Why does my plant constantly keep going rootbound??? Now in 48litre pot!!!????

OK so i started these 3 clones off in lil cups and then moved them 150mm pots then 8.5L...they soon went root bound in the 8.5(2gal) pots so i repotted up to 24L..growth restarted after awile and was great till i noticed the same symptoms AGAIN!! roots showin out bottom wilting,dormant growth..so i upped to 48L!! thats like 12gallons for fucksake??!!!! so now its happning again...roots showin out drainage holes..wilting im getting so fustrated coz every month or so this has happend..plants hav been in veg since around the middle of may..they are handwatered in composted pine bark/canna coco/perlite...using bat guano..ph is unknown but growth has been great up to about three days ago now..funny thing is every time i repot they come back..but this is just getting fucking ridiculous...at this rate theyl be in a swimming pool soon...please help...!!!! is the perlite aerating the medium too much, and theyre getting really good root systems really fast or am i fucking up somewhere? when repotted i have just put them in to new soil and not loosened things up trying not to disturb anything...any ideas will be much appriciated

I don't think your problem is root binding.

Roots coming out of the bottom of your pot is a good thing.

CloneWars said:

OK so i started these 3 clones off in lil cups and then moved them 150mm pots then 8.5L...they soon went root bound in the 8.5(2gal) pots so i repotted up to 24L..growth restarted after awile and was great till i noticed the same symptoms AGAIN!! roots showin out bottom wilting,dormant growth..so i upped to 48L!! thats like 12gallons for fucksake??!!!! so now its happning again...roots showin out drainage holes..wilting im getting so fustrated coz every month or so this has happend..plants hav been in veg since around the middle of may..they are handwatered in composted pine bark/canna coco/perlite...using bat guano..ph is unknown but growth has been great up to about three days ago now..funny thing is every time i repot they come back..but this is just getting fucking ridiculous...at this rate theyl be in a swimming pool soon...please help...!!!! is the perlite aerating the medium too much, and theyre getting really good root systems really fast or am i fucking up somewhere? when repotted i have just put them in to new soil and not loosened things up trying not to disturb anything...any ideas will be much appriciated

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Roots coming out the bottom just means they are trying to get more oxygen bro you can drill a few holes in your containers to help them with that. Your plant is going to get bigger exponentially based on the size of your container anyways so for them to get larger every time you re pot should be expected... Pics?

Rusty Crutch said:

I don't think your problem is root binding.

Roots coming out of the bottom of your pot is a good thing.

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Not if you are growing in soil

Rusty Crutch said:

I don't think your problem is root binding.

Roots coming out of the bottom of your pot is a good thing.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind that he's not using hydro captain. Nice root system tho...

rombomb420 said:

Roots coming out the bottom just means they are trying to get more oxygen bro you can drill a few holes in your containers to help them with that. Your plant is going to get bigger exponentially based on the size of your container anyways so for them to get larger every time you re pot should be expected... Pics?

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um ok? so is my best option to repot yet again? as this fixd it twice before?,or drill the holes for oxygen? the thing is, when the hell does it stop? when i flower it? it jus seems really weird how its taking all of a 48L pot? is that small? leaves are beginning to droop again and slightly yellow, jus a lil tho, i know its hapning again!! its gonna be a fucking mission trying to repot it tho..almost ready to give up on these ladies..its that fustrating!!..but prior to this last 4 days or so ive been stoked with the amount of growth!?, i never over feed so i know its not that.and im sick people suggesting i check ph coz ive never had probs with deficiencies or nute burn,the times they have played up ive repotted and theyve thrived!? .. and the fact that repotting twice before...(8.5L - 24L then 24L - 48L) fixed it kinda leads me to believe root bound is the prob?? had to throw two outside in the dirt because i was running out of room in my growspace for all the pots.. and if i repot again there aint gonna be fuck all room for any thing else!? ive got 5 in there at the mo'...sorry for my shocking language bro but ive come so far just to see this shit hapen yet again..im desperate for a solution otherwise ive gotta pull the plug..cheers mate

if repotting then flowering soon after will solve this i will do this, as they are quite big..i was trying to get nice big plants so i ddnt have to grow again for a while, hence vegging them since the middle of may, but ive seen plants veg for jus as long in pots half the size? this is why its brassing me off!!? ..please help a brother out.. it will be much appriciated as i am a very fustrated novice..

You should switch to smart pots, and that would fix your space issue, they sal a 5 gallon smart pot is equivalent to a regular 10 gal pot. So you can get more use out of smaller space. Also, I would start flowering now, and they should be fine for the rest of the grow. Just because you see a few roots coming out the bottom does not mean it's root bound.

Unless it looks like this:

Are you sure they're rootbound. You said you didn't disturb the roots at last repot. So they may not be filling the pot. When repotted into a little bit bigger pot, 1g to 2g, roots tend to fill the whole pot. When put into too big of a container the roots run to the edges, down the sides and start to circle. Is that what you saw at repotting?
You also said there's a lot of perlite in the mix. I think the roots are looking for water. Feeder roots are usually quite shallow and water/anchor roots are deep. I think thats what your seeing come out of the weep holes.
Fred

doing a great job, just a little slow on the pot sizing, you miss that class, just messing with u. Put them in a garbage can, there cheep or you can find one next door, a few holes 1/4 inch and monster plant.

It is root bound and if your plant is flowering your stressing it big time = not as big, not as potent, not as tasty, do I keep going.....

Put them in a plastic can and collect 2 lbs = great smoke and lots of it.

Everyone here would like to have your problem.

Good fucking job

Peace and positive vibes

The plant pic is a good example of a root-bound plant.

Are roots necessarily bound if they take a turn when they hit the inside of the pot? Isn't it natural for them to grow outward and then follow the inside face of the pot indefinitely? I just don't understand root binding I guess.

fred flintstoned said:

Are you sure they're rootbound. You said you didn't disturb the roots at last repot. So they may not be filling the pot. When repotted into a little bit bigger pot, 1g to 2g, roots tend to fill the whole pot. When put into too big of a container the roots run to the edges, down the sides and start to circle. Is that what you saw at repotting?
You also said there's a lot of perlite in the mix. I think the roots are looking for water. Feeder roots are usually quite shallow and water/anchor roots are deep. I think thats what your seeing come out of the weep holes.
Fred

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YES MATE!! THATS EXACTLY WHAT I SAW!! ALL BUNCHED UP AT THE BOTTOM AND KINDA UP THE SIDES!..I HAD A FEELING TAP ROOT WAS SHOOTIN DOWN TOO FAST..so how do i remedy this iv jus purchased another 100liters of potting mix do i repot then flower what? thanks for hitting it right on the button bro..!!

The drooping is probably a need for water. The high perlite content lets the water drain to the bottom quickly. That's why the roots go there too. No scientific proof on that, sounds logical though. Water more often, not necessarily more water, just more often. Get a small air pump for aquariums and bubble your water for 24 hrs. Adds dissolved oxy and evaporates chlorine. Do you even have chlorine in the water over there?
I can only speculate as to the leaf yellowing. More than likely they have outgrown the feed, Up the ppm and see what happens. Watch em very closely. It sometimes take a couple days to see any burning or improvement in dirt.
At this point I don't think there's much you can do about the roots other than radical surgery. That's pretty extreme and may take a month or more to recover, if at all.
I'd suggest you get the feed and watering under control and flip. You mentioned you have space outside. That's probably the best remedy.
When upcanning, go up in pot size at smaller intervals. A gallon or two at most. I have 8 week plants in my veg room in 3g pots and they're very happy. Each time you upcan, take a utility knife and cut down the sides about quarter inch deep in about 4-5 places. Also cut any roots circling the bottom. Don't worry, you're not gonna kill em. This encourages the roots to put out new feelers similar to the topping reaction.
Look into some threads by Uncle Ben. His horticultural knowledge is unmatched here. He has a good thread on upcanning and water issues.
Bottom Line; They'll be OK. Relax, smoke a bowl. I find that makes all problems manageable.
Fred

a massive thanks to everybody for your input..plants are boomin yet again and ive flipped them....joints all round guys...peace one love

I got a shit load of roots too!!!



This was 44 days from a seed. Vegged for 34 days. Just started week 2 of bloom.