Hydro to Soil - Need to cut roots.....

[budelight]

I have several plants that are in a hydro reservoir and their roots are tangled. Its impossible to get them apart.....will the plant die if I cut a some of their roots?

- Plants are 2 months old and still in veg
- reservoir is an aerogarden... going into Happy Frog soil
- last fed tuesday (3/5)
- I am moving to soil so i can run vert with my new fan/filter/hps

I'm gonna cut and separate today. Any input would really help.

Cheers,
BeL

 

[budelight]

Here is what im dealing with....

2 month old plants in a 1 gal res.... i kno i kno i should have done this sooner :/

 

[budelight]

Now the stressful game of waiting to see how they recover begins....

Also a big to razor ridge, who suggested i put them back into the res to bounce back before switching them to soil to minimize shock.

 

[budelight]

Post Root Cut photo...

 

[pip313]

If it happens again "dance" them in water to shake the roots apart better than any other way I've tried. Basically submerge plants grab stems and make em dance. The water makes the roots float a little and the vibrating gently pulls the right roots to the right plant. Many roots still break but it's better than cutting. Also the dead roots have a decent chance to float away and not rot next to live ones.

In this case the cloner would have to be the tub you submerge the roots in, the neoprene would be removed and you would have to look through the cloners other holes to see. I would have tried to do it with the lid half on though, in this bad case physically tugging on the roots like untangling hair would obviously be needed.

 

[budelight]

If it happens again "dance" them in water to shake the roots apart better than any other way I've tried. Basically submerge plants grab stems and make em dance. The water makes the roots float a little and the vibrating gently pulls the right roots to the right plant. Many roots still break but it's better than cutting. Also the dead roots have a decent chance to float away and not rot next to live ones.

In this case the cloner would have to be the tub you submerge the roots in, the neoprene would be removed and you would have to look through the cloners other holes to see. I would have tried to do it with the lid half on though, in this bad case physically tugging on the roots like untangling hair would obviously be needed.

Spot on with your recommendation. "dancing" or shaking the roots in my sink is exactly how i was able to do this.... Cant wait to see how they turn out now

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Once they recover...

Take some of the soil and grind it really fine... super powdery and dry. Completely coat every root with the powder before planting in the dirt.

Hydro roots touching hydro roots is the #1 failure point for this type of transplant. They rot.

Stay Safe!

 

[budelight]

Once they recover...

Take some of the soil and grind it really fine... super powdery and dry. Completely coat every root with the powder before planting in the dirt.

Hydro roots touching hydro roots is the #1 failure point for this type of transplant. They rot.

Stay Safe!

Thanks for the advice bud!

How long do you suggest i wait before taking them out of the res and coating the roots in fine soil to move to pots? Another member mentioned 3-4 days to let them recover from the shock.

Cheers,
BeL

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Yep... about 3-4 days.

It'll be quick.

Stay Safe!

 

[budelight]

Sooooooooooooooooooooo I forgot to dust the roots with soil. It had to be done quickly so i just filled the pots halfway with HappyFrog soil them ploped them into the pots, laying the roots in a circle around the center where i put the stems base. The got toped with soil after.

EDIT: Oh yeah, forgot to remind everyone im going vertical next week. Check out my journey in my sig.

Check out them all happy together again in the tent!
Budelight

 

[NKOTS]

well done