Help! Plant dying post topping and transplant

[DankKiller_Pat]

Hi everyone, I topped this plant, then transplanted it a few days later (2-3 days later). It's looking really rough, the leaves look like they dried out. I just watered last night so hoping that helps out a lot. I also noticed some new roots were above the soil. Maybe I didn't break up the roots enough so they were using up the old water from when I transplanted it and not searching for water in the new soil? Not really sure what happened... if I can't save the whole plant should I take a clone? Temps have been around 75 degrees with a humidity around 55% to high 60s.

 

[yatsisgrowing]

Too harsh dry back and maybe overwatered after? Maybe high salt content in your water, possible high pH or E/C...how are all those things?

 

[JIMKSI64]

First get this part out of the way.
Do not stack Stressful Stuff one on top of another unless you know how the plant will react.

Ok do you have any plan for stress reduction?
Normally to help a plant chill a bit I would turn the lights down 10% minimum and evaluate the pot for watering. If it has stopped taking water do not force it with a high transperation rate.
Keep fans off it but ensure it does get airflow.
Another grower here uses the term shock and awe. Thats what ya got.

 

[Ninjadogma]

When you transplanted, did you water down the dirt really good a couple days before you put your plant in it? When soil is sitting, the microbes are busy decomposing it and converting nutrients, and then as the sitting soil becomes drier the concentration climbs. So even if there were no nutrients added to it, you could have put your plant into some very hot dirt. Since It's recent I wouldn't let it wait. If you have an EC pen, Water it very slowly, check your runoff and don't stop watering until you get a reading no higher than 800ppm or 1.6 EC. If you don't have an EC pen, put aside a volume of water about equal to the volume of the pot and slow pour in increments or drip irrigate with all that water. You won't know how light you've made it in nutrients, but you will have made it not toxic.

 

[DankKiller_Pat]

Too harsh dry back and maybe overwatered after? Maybe high salt content in your water, possible high pH or E/C...how are all those things?

Haven't been checking EC or Ph lol. I'm a first time grower and was trying to do it with as minimal other purchases.

 

[DankKiller_Pat]

First get this part out of the way.
Do not stack Stressful Stuff one on top of another unless you know how the plant will react.

Ok do you have any plan for stress reduction?
Normally to help a plant chill a bit I would turn the lights down 10% minimum and evaluate the pot for watering. If it has stopped taking water do not force it with a high transperation rate.
Keep fans off it but ensure it does get airflow.
Another grower here uses the term shock and awe. Thats what ya got.

Yeah, definitely a shock hahaha. I lowered the lights and I'm going to keep an eye on it. Thank u!

 

[DankKiller_Pat]

When you transplanted, did you water down the dirt really good a couple days before you put your plant in it? When soil is sitting, the microbes are busy decomposing it and converting nutrients, and then as the sitting soil becomes drier the concentration climbs. So even if there were no nutrients added to it, you could have put your plant into some very hot dirt. Since It's recent I wouldn't let it wait. If you have an EC pen, Water it very slowly, check your runoff and don't stop watering until you get a reading no higher than 800ppm or 1.6 EC. If you don't have an EC pen, put aside a volume of water about equal to the volume of the pot and slow pour in increments or drip irrigate with all that water. You won't know how light you've made it in nutrients, but you will have made it not toxic.

I did not water the soil down. I don't have an EC pen but I can give your other tip a shot, thanks!

 

[Ninjadogma]

I did not water the soil down. I don't have an EC pen but I can give your other tip a shot, thanks!

It's fine not having the pens, they just give you good insight. An appropriate volume of water will get you there but work slow. If you have a drip irrigator, use it. Or use a pump sprayer. Or if using a watering can, pour in 8 ounce increments (1 cup) and wait 30 seconds between pours. When you don't work slow, the water just takes the express elevator to the bottom without taking any of the bad stuff out.

 

[Justlovetogrow]

Hi everyone, I topped this plant, then transplanted it a few days later (2-3 days later). It's looking really rough, the leaves look like they dried out. I just watered last night so hoping that helps out a lot. I also noticed some new roots were above the soil. Maybe I didn't break up the roots enough so they were using up the old water from when I transplanted it and not searching for water in the new soil? Not really sure what happened... if I can't save the whole plant should I take a clone? Temps have been around 75 degrees with a humidity around 55% to high 60s.View attachment 2587412

Looks overwatered to me is that plant beside it doin the same thing but yea that soil looks pretty saturated to me mate

 

[carlosescobar]

i would say overwatered as well , it looks like its running out of the bottom. i bet you could leave that alone for 2 weeks and all it would do is perk up . ive done the same thing, small bit of watering each day is not good

 

[JIMKSI64]

I have actually changed how I trim leafs. I found that I my autos that a defol at week 3 stretch to clean up old fans still pauses the plant for a day or 2. When I did this it was in conjunction with watering and the 2 day pause in water uptake made it look so much worse and delayed the water cycle 2 days.
I now let the pot clear a substantial amount of the water before doing any HST.

 

[Ninjadogma]

Since transplant shock came up and we have new growers around, it might be worth a couple words about what triggers it and how you can prevent it.

There's several potential triggers. Roots could suffer physical damage during the move. The moisture content (too wet or too dry) or temperature could be a sudden change. The microbes living in the new soil could be very different than what's in the old soil. And it could be too charged with too many nutrients.

So when you're transplanting, there's some things you can do to minimize the risk of shock.
Use the exact same soil they're already in, whether you mix your own or buy. Make sure you prewatered your soil about 2 days before you put a plant in it to reset it, dilute any salts that have accumulated in there, and bring the microbes snapping back to life. When taking the plant out of current dirt, tilt the pot upside down holding the stem and pull the pot off of the dirt if you can... think of getting cranberry sauce out of a can and leaving it the shape of a can. Once out, be gentle with the roots, but wiggling your fingers in a tickling motion, agitate the dirt and free up the bound roots so they will grow into the new dirt. Otherwise months later you can wind up harvesting and finding the roots never crossed over the margin into the new dirt because they were bound. Set the plant into the new dirt gently, and scoop dirt in to fill the side gaps but don't compact it. bring it up to the old dirt level, and then give it an extra 1/2 inch layer more over the top. Give it a light watering when you're done. Dial back the brightness on your lights just a little so it can handle stress you just put on it.

When you do it right, your plants barely notice they've been moved. For me, the times I saw transplant shock it was because I didn't properly prepare the dirt I was putting plants into.

Okay that's my piece about transplanting... yall have a great growing day!