ok guys i have 2 mothers growing right now and i know about the bonsai method http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/291687-bonsai-mums-guide.html would i be able to cut the roots of the plant like they did without all the pruning and all? ok to recap: i have 2 mothers in 1 gal pots i wanna know if i can chop the roots like he did and replant in the same size pot over again like he did but i don't wanna do all the trimming and all, would it work?
A root system only supports so much vegetation. If you prune the roots, you should keep the vegetation to no more than twice its size. For example, if you prune the root ball to six inches squared, you should keep the vegetation to a foot square or less. Trying to grow the plant to a larger size than the root system can support will cause older leaves to die as new ones grow in.
so how should i go about doing this then do i cut roots first or trim plant first? how do i know how much to trim off the plant? they are 12 inch's tall give or take and they are in 1 gal pots, when u say prune do u mean clip a good amount of clones off? or prune leafs? these are my first mothers i have had and this is my 11th grow, i don't feel like going through all the steps in the tut its more i wanna just be able to keep it in the same size pot for a bit.
Very sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Damn pothead memory. You keep the plants in the 1gal pots and regularly trim the vegetation to keep it as small as possible. The smaller the plant is above-ground, the longer it'll last between root prunings. How small you can keep it depends on how many clones you need & how often you need them. If you don't need clones too often, you can keep the plant extra small most of the time and let it grow out more before each time you take cuttings. Keeping the plants small means cutting off stems and leaves until the bush is the compact size you want or need it to be. You'll need to check the roots once in awhile to see if they need attention. Squeeze the sides of the pot to loosen it from the root ball. Grasp the base of the trunk with one hand and the container with the other. Gently separate the two and check the bottom of the root ball. When the roots begin swirling in circles on the bottom, it's time to prune them. Only pull plants from their pots in dim lighting as roots don't like the light. Unless the strain is easily replaced, it's a good idea to keep an extra unflowered clone as a spare mother plant. That way when the original mother dies, you won't lose the genetics.