I am heading home to 6 seedlings that have been in party cups for almost 3 weeks. They probably were all above the dirt about 2.5 weeks ago. though my wife says they are looking good, I am sure they are itching to get in my 3 gallon pots. when I pop them out of the cups and IF I find the roots have circled the cups in traditional root bound fashion, what should I do? I have read that some liberally cut the root mass to loosen it, trimming it along the bottom edge where the roots have cirlcled en masse, or pulled them away from the sides of the root ball with a tool or wood stick.. Now, this description was for veggies, not weed. What would you all normally do in this case? I appreciate any advice. Can't wait to get back home to see my plants. One sad thing about getting back though is the fact that I lost a great companion. She was a fantastic dog, a beautiful, calm, well behaved Jack Russel that lived with us for 15 years. This grows for her. She used to sit in my closet and watch me tend to things in the tent. I am sure gonna miss her being there admiring the plants. JaK
I'm truly saddened atbthe loss of your friend Jak. My friend put down his buddy today as well, so sad when we lose loved ones. I don't think I would trim roots that were in beer cups for only three weeks. Trimming could set them back, they are probably ready for larger pots though, and transplanting is hard enough on them. I would only trim roots on plants going back in the same size pots....MIW
Jak, I'm with MIW's sage advice on the transplant deal but moreover, I want you to know that when I read about the loss of your beloved dog, the tears welled up for a moment. I have dogs..........and have loved and lost dogs like many here.There is really just nothing to say but to wish you and Mrs. JaK all the best in coping with the loss of your friend and companion. All the best JaK, chunk
Jak I'm sorry to hear about your loss. It's tough losing good friends that dogs become over their lives. As to your original question I dug up this link to a talk by Dr. Stefano Mancuso titled "The Roots of Plant Intelligence" His English is difficult to understand at times but it's worth your time to watch his presentation at TED.com - pretty amazing videos that he includes in his talk. HTH LD
First off, let me say how sorry I am to hear about your dog. It really hurts when you lose a companion, especially after that many years. I'm not picking on you, because you are far from alone on this, but IMO, one of the biggest problems growers have is this mindset. Believing that weed is somehow different (growing, not effects), than any other flowering plant and needs to be treated differently, with special techniques or whatever. For basics, it is the same as veggies, or flowers, or whatever you're growing. There are some different requirements of course, just like with other plants, but basics are basics, not much different than your landscape plants or veggie garden. When all is said and done, it is just a flowering annual, albeit a very special flowering annual. LOL Wet
Guys, thanks for the thoughts and thanks for the advice. Most of my growing for plants, I have always just loosened the roots a bit before dropping them in a hole, but I am apprehensive about breaking up the ball or cutting the root mass in any way mostly because I have never done that. Now that I am home and I see the plants, I don't think they will be too badly bound. I did start up a simple tea to water then with when I drop them in the 3 gallon pots tomorrow. Getting some yellow in the lower sets that tells me these plants want some food. Thanks, again, and I included a pic of my dog. She was a real nice looking, long legged Jack with a great beard, even though my wife and kid would cut it off all the time. JaK
Sorry to hear about your dog JaK! As for the trimming the roots, it's called root pruning and is a very common practice in bonzai. Pruning roots have the same basic rules as pruning the plant, the root will regrow from the cut, and you can safely prune off 1/3 of the total root mass with out harming the plant. With all that said, you don't need to ever root prune cannabis, unless you're trying to keep a mother plant in a small container. Roots circling the bottom of the pot is not being root bound, it's just easier for roots to grow down the side of the container and accumulate at the bottom. Root bound means there is no more effective space for new root growth to occupy. (I can almost guarantee there is unused space in your containers) For your transplants, just do it like a veggie, gently loosen the rootball, dust your roots with mycorrhizae and repot. They will be fine.
Guys, a little too worried I would screw it up loosening the roots, though they were just getting a good circle at the bottom of the cup. As dry as they were, I am thinking they were yellowing now due to lack of water while I was away. Nobody cares for our plant more than we do. If you can never leave them with anyone that isn't as passionate as you are. Anyway, I have them in their new pots and I gave them a fresh AACT. Used one of LD's/Tim's at Microbes basics. I also have the 250W MH Conversion bulb on them now. I have it about 16" above the canopy for now. Frankly, I think they could take it closer, but I am going to wait for them to get used to their new environment first. Thanks again for all the advice. I did slightly loosen the ball and I did sprinkle with my Mycorrhiza in the hole prior to dropping them in there. These plants are so green. They really liked my mixture of BG Peat, BU Bio Compost and EWC. Just wish they got a little more water along the way. HAd to trim a few sets of fan leaves off all of them, but I think they are in a good place to recover. Peace JaK