Repotting During Flowering. SAFE???

So I have a plant that I would like to re-pot I think it needs more room for roots. Would I stres it out to much if I repot it? It is almost 3 weeks into flower.

No...that is something u never want to do. those r things u MUST decide before flower (whether u think the plants will have enough root room). Let them be!

If you're going to do it, just do it ASAP. It might cause a bit of a delay in flower, also keep in mind.

I use Espoma Bio-Tone Starter Plus dry plant food during transplants, then drench with Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed and Humega, or Liquid Karma. The kelp/LK have natural plant growth hormones among other things that can help prevent transplant shock, the other two products I use [because they] are biologically active.

thexception said:

No...that is something u never want to do. those r things u MUST decide before flower (whether u think the plants will have enough root room). Let them be!

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No doubt that would have been ideal, but I would say it depends on what size pot it is in. If the container it is in is just plain way too small it could be better off eventually. I've also heard that you can transplant up to two weeks in; I know I have done transplants in early flower but it isn't like I remember when exactly, etc. I just know the plant(s) eventually died when it came time for me to smoke them.

just be forewarned that is a good way to not just stunt but to kill a flowering plant. ur better off leaving it alone, while the roots "may" have preferred/needed more room, the plant will continue to grow & the only negative that will come from leaving it alone will be possibly not as much yield as it would have been in the proper container for size; this is true in most cases. Why do u even think they would need more room? how tall are they, what size pot are they in?

Right now I have a 6 ft monster sativa in my closet in a 3 gallon pot, & by rights it should be in a 5 gallon pot or even larger (normal ratio of 1 gallon per 1 ft of plant) and it is doing just fine What can I say, I like to transplant only once from seed to final pot & did so in a 3 gallon, then I went ahead & vegged a full 8 weeks & let this plant become that monster, my bad, but I surely didn't attempt a repot. It has about 2 weeks more to go & has no ill effects from any root problems.

Hopefully u will get a few more people chiming in on this issue.

Root development really slows in flower.

You transplant, it may or may not even use the new mix and just stress it. But, @3 weeks, it's a bit iffy.

Do what you will, but next time, do your transplanting before flower.

Wet

I don't think I will momnkey with it. I just don't like how my bottom leaves are yellowing and dropping off.

del66666 said:

yeah its safe to repot in flower, done it loads of times.......

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Was there any paticular way you did it. I have a plant that isn't responding to nutes and I figured it needs more room. They are in 1 ot 1.5 gallon pots and I now they would love more room. check them out on my grow thread in my sig. Tell me what you would do.

do it.... i did it to mine on 3 weeks flowering also..... them bitches are doing really good even better then before...
just dont hurt any root's

Windsblow said:

Was there any paticular way you did it. I have a plant that isn't responding to nutes and I figured it needs more room. They are in 1 ot 1.5 gallon pots and I now they would love more room. check them out on my grow thread in my sig. Tell me what you would do.

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How tall are they now? Is this a short or longer flowering strain?

Short flower and not much taller than 2.2 feet, just let it be. Long flower and approaching 2.6 feet, transplant gently. Maybe you can just lift it out of the pot to check if it is root-bound? If it is and you decide to transplant you might care to very gently untangle the roots. Otherwise, you are sure you don't have a pH problem or just aren't feeding enough?

According to the grow guide on the Mandala Seed companies website, it is safe to transplant their strains until mid-flower... And the Kalichakra from them I am vegging right now is pretty much kicking the AK-48's ass. Think about it this way; if you don't transplant and it really is root-bound it is going to be stressed from that and probably from nutrient deficiencies as well. If you do transplant, the plant is going to be stressed temporarily (and there are things available to lessen that dramatically). The plant is most likely still growing and that would include roots too, until mid-way through flowering.

thexception said:

just be forewarned that is a good way to not just stunt but to kill a flowering plant. ur better off leaving it alone, while the roots "may" have preferred/needed more room, the plant will continue to grow & the only negative that will come from leaving it alone will be possibly not as much yield as it would have been in the proper container for size; this is true in most cases. Why do u even think they would need more room? how tall are they, what size pot are they in?

Right now I have a 6 ft monster sativa in my closet in a 3 gallon pot, & by rights it should be in a 5 gallon pot or even larger (normal ratio of 1 gallon per 1 ft of plant) and it is doing just fine What can I say, I like to transplant only once from seed to final pot & did so in a 3 gallon, then I went ahead & vegged a full 8 weeks & let this plant become that monster, my bad, but I surely didn't attempt a repot. It has about 2 weeks more to go & has no ill effects from any root problems.

Hopefully u will get a few more people chiming in on this issue.

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um kill the plant? what are you talking about bro? Your advice is normally spot on but i dunno bout this time,

Anyway to answer the question, go right ahead, i do it regularly. By the end of flowering the roots have always filled up the new soil completely. Try not transplanting 1 and doing all the others and you'll see the difference it makes. Dont be scared of transplanting, its nothing to be afraid of.

Now I am totally confused. The opinions are on the extreme end of both spectrums. I have six plants tht seem to be flowering pretty well. I would be happy with 2 .oz dried harvest so maybe I will transplant 3 and see what happens.

I have an Ace Hardware, Lowes and Home Depot. What soil, pot and nutes would you recommend for my transplant?

I would recommend getting some Espoma Bio-tone Starter Plus; they'll definitely have that at Lowes or Home Depot, it should cost less than $8 and it comes in a blue colored bag. You should find it easily in the garden/dry fertilizer section where all the other Espoma 'Tone' products are, the Bio-Tone Starter+ is in a slightly smaller bag which is blue, as I mentioned. This product is a well-rounded organic fertilizer specifically formulated for use at transplant. It is also biologically active with several strains of both types of mycorrhizal fungi as well as beneficial bacteria.

You want the new container to be roughly twice as big as the one it is in now, or a gallon per foot of the height you expect to finish at. If you expect the plants will grow to 3 feet, use a three gallon container. Not sure what kind of soils they sell in your area garden centers; I've never seen anything like Ocean Forest or even Black Gold/Sunshine planting mixes at any of the regular home improvement stores in my area. If you have to, use Miracle Grow Organic Choice I am pretty sure that is formulated with sphagnum peat moss, composted forest bark and poultry litter which is fine (it is also Mulch & Soil Council certified). You can amend that with a little bit or perlite and/or vermiculite and whatever other ingredients you have available such as dolomitic limestone (Espoma also sells this), earthworm castings, quality garden compost, or composted cow manure. Go ahead and follow the recommended amounts on the bag of the Espoma Bio-Tone Starter+ which is about two cups per cubic foot if I remember correctly.

Espoma makes potting soil, too, but I've never seen it around where I live unfortunately. Maybe you'll luck out and find some of that, instead (Espoma is a good company).

Only other thing I would recommend is the Maxicrop or similar liquid kelp formula. Maxicrop is a very popular brand, they might sell it at some Home Depot locations - no Lowes that I know of has it. The reason this product is good for use after transplants is due to the natural growth stimulants (hormones) found in ascophyllum nodosum (a particular kind of seaweed). It also has potassium which is an essential nutrient that plants need to develop a healthy root system.

You could search these websites to try and find a grow shop in your area:
http://www.growshop.com/
http://www.hydrostorefinder.com/

darkdestruction420 said:

um kill the plant? what are you talking about bro? Your advice is normally spot on but i dunno bout this time,

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thanks, & that is why I said I hoped other people would chime in. I am opposed to transplant during flower, period & have never done so nor would ever do so. Now in a dire need situation I would instead cut the bottom out of the current pot & place in & on/over a bigger pot for the roots to extend. Roots grow very little in flower after the 1st 2 weeks, & in his case he said he was already through week #3. As well I took a look at his plants/pots & honestly see no need & I still dont understand why he thinks there is a need, I didnt read anywhere that roots were visibly seen coming out the bottom or the plant was showing any distress?

While death is a relatively low number, about 5% as I recall, that is too big a risk for me; it's just one of those things I was always taught to never do. Transplanting involves roots being exposed to anything in the air or other things that could attach themselves to the roots, branches get broke, dirt can get in buds from upside down turn, etc. Generally after any transplant ur not suppose to add any ferts for about a week...which could be hampering for a flowering plant & if any issues do start that need to be addressed, well then ur damned if u do, damned if u don't. Transplanting stops growth from a few days to a few weeks, and puts a plant in a temporary weakend state of which again, not a good idea imo during flowering. The upset of the whole process for plants I believe is not worth the risk of a reduced yield due to the stress itself or any other number of problems that cant be addressed effectively if u cant fertilize or it doesnt respond in a manner of which it would have in its normal state. Again this is just my opinion.

Granted in this case, since his plants r so small, "probably" little to no harm will come of it. When I hear 3 wks flowering I am thinking (just done the biggest stretch), a BIG plant for the most part, transplant, NEVER, no use at this point; & I didnt even check these plants until now as I hate to have to page over somewhere else to do so. Again, the roots r going to grow at a snails pace if at all at this point, but given the size of these plants, the transplant should be easy if done gingerly, yet I still don't see the need for it.

I do it all the time, i have never had one die or be shocked more than a day maybe 2 max. my plants fill up the 5 gallons from the time they are transplanted from 3 gallons to the 5 at week 3 of flower. I dont mean any offense but you said yourself youve never done it and are just going and assuming what you've been told about transplanting in flowering is 100% true. Try it out and you'll see. Again, no offense meant.

I have 3 gallon pot I can use. Obviousely I am a Noob and really need a bit of handholding on some of thi stuff so........ Who wants to give me step by step instructions on repotting. I will be using perlite/organic MG soil and possibly vermicculite.

mate just do it gentle without disturbing roots to much, stop fussing........

darkdestruction420 said:

I do it all the time, i have never had one die or be shocked more than a day maybe 2 max. my plants fill up the 5 gallons from the time they are transplanted from 3 gallons to the 5 at week 3 of flower. I dont mean any offense but you said yourself youve never done it and are just going and assuming what you've been told about transplanting in flowering is 100% true. Try it out and you'll see. Again, no offense meant.

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i agree..telling what to do , without even ever doing it so ! learn it yourself, that is the way to be better at the end ! i have transplanted also in about week 2. for minimal stress, be rally gentle when u transplant, and better do to wehn your lights are going out ! that way the plants can chill a a bit and be good to go in about 2-4 days back to their full growing !
also have done some experimenting on transplanting in late flower, something like on 6-7 week . thats was completely pointless act, cas later on i saw that the roots did not grow on to the new pot..oh, actually i did double potting, sorry...cut the bottom of the pot, and put it over a new pot...

darkdestruction420 said:

I do it all the time, i have never had one die or be shocked more than a day maybe 2 max. my plants fill up the 5 gallons from the time they are transplanted from 3 gallons to the 5 at week 3 of flower. I dont mean any offense but you said yourself youve never done it and are just going and assuming what you've been told about transplanting in flowering is 100% true. Try it out and you'll see. Again, no offense meant.

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no offense taken While I've never done it, I have seen it done or known about it, (through friends) & seen a plant die, and another done with a pot over pot & again little to no roots grown; for me it is just not an option worth exploring.

Good luck windsblow on ur repot!

id say, it depends on you, ive never had a plant go into shock after transplanting, in the beginning i had a rootball fall apart on me, almost killing a plant, but properly done, the plant shouldnt even notice a thing.

id transplant in flowering (or lose some yield)

so, how are you at transplanting?