Should I repot this plant?

[DopeyChick]

When I brought my big plant out to water it tonight I thought I'd lift it out its pot to check out the root situation, it has plenty nice looking healthy branching roots

This is the plant (taken a few days ago so its a little bit bigger):




The pot it is in is 4" wide by 3" deep, the pot I was going to plant it in is 5" wide by 5" deep

My other question is: is it ok to bring up the top level of the soil up about 1"?
The reason I want to do this is because when we planted them we did not have a grow light for the first few weeks so they grew a bit leggy
I think it would also allow me to remove the little supporting stick and the plant would stand on its own

Kx

 

[Sproutling]

Has it filled the pot entirely with roots? if yes. go ahead and repot.
Only my opinion, i like to wait until it has filled the pot up nicely.

PS: Healthy looking plant. =)

 

[DopeyChick]

I will take pictures of the roots tomorrow, if I can get a good picture!

From what your saying I should maybe wait another week or so, they are nearly all around the soil though

Kx

 

[DopeyChick]

PS: Healthy looking plant. =)

Thank you!! I am a very proud first time mum (well getting this far anyway! Thanks to a grow light)

Only growing this plant so fingers crossed its a girlie!! Started growing two, but my other one passed away

 

[sirgrassalot]

DopeyChick try & remove the stick, nice job by the way Land of the Giants props never looked so good. You want the plant to force itself into holding itself up. Even if they've stretched a little. If it falls over put it back on for a while but keep letting it try to hold itself up.

When you do your transplant bury some of the bare stem deeper in the soil not only will that support her but will keep your plant low to the pot. A little stretching at birth isn't really a problem if you plan on growing decent sized plants, I'm always trimming the under growth of the bloomers anyways. They're often over vegged for my bloom area.

She's looking good from her rocky start.

 

[slohemian]

I read of a method long ago that says grow the plant to what you have, take it out of the soil, cut notches from where it started in the dirt to 5" above that, smear it w/ rooting hormones and plant it above the top cut. Supposedly this creates a FRENZY of roots fromt that top cut all the way down to your original roots. More roots = bigger buds.

Anyone heard of this?

 

[DopeyChick]

I read of a method long ago that says grow the plant to what you have, take it out of the soil, cut notches from where it started in the dirt to 5" above that, smear it w/ rooting hormones and plant it above the top cut. Supposedly this creates a FRENZY of roots fromt that top cut all the way down to your original roots. More roots = bigger buds.

Anyone heard of this?

I am a complete novice so no I haven't heard of it but if it works it sounds good!!

I am thinking that roots will come from the stem once its under soil

 

[Guest]

Hey

You're plant looks pretty good from here!

Were that my plant, I would pot up to 3-4 Liter size pot. One that is like 6-7" dia. and 8-9" deep ....And as said above, bury about half of that bare stem, more iff possible....one reason for going to a deeper pot. That bare stem serves no purpose whatsoever and limits your useful plant height. Like the man said, that buried stem will grow roots. And that's what you want at the end of the day--- a massive, healthy rootsystem. Make sure your new soil is well drained and has dolomite lime in it.

pedro


Edit:
I loved my three trips to Scotland. I especially liked the NW coast from about Kinlochewe North to Durness. I did some "hillwalking" near Kinlochewe on Slioch and Bein Eighe(SP) Gairloch is a cute lil place. Ullapoole is interesting too. Some unique gardens in Ullapoole as I recall.

 

[DopeyChick]

Hey

You're plant looks pretty good from here!

Were that my plant, I would pot up to 3-4 Liter size pot. One that is like 6-7" dia. and 8-9" deep ....And as said above, bury about half of that bare stem, more iff possible....one reason for going to a deeper pot. That bare stem serves no purpose whatsoever and limits your useful plant height. Like the man said, that buried stem will grow roots. And that's what you want at the end of the day--- a massive, healthy rootsystem. Make sure your new soil is well drained and has dolomite lime in it.

pedro


Edit:
I loved my three trips to Scotland. I especially liked the NW coast from about Kinlochewe North to Durness. I did some "hillwalking" near Kinlochewe on Slioch and Bein Eighe(SP) Gairloch is a cute lil place. Ullapoole is interesting too. Some unique gardens in Ullapoole as I recall.

Thank you!

Edited coz I didn't mean to post yet, this laptop does whatever the heck it feels like!!

What is dolomite lime?

Would mixing some sharp sand in with the soil help drainage? I've been doing that for the veg I am growing in containers in the garden

I love Scotland, I am very proud to be Scottish, I dont even mind our weather (although last summer was non-existent!!) Up north is where we usually go on holiday, we love camping in Glencoe (The Red Squirel Campsite is fantastic!!) Fort William is also a favourite place as is Gairloch (the one right up north as there is a few!) and Ullapoole

I am glad you enjoyed your time here and appreciated our beautiful Highlands! Where are you from?

 

[Guest]

Thank you!

Edited coz I didn't mean to post yet, this laptop does whatever the heck it feels like!!

What is dolomite lime?

Would mixing some sharp sand in with the soil help drainage? I've been doing that for the veg I am growing in containers in the garden

I love Scotland, I am very proud to be Scottish, I dont even mind our weather (although last summer was non-existent!!) Up north is where we usually go on holiday, we love camping in Glencoe (The Red Squirel Campsite is fantastic!!) Fort William is also a favourite place as is Gairloch (the one right up north as there is a few!) and Ullapoole

I am glad you enjoyed your time here and appreciated our beautiful Highlands! Where are you from?

Dolomite lime is a form of lime which contains both Calcium and Magnesium in a form that also buffers the acidity in your soil. IMO, it is vital to have in your soil mix...2 Tablespoons per gallon of soil mix is the usual recommendation.

I don't know what the brands available are in Scotland. You'll have to get someone to tell you. I'm sure it's available. Check good nurserys and plant shops. You'll have people tell you that you don't need to lime your soils but IMO they are dead wrong.

The link in my signature is for 2 soil recipes. You can substitute a local potting mix for Promix in recipe #2. Just make sure it doesn't have any time release fertilizers in it. Nothing that says words like "Feeds for up to 3 months".

Do not use sand for drainage. Use perlite. I like a bit more perlite than LC does in his soil recipes. I like about 1/3 of the mix to be perlite. Having a well drained soil makes it easy to water. Many folks have a tendency to overwater, watering too often. Well draining soils dry quicker making them somewhat more forgiving of that error. Learn to water by feeling the weight of the pot after watering and then pick the pot up daily to learn how quickly it dries out. Watering should NOT be on a rigid schedule. You water when the plant needs it. It's the best way to water.

I loved Scotland. I'm 1/8 Scot too

pedro



This is a US brand. Screen it when you get it. The fines are incorporated into the soil much faster.


This is a view not many people ever see, even people who live here. This is looking west over the "Great Wilderness" from one of Slioch's two peaks(app 3500ft) It was a bitch of a walk up in the snow LOL!!


This is looking the other way toward Beine Eighe. See the small inverted "Y" just to the left of my head? That is Beine Eighe. I climbed that one about a week before. Great fun!!

 

[Guest]

Here is a link that may seem intimidating at first, but give it a read in your spare time. This is from a US University and the soils aren't the same, BUT...the principles of soil acidity and why you need lime are explained in this series. If you scroll down to page 32 or so, "lime" in its various forms is explained about as well as I've seen it done anywhere.

here is the link:
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/pdf/acidity1.pdf

I'm an old fart gardener, even if I am fairly new at weed. One thing I see on these forums is that many people lack an understanding about soils(soiless mixes actually for many of us), acidity, and why "liming" is so important in keeping pH in the proper range. The info in this series is well worth studying in your spare time if you want to really be sucessful....IMHO anyway.

I'm utterly convinced that if a person makes a good soil like one of LC's mixes in my signature link, 90% of their battle is won. Period. You know what is in your grow, and what is not...and moreover you have an idea as to WHY the various things are in there. Then YOU are in control. Then it's just watering and feeding. Your plants will be fun to grow

If you start your grow, and continue your grow in a soil you didn't prepare correctly, or is somehow "suspect"... you will spend most of your time f'king with the grow from hell. This will be especially true for those who didn't ensure their soil mix was adequately buffered. pH problems lead the inexperienced down false paths. People adjust their nute regime for what appear to be nutrient problems....when the actual problem is often pH. This leads to lockouts and/or toxic levels of one or more nutrient. Diagnosing the problem often becomes difficult because soil chemistry is extremely complex. All these factors are interrelated and hard to sort out sometimes.

ramble ramble sorry. But you cannot know too much about your soil and what goes into it.

pedro

 

[DopeyChick]

The compost I have used has enough feed in it for 6-8 weeks, should I still use it when I re-plant? Or should I try and get a compost with nothing in it?

My plant has done well in the compost it is in, apart from getting some nute burn but that was because I was using miracle grow to feed it, I am now using bio bizz bio-grow

My husband brought me home some perlite today, so I am gonna use some of that when I re-pot

Kx

 

[DopeyChick]

Here's a picture of the roots before I re-potted tonight:



And here it is in its new pot (hoping its a she!!):



Decided to re-pot as the pot was light again and nearly dry and I only watered it yesterday

Hope she continues to do well!

Kx

 

[Guest]

The compost I have used has enough feed in it for 6-8 weeks, should I still use it when I re-plant? Or should I try and get a compost with nothing in it?

My plant has done well in the compost it is in, apart from getting some nute burn but that was because I was using miracle grow to feed it, I am now using bio bizz bio-grow

My husband brought me home some perlite today, so I am gonna use some of that when I re-pot

Kx

Looking good on the repot to me. Those roots looked nice and white, a good sign. A bit rootbound, but you knew that I think. I do hope you put perlite in the soil you used to repot? The soil in the picture doesn't appear to have any.

Soils remaining too wet for too long becomes a bigger issue as pot size gets bigger...more volume to either dry out, or BE dried out by plant uptake. And IMO it is a real problem when folks put these lil itty bitty plants in 5 gallon buckets. Tiny plants have NO root system to speak of!! How in God's name are they ever going to take up all the moisture in a 5 gallon bucket? The result is a good chance of that soil staying wet so long it will kill the plant.... And yes I know there are people out there who do this sort of thing, but I think they are wrong. Not an arguable point with me anyway.


As for the compost being able to feed that plant 6-8 weeks....That may or may not be true. See below remarks. It's OK either way though.

For now my advice would be to simply water it with water that has been pH'd to 6.0-7.0 This plant will be a good learning tool for watering iif you want it to be. Learn to feel how much a pot weighs right after watering(and the excess drains off). Lift your pot every morning.Try to develop a feel for the weight as it changes each day. It's subtle sometimes depending on the plants metabolism/growth rate, BUT it will get lighter. The trick is learning when the plant needs watering BUT is not dry yet. You never want to let roots dry completely out. That will injure/kill the root hairs...bad news for your plant. Excessive drying of the soil also causes fissure and cracks in the soil ball. Water then tends to flow right through the soil ball and out the drain holes....leaving dry spots within the soil ball. Again, BAD NEWS for your plant.

You want your soil to be moist, but NOT waterlogged. This is why you need perlite, generous amounts IMO, in your soil. Perlite creates pathways for water to drain through AND provides vital air spaces within your soil after the excess water drains through. This action also helps prevent soil compaction, anothert bad thing for soils. The goal is to thoroughly moisten the organic matter in your soil, but without leaving the soil saturated.

So water your plant, but keep an eye out for nutrient problems. You may need to feed it lightly. IMO, it is better to tend to underfeed than overdo nutes. Once they are in the soil, it's VERY tuff to get them out. Yes you can flush the soil if you are using chemical ferts like Miracle Grow, but flushing soil is a last resort IMO. I'll do anything, including repot before flushing.

Keep us posted. I hope it's a girl too.

Are you going to grow this plant indoors or put it outside later if it is a girl?

pedro

 

[DopeyChick]

Thanks Pedro

Yeah I mixed in perlite, reckon it was just over 1/3 perlite (not quite as much as half) You can see it in the bottom two pics - honest! The root picture has none coz it didn't have any - just compost

I am surprised you say its root bound I thought from what someone said (dont know if it was you) that I'd maybe need to wait another few days to a week before replanting, that was obviously before I'd taken a picture I've learned something there thats for sure! Glad I just went ahead and repotted it then! And you've seen a picture and given me your advice! Very much appreciated!!

So should it be repotted when the roots are just starting to show all round?

What I have been doing with my plant and my chilli's is sitting them in a tub of water (and some bio-grow) just up to half the soil depth, leaving them for a minute or so before checking the weight, then allowing them to drain before putting them back in my grow box, I then wait until the soil looks a bit lighter and the pot feels lighter then I water them again in the same way

Do you think that is ok?

How do I check the pH of my water? What pH is soft water usually? How would I change it if its not right?

Plant will be grown inside - far too risky outdoors

Thank you so much for the time you've spent in helping me out! I need it!!

Kx

 

[Guest]

Thanks Pedro

Yeah I mixed in perlite, reckon it was just over 1/3 perlite (not quite as much as half) You can see it in the bottom two pics - honest! The root picture has none coz it didn't have any - just compost

OK I see the perlite. My bad LOL!! 1/3 is great.

I am surprised you say its root bound I thought from what someone said (dont know if it was you) that I'd maybe need to wait another few days to a week before replanting, that was obviously before I'd taken a picture I've learned something there thats for sure! Glad I just went ahead and repotted it then! And you've seen a picture and given me your advice! Very much appreciated!!

So should it be repotted when the roots are just starting to show all round?

Well, I did say a "bit" rootbound. Rootbound is kind of subjective. I think you repotted at about the right time. Just when to repot is something that needs a bit of thought and planning. I'm not afraid to transplant often, but then I've done it 100's of times over the years. You need to think about what your final plant size is going to be. I like to build up the rootball/system by transplanting several times. This grow I went from about 300ml-->1L-->3L-->11L Three transplants. There are any number of transplanting schemes that will work. I just think going straight to the largest pot from a small one is a mistake.

What I have been doing with my plant and my chilli's is sitting them in a tub of water (and some bio-grow) just up to half the soil depth, leaving them for a minute or so before checking the weight, then allowing them to drain before putting them back in my grow box, I then wait until the soil looks a bit lighter and the pot feels lighter then I water them again in the same way

Do you think that is ok?

Sure as long as you don't forget and leave them in the water too long ))) Let them drain well as you did. The bottom line is find a way that is good for you to know when to water.

How do I check the pH of my water? What pH is soft water usually? How would I change it if its not right?

There are two ways I like to check pH. One is with a digital pH pen and the other is the much easier and LOTs cheaper liquid color test. The liquid color test kit is plenty accurate enuf for a soil grow. Don't let people tell you different. You should be able to find them at any good plant store for under 5 quid. You simply put a few ml of the water/nute solution in a little tube, add 2 drops of the agent and match the color to a provided chart.(The instructions for mine. Follow the instructions on yours.)

I want to stress this point as much as I can:

Checking pH of water/nutes, whatever should be the LAST thing you do before puring it on your plants

If you are just watering, no nutes...you need to make absolutely certain your water's pH is <7.0. Period. If it is over 7.0, then you need to bring it down to between 6.0 and 7.0. Learn to read your color chart. 6.5 is ideal.

If your pH is above 7.0 then you need to bring it down. Many will say use things like "pH Down" which is usually a weak phosphoric acid. Some use things like whitye vinegar and citrus juices. Personally, I prefer to use either Earth Juice Grow or Liquid Karma(Botanicare) Mostly I use Liquid Karma as recommended on the bottle. It brings my 7.0 to 7.3 water down easily to in the 6-7 range. EJ(Earth Juice) Grow and Flower are very acidic. I dosn't take much and whatever it takes to pH your water will not hurt your grow in the slightest.

Soft Water YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Water softeners are BAD NEWS for plants I'm afraid. Most put too much sodium in the water. Sodium is NOT GOOD for plants. Don't use softener water. Do you have a water spigot outside that isn't on the softener? Use that.

Plant will be grown inside - far too risky outdoors

Thank you so much for the time you've spent in helping me out! I need it!!

You are quite welcome

Kx

Pedro


I hope this helped

Here's one of my plants when I transplanted from 1 to 3 Liters. I don't think this one is rootbound, but some said it was.

 

[Gods son]

that plant should feel much comfortable now herself

nice plant chic

son

 

[DopeyChick]

Thanks everyone!!

Please be a girlie!!! Please be a girlie!!

Pedro - Where I come from in Scotland the water we get out our tap is soft - is it still not good?

Would collected rain water be better?

Do you tie your plants over?

Kx

 

[Sproutling]

I see its going along nicely.
Nice green colour and looks perky.

What strain is it?
Or is it mayhap even some exciting bagseed? =)

Hope it turns out a healthy female.

peace.

 

[DopeyChick]

I see its going along nicely.
Nice green colour and looks perky.

What strain is it?
Or is it mayhap even some exciting bagseed? =)

Hope it turns out a healthy female.

peace.

It is AK-48 by Nirvana (its a white strain apparently)

I am afraid I have no idea about anything else!! We liked the sound of it so bought it!

Kx