Visual Tutorial ~ Knowing when to up-size & re-pot the DIY way - GreenPassion.org - Dedicated to Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation and Education

Richard Owl Mirror · #1 (**permalink**) 05-30-2009, 05:18 PM

Hello, I was inspired to create this visual tutorial of how I determine when to re-pot my plants.
I'm a dirt farmer and I therefore begin my seeds in a 16 ounce Beer cup.
I also use the same cup with my clones, placing another cup over the clones inverted so as to provide a humidity dome of sorts for the first few weeks.
When the seedling or clone begins producing it's root system, I know it's time to step up in size of containers. I determine when it's time to transplant by viewing the roots progress and when they begin to emerge through the drain holes in the bottom of the cup.
Next, I transplant the seedlings from the beer cup to a two liter pop bottle which has had it's top cut off as shown. Carefully ease the root ball and soil out of the beer cup by gently squeezing the sides until it is released.Holding the cup, upside-down, gently lift the empty cup off the roots, taking care to not damage any roots that have made there way out of the drain holes.
Fill the empty pop bottle until approximately 4 inches from the top or, the size of the beer cup in height. Gently lower the soil-encased root ball down in to the center of the pop bottle.
Center the plug and begin to fill in around the edges with soil. I tamp down the soil around the edges, filling the gap as best as possible until the soil level is approximately 3/4 inch from the top of the bottle. I leave this space so that when watering, the water has a space to pool while it soaks in to the soil as evenly as possible.
After a few weeks of vegging, the plant in the pop bottle will soon repeat the process that took place with the root system growing the length of the bottle and beginning to emerge through the drain holes. At that time is when I would transplant to the eventual size pot that the plant will be flowered in through harvest. The stage at which you are ready for transplanting from the pop bottle could also be the time when you transplant the plants outdoors if that is how you will be finishing your ladies.
Please review the attached photo's of this process.

Richard Owl Mirror · #2 (**permalink**) 05-30-2009, 10:24 PM

bump ~ for the west coast crowd ;>}

Richard Owl Mirror · #3 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 11:29 AM

HM, I guess this will be the last time I spend so much time doing a tutorial.
Not even one comment.

4maggio · #4 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 11:40 AM

High ROM.

Thank you for this tut... I am in the process of swithcing from DWC to E&F.. although not sil, I believe the values, in hydroton, would be the same. I like visual... good idea inverted cups..

I am 2 wek into bloom E&F, w Hydroton in 1.5 gallon pots and have no idea if they will be, or are, big enough. This is telling me to get bigger pots for the next 5-7 weeks.. Roots out the bottom..

Oh well, it will sort itself out b4 2 long.

4maggio · #5 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 11:46 AM

And ROM, I've herd that the roots of little ones should be kept in the dark... are you saying that when you see roots at the side of the cup (translucent), this would be the time to transplant to bigger?

Why not just go with a 2 gallon (or bigger??) pot to beginn with?

What do you use as a rule of thumb (if you have one?) to determine the best 'final' sized pot for bloom>harvest?

UtOH! I just read the last sentence of your original post.. out-doors!! Thi BIG pot. LOL!! Whatta u no anywhay! LOL!!

Lemon Stinky

1hitter · #6 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 12:02 PM

Nice job Richard, are stepping up container size a little at a time to gain stronger stems?

Richard Owl Mirror · #7 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4maggio

And ROM, I've herd that the roots of little ones should be kept in the dark... are you saying that when you see roots at the side of the cup (translucent), this would be the time to transplant to bigger?

Why not just go with a 2 gallon (or bigger??) pot to beginn with?

What do you use as a rule of thumb (if you have one?) to determine the best 'final' sized pot for bloom>harvest?

UtOH! I just read the last sentence of your original post.. out-doors!! Thi BIG pot. LOL!! Whatta u no anywhay! LOL!!

Lemon Stinky

well, I actually place the growing cup inside another cup. This dilutes any light getting to the roots. It also allows for a measure of safety from overwatering since the water tends to drain in to the second cup for easy disposal of any excess.

Richard Owl Mirror · #8 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1hitter

Nice job Richard, are stepping up container size a little at a time to gain stronger stems?

Not necessarily geared towards the size of stem but, to afford a regulated growth for the root system.
The beer cups are exactly the right depth for the tap root to grow strong.
When you upgrade to the pop bottle, this gives the tap root a good headstart as drilling down towards the bottom.
I believe the most important aspect of growing any plant is a vibrant and healthy root system so, that is what I concentrate on first and foremost.

I have just begun working with clones yet, one thing that I've noticed is the lack of a tap root. I believe this makes for the plants to become stunted and perhaps not as stable when they grow tall. There isn't a healthy root to hold it steady.
I'm still learning and have made my share of mistakes.
I am also experimenting with various consistancies of soil.
Ranging from light and airy to thick humus/manure.
I'm finding that light and airy soil in the beer cup, then a heavier humus/manure soil in the pop bottle makes the roots much stronger, which in turn provides a benefit to the size of the plant above the soil.
I believe the depth and health of the root system will determine the eventual height and stability of the plant it's feeding.

Pappy · #9 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 02:55 PM

Hey Richard,

Everything's looking good.

As for the one on the left, being a male or the one on the right, being a girl,...Don't bet the farm on it. I had a ClusterBomb plant, which I was convinced was male, and one that had to be a female. The one had hardly any branching, and was much taller than the rest. The one I was sure was a girl, was shorter than all the rest, and had more branching. It was a dense bush. I would have bet almost anything on these plants sex. Just a very few days of 12/12 had balls popping everywhere, on the short bush. The tall girl produced one heavy cola, and several smaller ones. All dense and dank.

Pappy

Pappy · #10 (**permalink**) 05-31-2009, 03:03 PM

"I have just begun working with clones yet, one thing that I've noticed is the lack of a tap root. I believe this makes for the plants to become stunted and perhaps not as stable when they grow tall. There isn't a healthy root to hold it steady."

Once a clone is well rooted (I use 16 oz. red cups), I believe it would be difficult to find any difference in growth rates. It takes a couple of weeks to get a good cupful of roots.

I agree with you, 100% about the roots making all the difference. Just an extra week or so, can mean a huge difference in yields.

Thanks for the tute.

Pappy

1hitter · #11 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 06:25 PM

Richard what size container do you go to after the 2 liter bottles?

Richard Owl Mirror · #12 (**permalink**) 06-03-2009, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1hitter

Richard what size container do you go to after the 2 liter bottles?

That depends on conditions and the individual plant.
I might used a 5 gallon bucket or something smaller depending on what the plant might need.
Using dirt, you need to provide enough space for root expansion else, the plant will become stunted and only grow so big.
I actually just picked up some new containers today from the Dollar store.
I bought these for $4.00 each, they are 18 quart/4.5 gallon.
I liked the way they are able to fit together in the space I have available.
The third photo is of the square 5 gallon I planted this current plant in.