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Clear cups for seeds? light bad for roots?

quantbender

quantbender

Member
ive seen people starting their seeds in clear cups with soil but ive heard light on the roots is a bad thing. it would be convientent for me to use clear cups becasue i have so many . can i use them or when the roots expose on the sides of the cups and light touches will this be bad??
 
G

Guest

i have never experienced detrimental effects from using clear pots and cups, which i do frequently
 
Endo

Endo

IcMag Resident Comic Relief
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its not a huge deal but you could always hit them with a little tape or spray paint if your concerned.
 
Highlighter

Highlighter

ring that bell
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The best way is to slip the clear cup inside a solid cup. That way the roots stay nice and healthy and you can check them for rootbinding and be able to transplant at the most optimal time.
Leaving them straight in the clear cups will affect the roots due to light pollution. Plants don't usually stay in the cups for that long to be detrimental, but if keeping them in the cups for extended time to curtail stretch, it would be wise to insert into a colored cup.

Hope that helps! :D
 
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G

Guest

highlighter- could you please elaborate as to what effect light has on roots as i have never seen any negative or positive ones
 
Highlighter

Highlighter

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Over prolonged exposure, they will darken up and shrivel to some extent, unlike a ultra white, healthy rootstock, where mini root hairs extrude out from the main root.

I'll be starting some new beans in a few months. Maybe I'll run them in clear cups, w/ half inserted into solid cups. I can just about guarantee the covered ones will be thicker & healthier!

I'm going to subscribe to this thread to remind me! :wink:
 
quantbender

quantbender

Member
thats through but that happens when i double pot( if you ever seen bog's thread on double potting) making the plant thicken and grow more
 
StealthFarmer

StealthFarmer

Member
Highlighter, I like your clear cup inside of a solid cup idea. I was using red Dixie beer cups (the 16oz ones) and wanted to see the roots so that I would know the perfect time to transplant into bigger pots.

This time I just had to guess when to transplant and when I did several of my plants were pretty rootbound...

Next time Im going to use your idea and slip the clear cup into the red ones so knowing when to transplant will be clear... Good idea bro
 
Highlighter

Highlighter

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I must 'fess up, I got that from motaco over in the UST.

When trying to stunt growth in lanky sativas, it's a great way to get the plants rootbound and being able to tell when to transplant. :wink:
 
G

Guest

I use clear short cups for my clones. I fill them with soil insert a rapid rooter into the soil, put my cut in it and put a tall clear plastic cup upside down over cutting, works great, and i can see roots so i know when to transplant.
 
fortragni

fortragni

Member
i re-use a lot of bottles and things around the house, the only thing i found doing seedlings in cut off bottle bottoms is no problem with the roots, but a growth of algae along the inside of the container.. but all seedlings that came out of containers with this didnt have any problems.
 
steve green

steve green

Member
I always felt that light was terrible for roots-i wish i had an old Og article ive seen about this..thats where i heard about it-and honestly it just stuck in my mind.
HIGHLIGHTER /MOTACO are on the money knowing that if u must see the roots..double cup them with a non-seethrough cup.
In general i strongly believe roots hate light.
aswell Ive seen root rot happen from younger roots that were exposed to lighting.
Roots love the darkness and grow in it.
The only good thing about the clear cups/containers is that u can see the roots growing/but u can achieve this safley by just douple cuping them

I wish i had that old article,cause it explained everything about roots.
and im not that good explaining ..sorry.
on a final note: ROOTS HATE LIGHT
 
steve green

steve green

Member
Highlighter said:
Over prolonged exposure, they will darken up and shrivel to some extent, unlike a ultra white, healthy rootstock, where mini root hairs extrude out from the main root.

I'll be starting some new beans in a few months. Maybe I'll run them in clear cups, w/ half inserted into solid cups. I can just about guarantee the covered ones will be thicker & healthier!

I'm going to subscribe to this thread to remind me! :wink:
Click to expand...


Nice..im also subscribing to this thread now,just cause u might do this little test. Thnx Highlighter. im sure u will be right. Ill be watching :wave:
 
G

Guest

In my experience, clear containers haven't hurt anything. I have used everything from 8oz cups to 4.5 gallon containers that I finished flowering plants in. And so I don't believe that clear pots hurt roots or anything else.

MT

Click on pics to enlarge

Healthy roots on this baby when I repotted. See how nice and white and thick the roots are?





Glare is tough but you can see roots






The proof is in the pudding they say. Or a pic is worth a 1000 wordss. Ignore the ugly grower :)

 
quantbender

quantbender

Member
ok i have set up 4 seedlings 2 in clear cups covered and 2 in clear cups not covered, i will post pictures weekly of the roots. i also have seen og's numerous articles on roots hating light. and i believe light is a bad thing for roots for a period of time.
 
G

Guest

quantbender said:
ok i have set up 4 seedlings 2 in clear cups covered and 2 in clear cups not covered, i will post pictures weekly of the roots. i also have seen og's numerous articles on roots hating light. and i believe light is a bad thing for roots for a period of time.
Click to expand...

I bet you don't see a dimes worth of difference between the clear and covered.

It may be true that roots might be harmed by something like direct sunlight, but I seriously doubt any grow light is bright enough to harm them. Keep in mind that as plants get bigger, they shade the pots they are in. Roots in older, larger potted plants simply don't get much light, and rarely, if ever, any direct light.

A good experiment would be to do exactly like your doing above, but put the seedlings outside in direct sunlight all day. I can't do it here now since it is already frosting and cold here in MT.

Cannabis is a unique plant in many ways, but it's still a plant. There are lots of plants that can and do grow with exposed roots. Many strains of philodendrums do well in clear glass containers of water in full/part sun. That said, it may be that many of the cannabis hybrids' roots might be sensitive to harsh light. Maybe some professional breeders will weigh in with an expert opinion.

This is a good question/issue that I've seen discussed before on here and other forums.

MT
 
Dignan

Dignan

The Soapmaker!
Veteran
I can understand growing in clear cups as an experiment, to observe root growth... but why make a practice out of it?
 
G

Guest

Dignan said:
I can understand growing in clear cups as an experiment, to observe root growth... but why make a practice out of it?
Click to expand...

Clear containers are a great way to see how roots grow and how water migrates through soil mixes. You'll see easily if your plants are rootbound, etc.

It may not be something everyone wants to do, but for people who don't know anything about growing plants, it is a great learning tool. I highly recommend it for new growers. There is a lot to be learned by watching your plants root system...IMHO anyway.

This is nothing personal to you Dignan, but there is some myth propagating on these forums. People say all sorts of stuff because people before them said it was true, etc. etc. And I think this business that clear containers hurts roots is just one more myth that's been passed on...and probably will always be passed on by some folks.

MT
 
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