rootbound 3 weeks into bloom

[trailblazer2]

Growing plants in 3 gallon pots with vermiculite, peat and perlite. Indoor using 1000 w hps. Plants topped once an given long veg period. Now 3 weeks into flower. They looked great then over a few days showed yellowing of leaves and many leaves dying... necrosis. Water does not run out bottom of pots so I suspect massive rootbound. Cant repot into larger pots, but can repot into same pots... loosen roots and add some fresh medium in bottom of pots. Will this help or should I just ride this out. Should I loosen root mass at bottom or just cut off layer?

 

[Pinnate]

Cant repot into larger pots, but can repot into same pots... loosen roots and add some fresh medium in bottom of pots. Will this help or should I just ride this out. Should I loosen root mass at bottom or just cut off layer?

Your plants are in real trouble . . .
Peat needs plenty of sand for free-drainage ─ as I know to my cost!
Perlite and vermiculite in peat tends to compound the problem.
I can suggest you let them dry-out until they wilt and then poke multiple holes (knitting needle, or similar?) down through the soil to the bottom of the pots without messing up the roots too much and water, using half the usual quantity of water!
They really need repotting into free-draining soil, half neutral sand and half peat, but that means carefully removing the bulk of the old soil.
Post to let us know what happens?

 

[supermanlives]

I wouldn't mess with roots much 3 weeks in flower. but you can transplant to larger pot.do it gently and do not disturb roots any more than needed.

 

[moses wellfleet]

Yes, what good reason is there not to go up to bigger pots?

 

[supermanlives]

I find roots grow slow after a few weeks flower in my garden. messing with em too much might be counter productive . IMHO

 

[symbiote420]

If I have to repot in bloom I only plant in a pot that's a sixe or two bigger and I only put an inch or so layer of soil at the bottom of the pot ....unless it's a saty you're growing the roots stop spreading around the 3rd/4th week ...too much unoccupied soil can lead to pathogens and other root/plant problems!

 

[Jhhnn]

Pop one plant out of its pot to see what's really going on.

Sometimes deeper saucers & watering from the bottom helps rootbound plants get what they need.

 

[vapor]

live and learn up pot before flower and avoid this issue plant size pot size/ light/ room equation its a learning curve. Don't up pot them now you will most likely drown the roots on the outside of the pots cause they are not going to grow much at 3 weeks flower maybe if you are growing a 16-30 week sativa. but not for anything that flower relatively fast. poke some holes on top of soil water slow or use trays and let them soak it up etc...

 

[Mate Dave]

Cannabis roots continue to grow naturally without stimulants until senescence at which point the plant has finished its life cycle and usually dies or is harvested.

The roots continue to do this regeneration to keep the plant upright and in position for processing photosynshtate, if some roots are severed the plant will produce surface/lateral adventitious roots arising from the cambium layer. (Roots to find nutriment and water). The 'root cap' the outer most layer of the "epidermis" will die & regrow, continually penetrating to find nutriment.

In organic systems microbes will be consuming the 'detritus' and processing it into nutriment, other grow methods like hydroponic mediums require enzymes and other potions to achieve this.

Potting on will stimulate new root growth up to a certain point, this is strain dependent and the process usually elevates any problems with nutriment deprivation although the yield will have suffered dramatically.

Alternatively try use fertigation to finish the crop or buy a sack of you personal choice of peat based medium, plant into this sack cutting the bottom out the pot by tilting it. This is much easier than lifting out big plants for re-potting. Damaging the "root collar" is serious. You could use the base of a tent if your growing in one and make a bed and go that route.

Cut the bottoms off the pots and let it be.

 

[vapor]

I agree if they where not rootbound but once you hit rootbound things get tough to kick around....

 

[stihgnobevoli]

what do you mean water doesn't run out of the bottom? where does it go when you water the plants?

 

[Mate Dave]

what do you mean water doesn't run out of the bottom? where does it go when you water the plants?

Ha ha!

 

[trailblazer2]

Look at my other thread in the growroom designs and equipment: too cold during dark hours. This makes things even worse. Also, yes you heard right... no water drains out the holes in bottom of pots. Worried that roots in middle of pots getting icky. Seems bottom roots are blocking drainage. Going to poke holes from drain holes towards center then see if water drains out. Plants are actually more than 3 weeks into bloom... buds look great but all original fan leaves look bad... have removed most of them. By the way, my friend set us up with the light and potted clones, so I have to try to convince him before doings things or he will blame me for all problems. He says to leave them alone and ride this out. Hey, we have no funds right now thanks to the power bill, so need cheap solutions. Lessons learned... next time repot before flowering.

 

[trailblazer2]

Plants: 2 phantom, 2 candyland, 1 bay 11. When we got the clones, I didnt know they had been several weeks in veg. The one topping also extended veg time... roots grew like heck. Now they are choking themselves.

 

[supermanlives]

if a plant needs to grow more roots that takes away energy that could be otherwise utilized in flower. IMHO roots grow very slow after a few weeks flower in my garden. I don't mess with roots in flower any more than I have to. your results may vary. roots that get broken /messed up cant function as well as complete root systems and while they are regrowing your loosing all that potential.

 

[The OrigF/clred]

i've been helping a bud with his grow - he's got a similiar situation.

He just transplanted 15 plants just b4 flipping them to flower, but one plant, the 16th, he didn't - he was short one larger pot

they all were on the verge of being rootbound when he transplanted them. All had their soil compacted because of a low ration of perlite and cause the damn perlite apparently dissolves over time and again, this sativa has been forever (109 days total growth, 42 in veg, 67 in flower)

then at about 7 weeks into flower (sativa with an "eternal" flower period), they all were showing a strange discoloration on the leaves, looked like calcium deficiency, and his pH were dropping all of sudden, real low - so it was a calcium def due to pH lockout

the one plant he hadn't transplanted it was showing the worst in terms of leaves (upper & lower leaves) turning yellow (burning at the edges first with tips curling like "genie" shoes) - he went ahead and transplanted it today to see if it would recover - was definitely way beyond rootbound but worse, found a slimey almost liquid gelatin like slime covering the roots, so he believes it's root rot (i'm a newbie at this).

He finished the transplant and gave it a H2O2 flush (and gave all the others a similiar), and we'll see. He's planning to flush the bejesus out of it again in a couple of days, to try to wash out the slime, assuming the H202 kills it

if you

fwiw

 

[The OrigF/clred]

sorry, don't why that posted before i was finished - but you might want to check your pH to see if it's dropped - apparently the root rot does cause pH to go down radically

my bud was going to heat a 1" tube and melt out a small "window" on the side of the pot if he didn't transplant - just to see how bad the root bound was, so,,,,

fwiw

 

[Granger2]

Root Rot and being root bound are 2 different things, but can occur together. On the root rot, stay with the peroxide for a couple of weeks, then inoculate with Great White or similar, or better, with a properly brewed EWC ACT.

For the plants that are root bound, many nurserymen would remove the plant from the container. If it's root bound, the root ball should stay together well. Mash around on the outside and bottom of the container, gently work the rootball out. With a sharp knife or heavy duty scissors, cut verticle slits in the root ball 2 inches apart, 1/2 inch into the root ball, bottom to top. Then cut 1/2 to 1 inch off the bottom. Use as much fresh medium as will fit on the bottom. this will stop circling and cause the roots to branch at the cuts and back up the root. Like topping above ground. I have, a few times, halved the rootball 1/3 of the way up the bottom. No ill effects. Don't try this unless the rootball is really solid, or if you're at home. Good luck. -granger

 

[stihgnobevoli]

Also, yes you heard right... no water drains out the holes in bottom of pots.

oh no i have perfect vision. i still don't know what you're saying though. is there a pool of water on the surface of your pots from all the water that's not coming out of the bottom of the pots? do you pour a 5 gallon bucket of water into a 1quart pot and it all just disappears into another dimension? that was my question.

 

[stihgnobevoli]

Don't try this unless the rootball is really solid, or if you're at home. Good luck. -granger

...or you're not you know...3 weeks into flower.