Well you guys were right about one thing. The plant was root bound. I pulled up the 2 smallest plants and got rid of them and then transplanted the two bigger ones (including the one I posted pics of) into 6.5 qt pots. The problem plant was root bound big time and it was a pain in the butt to get it out without tearing the roots and then clean it off and replant. The other one is almost 2 weeks old and the roots were a 3rd of the size of the big one so it replanted easily. Hopefully they will take in their new pots and survive. This time I used a mixture of peralite, peat moss, and garden soil from my own garden. I have a huge vegetable garden and I keep it purely organic. I make my own compost and everything. So it's good soil, very well taken care of. So the new pots are 6.5 qts. Which is roughly 1.65 gallons. So I'm only going to be able to grow them about 1 and a half feet tall before they could get root bound again. So my question is this: Do I let them veg until they are 1.5 ft. tall and then flower? I don't know how much the roots grow after switching to flower, I assume the plant puts most of it's growth into the buds. Or will I have to stop vegging right before it gets to 1 ft. tall and then flower since the plant can triple in size during flowering? Obviously with my smaller grow box I won't be able to grow them higher than about 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall. I had planned on LST down the road with future grows. any help would be appreciated again. Thanks guys.
Oh I'm sure that may have not been the main problem but it would have been eventually. When I removed the plant all of the soil in the pot came out too. The roots were so entertangled to every edge of the inside of the pot that it held all of the dirt except the very top soil in one solid clump. I don't think the plant could have grown much more because there was no room for further root growth. So do you have any idea what I should do now that I have transplanted them into 1.65 gallon pots? Do I need to flower them when they are about 1.5 feet tall or before they reach that height? I can't use any pots bigger than that size or I won't be able to get more than 1 plant in the grow box.
That's perfectly normal. I always wait until that stage before transplanting, so the roots hold everything together. Judging when to flower is an art in itself. You need to put them into flower at such a time as they will still fit in the cabinet when fully grown. In this current grow, I put mine under 12/12 after 2 weeks, at about 6" height and 5-6 pairs of branches. I did it that early for an earlier smoke, though, and not because of a lack of space. I forget how much space you have overhead, but expect them to triple after switching to 12/12, as a very rough guide. ie. If you have 3 feet overhead space, flower at about 1 foot.
The biggest plant isn't looking so good so far. All the leaves are drooping really bad and even the plant itself is drooping over to one side. Even if it somehow it does bounce back, I really hope all this stress doesn't make it go male or become a hermi. The smaller one looks good so far. /fingers crossed
I've got one that's been showing similar symptoms. Gave it a flush with pHd water last night, then a light feed. I'm hoping that will sort things out.
Well it's been about a month now and the two plants have been doing very well overall. They both bounced back after the transplant and after a short period began growing very well again. I've had them on a 12/12 for about 2 weeks now and I noticed the largest one (the one that had the most problems) is a male. You can see the tiny green balls all over the plant at the base of the stems. At first I thought it might be a hermie because it appeared to have pistels as well, but personally I don't have the time to pick those off everyday to keep it from fertilizing itself or the other plants. The other 2 seem a bit too early to tell just yet, but none of the little balls yet at least. It was tough cutting down that 2 foot plant that has been with me about 2 months. It was so skunky smelling and lovely to look at.