outdoor growing when growing indoors,we should maximize our indoor grows through trial and error.You are working with a finite amount of soil in a container as opposed to being out in the ground,the plants need to be treated accordingly not identically.I normally start in a 4 inch container and let the rootball fill that container before moving to my last vegpot 2 gal nursery size,1.6 gallon.I'll veg in these again until the rootball has literally filled the container.Then I transplant to 3 gallon for flower.Its important to utilize all the available soil when growing in a finite container and the only way to do this is by frequent transplants at the correct time.
I'm glad to see so many people moving away from small plants into huge pots. So many good points have already been made, I have little to add. Even 4-5 years ago on OG I was shot down for trying to advise exactly what I'm seeing here on this thread. One of the loudest naysayers turned out to be a commercial supplier of a copper based container coating product designed to prevent root strangling in nursury trees, wouldn't ya know.
Repotting is a skill, like watering, that some people have much more of than others. Skilled repotting causes no shock at all. The plants are ready for the light immediately and there's an increase in the speed of growth that lasts about a week. Fast vegging plants about double in size each week, so the next repot is coming soon. Some serious momentum is built up that carries through to, and insures greater health, during flowering.
Behind light, accurate watering is the most important parameter of growing, and the greater control over watering is the main reason multiple repotting schemes work so well.
Repotting is a skill, like watering, that some people have much more of than others. Skilled repotting causes no shock at all. The plants are ready for the light immediately and there's an increase in the speed of growth that lasts about a week. Fast vegging plants about double in size each week, so the next repot is coming soon. Some serious momentum is built up that carries through to, and insures greater health, during flowering.
Behind light, accurate watering is the most important parameter of growing, and the greater control over watering is the main reason multiple repotting schemes work so well.
