Transplanting during stretch/transtion into flowering

[Mcoocoo]

Currently in transition, week 2 of stretch. No bud sites have formed yet, plant is just beginning to stretch. What do you all think about transplanting right now? I am currently in 3 gallon plastic and want to pot up to a 5 gallon plastic, to avoid root binding issues, Will this prolong the transition period and add weeks to flowering or is it a good thing to give the roots some more room at this point? Thanks in advance

 

[hotrodharley]

Currently in transition, week 2 of stretch. No bud sites have formed yet, plant is just beginning to stretch. What do you all think about transplanting right now? I am currently in 3 gallon plastic and want to pot up to a 5 gallon plastic, to avoid root binding issues, Will this prolong the transition period and add weeks to flowering or is it a good thing to give the roots some more room at this point? Thanks in advance

Suggest not doing this. You don’t state plant age but a 3 gallon is adequate for most grows. Next time consider using bags instead of plastic. Until then buy a package of bamboo skewers and go to town piercing the medium mercilessly. Be sure to pierce through the hardened root mass under the plant. Multiple times. Do this twice a week. About once a week use a wide butcher knife or machete to go through roots severing them between the stem and the side of the bucket. 4 or 5 plunges spaced around the bucket. I promise this will not only not kill your plant but it will rejuvenate it. Roots heal and fork just like the plants do when they’re topped.

 

[Mcoocoo]

Suggest not doing this. You don’t state plant age but a 3 gallon is adequate for most grows. Next time consider using bags instead of plastic. Until then buy a package of bamboo skewers and go to town piercing the medium mercilessly. Be sure to pierce through the hardened root mass under the plant. Multiple times. Do this twice a week. About once a week use a wide butcher knife or machete to go through roots severing them between the stem and the side of the bucket. 4 or 5 plunges spaced around the bucket. I promise this will not only not kill your plant but it will rejuvenate it. Roots heal and fork just like the plants do when they’re topped.

I did state that the plant is in week 2 of stretch, it approx. 5 weeks old. I have been using fabric for the past 5 years and don't really care for the drainage I get with them. Nice thick plastic nursery pots with 2 dozen 3/4 inch holes drilled all over the bottom give solid drainage that pours out of the bottom with no dry spots in the soil. Not to mention that I have water less frequently in plastic as well. May I ask why you suggest not repotting? Thanks

 

[Mcoocoo]

Maybe I will give plastic air pots a try

 

[hotrodharley]

I did state that the plant is in week 2 of stretch, it approx. 5 weeks old. I have been using fabric for the past 5 years and don't really care for the drainage I get with them. Nice thick plastic nursery pots with 2 dozen 3/4 inch holes drilled all over the bottom give solid drainage that pours out of the bottom with no dry spots in the soil. Not to mention that I have water less frequently in plastic as well. May I ask why you suggest not repotting? Thanks

If you are willing to wait if it decides to reveg from the switch in flower go for it. Most who have done so in flower wish they hadn’t. You transplant apple trees bare and in spring. Not once they start fruiting.

 

[hotrodharley]

Maybe I will give plastic air pots a try

Better by far than plastic buckets even when adequate drainage is provided.

 

[Mcoocoo]

Better by far than plastic buckets even when adequate drainage is provided.

Thanks for replying, I do understand what you mean about plastic containers not being ideal, but what gets me is, years ago before fabric grow bags were invented, all we had was plastic pots, or ceramic. It seems so taboo nowadays to use plastic

 

[hotrodharley]

Thanks for replying, I do understand what you mean about plastic containers not being ideal, but what gets me is, years ago before fabric grow bags were invented, all we had was plastic pots, or ceramic. It seems so taboo nowadays to use plastic

Those days were when I started using a very long butchers knife to sever roots all the way to the bottom. It’s just pruning. People freak just at the thought but it works.

 

[youraveragehorticulturist]

I tried jabbing the soil last month after reading Hot Rod recommending it all over the place.

It worked just like he said it would. In my experience the worst part of "tight roots" in the pot is that when I water it just runs down the sides and out the bottom of the pot, making it a pain in the ass to water.

Poking all the holes totally loosened the packed up soil and allowed the water to soak in real nice.

I have not used a butcher knife or machette yet.

I don't have a problem with plastic pots. Maybe wider pots are better than taller pots but I'm not 100% sure about it.

 

[Mcoocoo]

When the roots start to compact I take a hand trowel and rake the top inch of soil to loosen it up. By doing this it allows the water to drain straight down across the entire surface, instead of running towards the sides. This also helps to mix in any top dressing or bone meal build up on top of the soil and it gets washed straight down into the medium. I do like fabric pots, but I have some nice thick 5 gallon nursery pots that I wanted to use, as they have just been sitting in storage. I still haven't transplanted into the 5 gallons yet. I am currently reaching the end of week 1 of flowering and I think that the roots definitely need some room to spread out. I will probably gently slip the old 3 gallon pot off the root ball and set it into the 5 gallon with some nice fresh soil and give them an early flower feeding.

 

[Moflow]

I've transplanted in weeks 1,2,3 even 4 of flower plenty of times without any problems.
Latest one was a Bruce Banner reg seed a couple of days ago, around day 17 of flowering from a 10l pot to a 22l pot.
Needed to sex it afore wasting 12l of soil on a male plant...!
I love the plastic pots. I've tried both the cloth pots and the plastic air pots and hated the frequency of watering and run off but that's my personal preference.
I use vermiculite in the soil mix as well as perlite for less frequent waterings too.
For me, at any rate, transplanting in flower doesn't cause the plants any problems.

 

[Nutty sKunK]

If you a very careful the plant won’t even notice - it’ll just have more space to fill out.

Transplant shock comes from damaged/bruised roots.

Just be gentle handed and they’ll be fine.

 

[Mcoocoo]

yeah, I just transplanted her into a 5 gallon fabric a few hours ago, fan leaves have already perked back up, she is looking greener already too. I'm sold on the fabric pots, The plant just wasn't looking good in the plastic, it was real droopy and was getting root bound. All in all, I think transplanting was for the best. I would have been kicking myself if I didn't.