The Real Truth about Rootbound and Transplanting

wookieslinger

Active Member

A simple Google search will bring up many credible sites that explain the root-bound condition. If that is not enough for you go to your local library and check out a few books on horticulture or take a class or three in horticulture and you will learn all about it for yourself.


Google has many sites that refer to house plants that have been in pots for years where the roots have displaced almost all of the original soil. That is not what's trying to sold as rootbound here. I've looked thru various horticulture texts and have found nothing. Wikipedia has no page for the condition, that leads me to assume no actual studies have been conducted. I've even searched Science direct for journals regarding root volume and plant growth, still nothing.


As I've stated before I just want to know. I do not offend anyone, esp a R1U gro baron. Until someone shows an actual study or credible source citing this condition it will continue to be speculation. So, please, show something legitimate and I'll be the 1st one to concede.
One of the proponents of this site is do dispel growing myths.
 

bigsourD

Well-Known Member
Until someone shows an actual study or credible source citing this condition it will continue to be speculation...
This was ridiculously easy...
rootbound (alt. root bound)
The condition of a houseplant or outdoor container plant which has outgrown its container, with the roots filling every niche of the container. Eventually, the roots will themselves strangle the plant by constricting the flow of nutrients. A hook or blade is required to cut through and separate the tangled matted outer roots when removed from the pot and before placing in the new container.
http://glossary.gardenweb.com/glossary/nph-ind.cgi?scrug=16677&k=rootbound&b=and&r=root&s=both
 

Zaehet Strife

Well-Known Member
so your all trying to tell me that this planttriploid first.jpgtriploid first 2.jpg



would have looked like thistriploid after.jpgtriploid after 2.jpg

in two weeks? even if i kept it in the same pot? and that the only thing i had to do was water it and feed it enough? and it would look like that? no, when you first see signs of rootbound THAT is when you transplant. the first pic my baby is starting to show signs of rootbound, re-potted breaking up the rootball and 14 days later she looks like that. my plant would not look as green and big as that if i would have kept her in the 1gallon pot, no matter what anyone tries to say. rootbound is real, if you know how to treat it good for you, keep on keep it on growing stunted plants your way. but the truth is that rootbound exists, and if you dont treat it you will get a stunted plant, a plant grown without ever being able to reach its full potential, and for me its way easier to take care of a plant that has room to grow rather than grow a plant that is rootbound. but we go back to the point that rootbound is real and that it effects your plants in a negative way, and it doesn't matter to what degree of rootboundness your plants are in, it will at the very least stunt your plants growth.
 

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
Why Yes ....thats what we are telling you bro... that a plant left in a 6 inch cup for 2 months... will do just as good as a plant thats is transplanted out of the cup into a 8 inch potter:)

Remember bro with soil grows ....Plants that have no room to expand the roots... will grow just as vigorus as plants that have plenty of room for root devolpement:)
 

mccumcumber

Well-Known Member
This is my understanding of the dreaded term "root bound"
The medium is a way of supplying the roots nutrients when they need them. You can keep your plants in a small medium if you would like, but you need to make up for the exhausted nutrients. Hence in hydro there is a feeding when you water (I grow soil so I don't know how often the feeding is), and with small pots like fdd he has to feed his monsters every day. That is not rootbound. A plant that is root bound means the roots need more space to grow out, not to find nutrients.
Simple analogy: Imagine that your roots are small Japanese men packed into a room, and your plant that is not in the medium (what you see) is an office. Each of these Japanese men require sushi (nutrients) and water (water). If you are using soil, your room came with some sushi, if you are using hydro, you must supply the sushi. Now room 1 contains some sushi and room 2 contains none. Lets say each room is 15'x15'. You start off with 15 in each room (we're starting after the initial germination stage). After watering room one and watering and feeding room two, each of the room's employees love their job and start telling their friends to work for them. Some time passes...
Each room contains 30 people now. Room 1 has run out of sushi though... rot roh, what do we do? Well here's some options, you can give them a bigger room with more sushi in it (transplanting) or you can start feeding room 1 as well. Let's pretend you started to feed room 1 instead.
You can fit around 300 Japanese men into a 15'x15' if you wanted to (obviously made up limit to explain example). Rootbound occurs when you try to pack another 300 Japanese men into that room. It's just not going to work, causing the Japanese men to go Samuri on each other's asses and fight for their sushi. Meanwhile, the office (your plant) is going to shit because no one is getting any work done, and the amount of work they need done is for 600 Japanese men in their 15'x15' room. Obviously this isn't going to happen so the company (plant) dies.
That analogy describes my understanding of roots and rootbound systems. Enjoy :)
 

wookieslinger

Active Member
Why Yes ....thats what we are telling you bro... that a plant left in a 6 inch cup for 2 months... will do just as good as a plant thats is transplanted out of the cup into a 8 inch potter:)

Remember bro with soil grows ....Plants that have no room to expand the roots... will grow just as vigorus as plants that have plenty of room for root devolpement:)
Exactly.
But if you were to leave it in the cup for any real length of time so that there is nothing but roots in the cup, then we'll talk true rootbound, as the definition implies. "The roots filling every niche of the container".
Now, here, it's been suggested that any constriction on roots will hinder growth, this is what the debate is about.

Furthermore, I've grown many plants 15 gallon tote containers. After harvest the dirt is removed and shows that roots have impacted the bottom and sides of the container. Is this rootbound too..? Something has impeaded their path. So, because the roots had to change direction has this degraded optimal growth conditions?
 

colonuggs

Well-Known Member
Exactly.
But if you were to leave it in the cup for any real length of time so that there is nothing but roots in the cup, then we'll talk true rootbound, as the definition implies. "The roots filling every niche of the container".
Now, here, it's been suggested that any constriction on roots will hinder growth, this is what the debate is about.

Furthermore, I've grown many plants 15 gallon tote containers. After harvest the dirt is removed and shows that roots have impacted the bottom and sides of the container. Is this rootbound too..? Something has impeaded their path. So, because the roots had to change direction has this degraded optimal growth conditions?
Under 1000s In veg when my roots look like this I transplant (about 3 weeks in a cup)




The plant will show signs of the roots starting to get compact...after waterings the leaves will no longer raise upwards towards the light they droop downward and stay the way



This is the same plant 1 week after I transplanted it....It would not be this healthy or show signs of this kind of new growth if I left it in the cup... even if I added fert....the leaves now raise towards the lights no more drooping after watering and staying that way



I have gone to many a freinds house who also grow....I will tell them to transplant their plants after we pop the ball out of the potter and look at the ball... if we see roots like in photo 1 we transplant the plant....1 week later they have healthy plants again :)

I have seen photos 7-8yr old MJ moms (bonzis).... even with those plants they have to cut and remove a 1/3 of the rootball 2 times a year...those are kept under 40 -80 watts .... roots develope slower under less wattage....they have to add new soil to promote new plant and root growth

 

Wolverine97

Well-Known Member
Google has many sites that refer to house plants that have been in pots for years where the roots have displaced almost all of the original soil. That is not what's trying to sold as rootbound here. I've looked thru various horticulture texts and have found nothing. Wikipedia has no page for the condition, that leads me to assume no actual studies have been conducted. I've even searched Science direct for journals regarding root volume and plant growth, still nothing.

As I've stated before I just want to know. I do not offend anyone, esp a R1U gro baron. Until someone shows an actual study or credible source citing this condition it will continue to be speculation. So, please, show something legitimate and I'll be the 1st one to concede.
One of the proponents of this site is do dispel growing myths.
Google ftw.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pot-bound
 

Zaehet Strife

Well-Known Member
Exactly.
But if you were to leave it in the cup for any real length of time so that there is nothing but roots in the cup, then we'll talk true rootbound, as the definition implies. "The roots filling every niche of the container".
Now, here, it's been suggested that any constriction on roots will hinder growth, this is what the debate is about.
exactly, it doesn't matter how constricted/rootbound/hindered your plants roots are.. even when they are just starting to get constricted/rootbound/hindered the plants growth isn't going to be as good, not if the roots had the room they need. i'm confused about why people are trying to deny that.
 

fdd2blk

Well-Known Member
exactly, it doesn't matter how constricted/rootbound/hindered your plants roots are.. even when they are just starting to get constricted/rootbound/hindered the plants growth isn't going to be as good, not if the roots had the room they need. i'm confused about why people are trying to deny that.
the "room they need" to what? :?
 
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