I topped some clones I have in veg and a couple look root bound or over watered to me but I know they're not over watered. They've been rooted for 5 weeks and probably 3 weeks or so in one gallon pots, I topped them a week or so ago and took quite a bit off. My question is, since the above ground mass was reduced won't they regrow all or most of what was there before needing transplanted? I thought they'd balance the above ground to the root ball before I would need to transplant, buying a little time since I've got to pick up more pots. Am I thinking wrong?
Nope, if they are rootbound then the roots are cramped in the pot and giving them a haircut wont make a difference. What you can do is cut the veg growth and also remove 2/3 of the root mass, then put it back in the same pot with fresh soil. It'll regrow like a demon, if it has fresh soil and root space.
Well, thankfully the two actually drooping were destined for a bigger pot in a couple days after I can make a trip to the store to get some, lol.