I was moving my plants around today & I noticed that most of them had roots getting ready to come out of the drain holes in the pots. They are 25 days old in 6x6x6 pots. I still have two weeks of veg left, should I go ahead & transplant to a bigger pot now? If so should I go ahead & put them in 3 Gal pots? Need help fast guys!!!
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Need help fast.....roots sticking out of drain holes
- Thread starter freebuzz
- Start date
Wiimote
Member
I would transplant them now and prob only give them one more week (to adjust to the new digs) and then flower. The problem I see with going straight to the 3 gal is that you may run out of root space before the end (not to mention that stepping up in sizes, rather than big jumps in pot size, leads to a larger root mass). If you transplant to something between 6x6x6 and 3 gal, you may not be (root) ready to go into the 3 gal before you flower. I find it is best to give the girls a week or so (minimum) to root out a larger pot before flowering.
Disclaimer: I'm a well read newbie, if my answer "feels" wrong, then wait for a more experienced answer
Disclaimer: I'm a well read newbie, if my answer "feels" wrong, then wait for a more experienced answer
jcsmooth
Member
I'm trying to figure out how much soil 6"x6x6 would be...roughly a gallon?
If you have roots coming out, there's a good chance they're getting (or are) rootbound. Time to transplant! I normally do this a few days before switching my plant to flower, thus allowing it to spread it's roots a bit more and ease the plant into transition (not all at once).
I'd go ahead and transplant into the 3 gallons, but you might be better doing two transplants with one of them being smaller. Say...2 gallons.
Somewhere in between what you've got now and a 3 gallon
The other solution is to just go straight to the 3 gallon pots. The full wet-dry cycle is harder with that big of a jump in soil quantity.
G'luck,
JC
If you have roots coming out, there's a good chance they're getting (or are) rootbound. Time to transplant! I normally do this a few days before switching my plant to flower, thus allowing it to spread it's roots a bit more and ease the plant into transition (not all at once).
I'd go ahead and transplant into the 3 gallons, but you might be better doing two transplants with one of them being smaller. Say...2 gallons.
Somewhere in between what you've got now and a 3 gallon
The other solution is to just go straight to the 3 gallon pots. The full wet-dry cycle is harder with that big of a jump in soil quantity.
G'luck,
JC
idk, my plants had roots coming thru the drain holes, but when i chopped the males i got a good look at the rootball- it was MUCH less rootbound than i had imagined- so much so that it actually stopped me from t/p'ing my females....
My theory is this- when you water some comes out the drain holes and inevitably pools up... roots chase water, so youll get a few roots pokin out the drain holes but this does not *always* indicate root-bound-ness or the need to transplant...
But like i said, just my .02.... and the females that i decided not to t/p are still growing vigorously!
My theory is this- when you water some comes out the drain holes and inevitably pools up... roots chase water, so youll get a few roots pokin out the drain holes but this does not *always* indicate root-bound-ness or the need to transplant...
But like i said, just my .02.... and the females that i decided not to t/p are still growing vigorously!
G
Guest
The reason roots grow out of drainholes is because plants are started in too large of a container,1 gallon container is too big to start a seedling or new cutting.What happens is the roots grow along the sides of the container and out the drainholes leaving a big empty space in the middle.I've seen this a hundred times online but never experienced it myself because I always start seedlings and new cuts in 4 inch or 2 pint containers.When you let the rootball fill the container and transplant up to 1 gallon,you'll never see roots exiting drainholes.Its not rootbound for sure,but need a transplant anyway probably the roots wont utilize the soil in the middle of that 1 gal container
Wicked
Member
hmm, thats interesting ballastman. I had always started in small cups or trays. This seedling grow i started in trays and moved up right away to 1/2 gallon with soil. I was hoping this would eliminate the need to transplant again, which often slowed my growth by about a week. I also usually use clones, Ive done seeds before but find sexing them difficult. Any tips on that aspect?
Good Luck Freebuzz!
Good Luck Freebuzz!
G
Guest
I can usually sex seedplants during late veg but a good magnifying glass is necessary,for my old eyes anyway lol.Another way is to pull a cut just as early as possible and throw it under a 14 dark 10 light photoperiod,a cut need not root to show sex and this photoperiod usually beats out a 12/12 photoperiod by a few days.
jcsmooth
Member
To further complicate things, you may not have seen roots growing out of the drain holes because they don't like light.
Once I see roots coming out (only visible for a couple days usually), they usually disappear because they were exposed to a bit of light. Another reason not to use clear cups I guess.
Whether or not they're rootbound at the moment, roots coming out the bottom are a good sign there is a healthy root system. In the spirit of maximizing your root mass, transplant.
Just some thoughts,
JC
Once I see roots coming out (only visible for a couple days usually), they usually disappear because they were exposed to a bit of light. Another reason not to use clear cups I guess.
Whether or not they're rootbound at the moment, roots coming out the bottom are a good sign there is a healthy root system. In the spirit of maximizing your root mass, transplant.
Just some thoughts,
JC
G
Guest
I dunno man the last time I acked my dirty into the pot the vice squad almost got me,be careful bro..
The guy at the Hydro shop said to let them go for another week then transplant. Should be ok, he said. March 15th will begin the 5th week of veg. Thinking of getting a few clones next week, never done it, so I figure, it's worth a try The Hydro guy said to get them while they're still in veg. Also, When will I sex these plants??
G
Guest
That depends on the strain/phenotype and how good a pair of magnifying glasses you have,usually weeks 3-5.The guy at the hydro store was correct,take all your cuts in veg before 12/12.Remember to start them out and any seedplants in containers that are no larger than 2 pint,a 4 inch standard nursery container is good too,then transplant to 1 gallon after they get a bit of height.I wait until they're demanding water every other day before transplanting up a size.Depending on medium and environment,this could be different for you.The idea is never to water because you want to,always water and transplant when the plant needs it.Water until saturation all the way through then let the roots do their work lapping that shit up.Learn the wet and dry weights of your containers,just because you've achieved runoff out the drainholes doesnt mean you've got 100% saturation.
