Repot ? Or not ?

Is there a reason for starting in small pots and then putting them in bigger pots at a later date ?

Could you not simply shove it straight in a 25 litre pot and let it get on with it ?

Also how do you know when to repot ? So far I just go by guesswork and each time I repot, the roots have reached all around the sides of the pot that I am taking my plants out of. Should I repot before this stage ?

the only reason for re-potting is space. i start my indoor in 4 inch pots to start because i can start 30-40 at one time, without using my floweing room.

when the plant needs more space for roots, its time to re-pot. a plants growth slows when the roots slow growing, re-potting will restart growth.

you can put it in a 25 l from start with no problem
and you can repot when the plant starts to drink more and more water

re-potting tricks the plant to put on a burst of growth, and leads to a complex root system. the plant thinks it has run out of root-space, and puts on mass, before it runs out of roots. when we re-pot to larger pots, the root has lots of surface to shoot new growth from.

i do it, or not. according to mood....

I do so only b/c I like to maximize space indoors, and I move my plants a LOT. That's the only reason I still "step-up" with container size. The problem people run into w/large containers is watering, as in new growers overwatering large mediums.

i trim the bottom node, and plant deeper each time, letting the bottom branch become the new top root site

Sunbiz1 said:

I do so only b/c I like to maximize space indoors, and I move my plants a LOT. That's the only reason I still "step-up" with container size. The problem people run into w/large containers is watering, as in new growers overwatering large mediums.

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best reason so far i will add that it does incourage a growth spurt.

I disagree with corbat. Planting straight into a big pot means that there is a lot of soil area sitting there wet without the roots sucking up water. The process of potting on means that the 'root-zone' uses most of the water before irrigation hence going through more of a wet/dry cycle and providing more oxygen to the rootzone. Essentially, it's what helps hydroponic systems work so well.
Also, the process of potting on into a fresh, nutrient-rich medium encourages roots to spread out as much as possible in soil.
The only disadvantage can be 'root-spin', where the roots twirl around the nside of the pot and can be difficult to encourage into the new medium.
For some strange reason, growers have always used round pots. This is so wrong as it doesn't utilise maximum space and encourages root-spin. If at all possible, use square pots.

It has been said ^ above somewhere, upping the pots provides a more dense root mass in relation to its pot size & the plants seem to love it. Putting a seed into a 7gal pot, & only growing for 2-3 months would not be as beneficial as taking the time to up pots & finishing that bloom in an appropriate sized pot.

In my experience, I get larger more vigorous plants when I up the pots accordingly w/ some training along the way.

LT1RX7 Drifter said:

best reason so far i will add that it does incourage a growth spurt.

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I'm just about to transplant a 29" tall herijuana that's 2 weeks into flower. That's the down side of stepping up, I guessed wrong growing this strain for first time and chose too small of a container. I either do it now, or don't do it at all. Another advantage of transplanting is medium correction after overfeeding.

As we all know, plants outdoors have unlimited space to do as they please. I measured my in-ground growth per week last summer at an average 8 inches(that's double my indoor veg growth), amazing what a ton of rain and the June sun will do. When we contain that medium, it presents an entirely different animal for plants. It has always been my opinion that transplanting provides fresh air/soil, not once have I seen shock during the process. I also transplant the day after watering, seems to work better if you screw-up and transplant too soon b/c the medium holds together.

Thanks for all the info, I shall carry on repotting then. I only do it once, from a small pot of around 1 litre or so into a larger 25 Litre pot. Should I go to an inbetween stage ?

I normally go from. Clone Cube > Party cup > 1gal > 2-3gal > 5-10gal w/ supersoil to finish.

I used to finish in 3gal bags.. I now try to grow monsters.

If you put a small plant directly into a large pot the roots have a tendency to run to the edges and then to the bottom and begin to circle. A huge waste of space, medium and nutes. Ever look at your roots after harvest? If you have done the above you will probably see a large root mass around the edges and the bottom with a large area of unused soil in the center. This is why professional nurserymen gradually upcan several times, less waste=more profit.
The life span of an indoor marijuana plant, being relatively short, can benefit from multiple upcanning since it encourages fine root hairs (feeder roots) opposed to heavy anchor roots.
Fred

fred flintstoned said:

If you put a small plant directly into a large pot the roots have a tendency to run to the edges and then to the bottom and begin to circle. A huge waste of space, medium and nutes. Ever look at your roots after harvest? If you have done the above you will probably see a large root mass around the edges and the bottom with a large area of unused soil in the center. This is why professional nurserymen gradually upcan several times, less waste=more profit.
The life span of an indoor marijuana plant, being relatively short, can benefit from multiple upcanning since it encourages fine root hairs (feeder roots) opposed to heavy anchor roots.
Fred

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Very informative