Stretch & Transplant timing

[BrianDirt]

No roots no leafs, When starting from seed this is even more evedent. There is a massive root systom before there is a large canopy. Think the plants have a clock and its only goal is to get ready to flower and reproduce, so as soon as the seed cracks and starts to grow the roots are in search of food and the less you restrick them the better. A seed left in a 5 gal pot vs a seed that has been transplanted 3 times, going from a 8 oz cup, to a 1 gal pot, to the 5 gal, the roots have been caged if you will.

Best advice is to veg in big pots and get big buds! When you flip that switch and tell them to flower the last thing you want them doing is building a root systom.ROOTS ROOTS ROOTS = BUDS BUDS BUDS

 

[tngreen]

No roots no leafs, When starting from seed this is even more evedent. There is a massive root systom before there is a large canopy. Think the plants have a clock and its only goal is to get ready to flower and reproduce, so as soon as the seed cracks and starts to grow the roots are in search of food and the less you restrick them the better. A seed left in a 5 gal pot vs a seed that has been transplanted 3 times, going from a 8 oz cup, to a 1 gal pot, to the 5 gal, the roots have been caged if you will.

Best advice is to veg in big pots and get big buds! When you flip that switch and tell them to flower the last thing you want them doing is building a root systom.ROOTS ROOTS ROOTS = BUDS BUDS BUDS

I disagree with this to some extent. I have had poor results using too large of pots early on. I agree that vegging too long in small container is harmful to final yield though.

 

[BrianDirt]

True but some plants root faster than others and some even produce bigger root systoms too. I just try and avoid transplanting to many times. It realy comes down to space! My theroy is that we try an mimic nature in our grow rooms and so I like the idea of letting the roots grow like in the wild. If I could remove my concrete from my garage floor, I would and make a super soil bed as deep as I could and let the roots go into the ground lol.

 

[tngreen]

Agreed, just another example you have to know your strain and plan accordingly. haha bust out the jackhammer! @BrianDirt

 

[Ladyv]

Update:

I'm currently recovering from Pneumonia, during my down time, my family pitched in a took down the girls to help keep me on schedule. Unfortunately, the pots containing the test subjects were not segregated from the rest of the group - I have no way of positively identifying which root systems belong to which plant.

Bless them for their help and good hearts.

I can say that on the shorter plants (later transplants), I've noticed that the nugs did not harden up as much, they are just not as dense - it seems like they could have gone a bit longer as opposed to the earlier transplants. Perhaps they were stalled from the stress? I'm not sure - but I will try this again and post up when I do :-)

 

[ttystikk]

I'm able to do something you can't, @Ladyv , which is to be able to look at my plant's whole root system at a glance, just by lifting the lid on my RDWC tub.

After following your comments, I rebuilt my veg setup so that my plants get three full cycles in RDWC- six weeks total- BEFORE they ever see a bloom room.

I've been comparing the size and health of my root balls to the yield, and the two are very closely related. Bigger rootball means bigger yields, period.

I have a nutes issue for awhile that meant my plants just weren't getting enough nutrition for the environment I had them in (think; starving a weightlifter) and one symptom was poor root development. Since fixing the nutes mix and making the change I mentioned above, I can literally watch the difference happening daily before my eyes.

 

[ttystikk]

@Ladyv Get well soon! Pneumonia blows. I've have respiratory issues since I was a kid and its a struggle when I get it every time.

One thing that helps me a lot when I'm having trouble breathing is to sit in my growroom. The bright light helps my mood, the warmth feels good and the humidity helps me breathe! It's as if my girls are taking care of me... :nurse: