Raise Grade 6"? - Transplanting Beer Cups to 3 Gal Fabric Bags

[Granger2]

Coconauts,
Getting ready to transplant from 16 oz cups to 3 gal Aero Bags [fabric]. The plants have languished for a few months in the cups, and have been lollypopped.

They have about 16 inches of bare stem below canopy. Plants are quite healthy now.

I was wondering if I can transplant them deep. The stems are woody and 1/2" in diameter, mas o menos. I'd like to change the grade [raise soil level] about 6". Will this fly?

They'll be going into coco 80%/perlite 20%. Hand watered. Opinions, especially from those with experience doing that, will be appreciated. Thanks. -granger

 

[stoned40yrs]

When I wanted to do that I found posts on here saying it's ok so I went from cups to 3gal plastic pots and buried 4" of the stem and they did fine. They were not 1/2" diameter though. That's all I got, maybe someone can give you a better answer for 1/2" stalks going down 6", it worked for me on a smaller scale.

 

[Granger2]

Were the stems woody? Thanks. -granger

 

[stoned40yrs]

No wood. I guess it would be best not to assume burying 4" of a small young clone and stalk is the same as burying a 1/2" stalk 6"s deep

 

[ghostmade]

Scrape the stem,aloe, worm and kelp tea bam

 

[stihgnobevoli]

i've transplanted and buried the plant deep before. what are you trying to accomplish can i ask? do you just need the plant to be shorter in it's final pot? are you trying to maximize the roots? if the plant isn't all wooded yet what i would do and what i actually do all the time when a plant is too tall is i bury it sideways. so that the bottom is facing to the side now, sometimes i bend it all the way upside down. this will both give me a shorter plant in the new pot and it forces the roots to grow even bigger since they have to turn 90 degrees as well as grow down and fill a new pot of dirt.

bigger rootball = bigger buds.

if you just bury it straight know that the plant usually slows/stops vertical growth once the taproot finds the bottom, the closer the roots start to the bottom of the pot the sooner that happens. and make sure you strip off all the leaves on the part you intend to bury.

 

[papaduc]

The plant will still grow vertically when the tap root reaches the bottom of a pot, stig, that doesn't stop.

There's no reason not to bury it. In fact I think you should always bury any growth you're not happy with if you think you can change the structure of the plant for the better, which is what burying the stem will do. It'll take about 2 weeks for the buried stem to start putting out roots and for the plant to reassign new jobs for the different part of the plant... stem becomes root zone and low nodes now become the base of the plant. That allows for cells to start rapid division again, which is limited by the lignification of the plant. Adding a good seaweed can help with this process according to studies.

One of the advantages of burying the stem is the fresh growth is closer to the ground and the lignified stuff gets buried. You find the plant is sturdier, thicker and just all round better. When you leave that woody 1/2" stem as it's base, and allow everything to grow on top of that, the results are never as good.

 

[Granger2]

I'm trying to make the plants shorter so I don't run out of headroom. Thanks. -granger

 

[Puro]

I'm trying to make the plants shorter so I don't run out of headroom. Thanks. -granger

By burying them lower to gain the headroom your going to limit your root space. Not many, if any roots will sprout from the main stalk of the plant. You could try wider shallow containers like an oil/bed pan maybe?

 

[Mikell]

Not entirely comparable buuut...

I had a tomato plant from a nursery, insanely overgrown in a small pot, with the lower leafage dying off. About 2 and a half feet tall at the time.

Bent/broke the stem about a foot from the top into a 90* angle, let it heal a day or two, stripped the lower stalk of foliage, applied rooting compound and buried it. It's a beast now, and I'm looking forward to its death to examine the root structure.

 

[Granger2]

I was thinking about cutting the part of the stem that will be underground. I mean shaving one side of the stem, painting it with Dip 'n Grow. Thanks. -granger

 

[Nes]

I don't think you are limiting your rootspace. Roots will grow up and fill the soil.
Some folks have recommended scrapping the sides, but i don't think this is necissary. In fact, it seems like it'd just open you up to potential mold or disease. Scraping clones doesn't hurt them because they already have no roots and nothing being transported up the xylem and phloem. Since you already have roots, damaging the cambrium seems like it'd hurt more than help. The stem will shoot out roots without the damage and stress and potential entry-way for pathogens.


I transplant deep regularly. I like thinking of that initial rootball as an anchor and setting it deep.

 

[Nes]

also I just want to add, I believe cannabis has a fibrous root system, rather than being taprooted. This notion that a plant will stop growing when the root hits the bottom is mistaken. my understanding is that when a plant gets rootbound, which is a bit after reaching the bottom, the cytokinin production can decrease, causing an imballance with the auxin produced at the growing tips and result in stretching and increased internodal distances.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

I thought i'd ignore it but seems like one day i'll come back to a 12 page thread and i was taken out of context on all 12 pages.

cannabis grows with a taproot this is science. when the taproot goes down it sends a signal to the top of the plant for it to go up. As above So below. when the taproot hits the bottom or an obstruction the top of the plant corresponds by slowing down or stopping VERTICAL growth.

like i said as above so below. when the taproot has no more room to go down it stops telling the top to get taller at the same rate since the roots aren't established enough to support up top. as the rest of the roots grow and branch out so does the top grow up and the branches spread out.

the top is a mirror of the bottom. when the taproot stops growing down the top of the plant stops growing up and starts growing out like the roots. if you look at your plant, imagine the same plant upside down and you have the root structure.

anyway continue.

 

[papaduc]

Stig, then how do you explain 2 foot tall plants in starter cups?
It might have an effect, but it's definitely no mirror. Above and below ground growth are related, but not quite in the way you're explaining.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

same way i just did up there. take the same clone grow one in a starter cup grow another in a different sized container. compare. the end.

this isn't about me. this is about helping granger. stay on topic.

 

[Weeded1s]

Not a mirror...more of a saying like you r what u eat.

 

[stoned40yrs]

I don't believe the taproot signals the plant to slow or stop vertical growth when it hits bottom. There isn't one plant in the cold state I live in that sends it's tap root down. Every root heads out horizontal. Even the 100'+ trees have no roots deeper than 2' here. I've never seen any MJ plant in soil or coco where the taproot hitting bottom slowed or stopped growth. Sounds like Bro Science.

 

[Weeded1s]

Stig, then how do you explain 2 foot tall plants in starter cups?
It might have an effect, but it's definitely no mirror. Above and below ground growth are related, but not quite in the way you're explaining.

 

[Granger2]

These plants have been stressed in cups for months, and now are going into fabric pots where the roots will be air pruned when they hit the bottom and sides. I don't think these factors that peeps are pointing out are as relevant with the air pruning thing. And when they are air pruned, the roots branch all back up the root.

I'm thinking that since the air pruning/branching mitigates all these factors, I'm leaning toward just angling them in at approx. a 45ish˚ angle, so the top is not totally off to the side [making for awkward placement/spacing in my 3x3 stalls], lowering them as much as I can.

I've still got 2-3 days before I transplant, so if anyone still has ideas, please continue to post. No set in stone decision yet. Really appreciate all the help and ideas from everyone so far. Thanks. -granger