Colorado Med Growers, Unite

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
You might want to read the thread in the first link. 1 person denies that plants can become root bound, and that's pretty much it.

That plant at the bottom of the first page would be impressive, except for the nute deficiency probably caused by the roots being too small to support the plant.

The second link is broken

And quick question, what do you use to accelerate the root growth of your plants?

I've done some research on this starting when I treated my plants with a root growth stimulator. The directions said to dig 4 holes at the edges of the folliage because that's where the edges of the roots would be, and guess what, the directions were right. That tells me that it's important to let your roots have room to grow. Because if your folliage grows farther out than the roots can because of the pot walls, then the plant is going against it's nature.

But I've done more research too, and everytime I read a thread on a plant being root bound I read people tell him that's impossible and it must be something else he's doing. Then he transplants to a bigger pot and the problems magically dissapear. You might want to ask yourself why that is.

But I'm not going to argue. Everyone has their own beleifs, and you're entitled to yours. As for me, I'll be transplanting at my first opportunity.
 

doogleef

Well-Known Member
K, Good luck. :roll: All i can do is stress science in the face of an overwhelming forum paradigm. Nice repeatable, provable science. Feelings and beliefs are not a factor.



On a side note, you should probably create a journal for your general grow questions. I'm sure we will all follow along and support our local new growers, but we have kinda hijacked this ... oops. :)
 

riddleme

Well-Known Member
I think that doing grow journals is a good idea, everyone should do one, I am finding that I really enjoy working on mine.

That being said, I think talking about anything and sharing info with other CO growers is a plus, so not possible to hyjack the thread

a bit worried about the trading thing as that is not allowed on the forum and other forums have been shut down for it in the past, so suggest discussing such things via pm's

Happy growing
 

jnuggs

Well-Known Member
riddleme I would +rep for your last post, but I have to spread it.
I agree.. if other forums are shut down for discussion of trading, let's nip it in the bud...hahaha
 

growman09

Active Member
danny hay i wanted to let you know 5 gal pots are pretty big you really dont need to go bigger with roots you will have a main ball and then it sends off some longer ones looking for water just because you see a few coming out of the drain holes is normal since that is were the water flows out and is the last place that is wet you will also see some doing thiis on the top of your dirt also i had the same issue and when my plant was done the root system was like i described a main ball about midway dwn my dirt and had others "feeders" streching everwhere looking for water/oxygen it is your plant and your choice to transplant it but baware you can cause shock that can be pretty hard on your plant for a little bit. Ill bet that if you put it in a 10 gallon pot in a few you will see roots growin out the drain holes again good luck buddy
 

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
danny hay i wanted to let you know 5 gal pots are pretty big you really dont need to go bigger with roots you will have a main ball and then it sends off some longer ones looking for water just because you see a few coming out of the drain holes is normal since that is were the water flows out and is the last place that is wet you will also see some doing thiis on the top of your dirt also i had the same issue and when my plant was done the root system was like i described a main ball about midway dwn my dirt and had others "feeders" streching everwhere looking for water/oxygen it is your plant and your choice to transplant it but baware you can cause shock that can be pretty hard on your plant for a little bit. Ill bet that if you put it in a 10 gallon pot in a few you will see roots growin out the drain holes again good luck buddy
I found some pics of what I would call being root bound, or almost root bound. See how the roots have no where to grow?

Mine aren't going to look like that though. See how the off shoots kind of look like a fish bone with smaller off shoots coming off them? With the root growth stimulator I'm using thost little off shoots that look like the fish's ribs are going to be a lot longer, and they'll have their own off shoots. So when my girls get root bound, they are really going to be root bound.

Here are some more examples of others that used the same typs of growth accelerator. Some are side by side comparisons with roots and some just showing growth. And you take a look at that Pumpkin and tell me roots don't mean that much with growth size.

I already know for a fact that the root span has a relation to the folliage span. But I also remember learning in school that tree roots are twice as deep as the tree is tall, so I'm pretty sure the roots also have a relation to height. Plus the bigger root systems can absorb more water, nutes, and everything else.

I've already thought about how I'm going to do the transplant as to not cause too much disturbance. I'm going to get a drill bit with a cutter/grinder on the end. Kind of like a router tip. I'm going to lay it on it's side and cut away the bottom. Then I'm gonna lay a towel down near the bottom and stand it up on the towel. Then I'm going to start vertical cuts on 2 side opposite one another and cut half way down. I'll then put duct tape over the cuts so it doesn't split when I complete the vertical cuts. Then I'll finish the cuts and put more tape on the bottom. I'll prepare the new pots with a layer of soil on the bottom at the right thickness to put the top of the soil in the old pot at the top of the new pot, and using the towel to keep anything from falling out of the bottom I'll put the old pot into the new pot. I'll remove the towel and start putting dirt around the sides of the old pot. When the soil reaches the 2 lower pieces of tape I'll remove them, continue adding soild around the sides, and do the same thing with the 2 higher pieces of tape when I reach them. Then I'll finish adding soild around the sides to the top of the planter and carefully remove the 2 sides of the old planter. I'm hoping that keeps the root disturbance to a minimum. And I'll also use more of the growth accelerator in the new soil and and all along the meeting of the 2 soils, it also helps with transplant shock.

Seriously though, and I don't mean this in a negative way. If you're not using anything to accelerate your root growth, then you're dealing with a different kind of root system. When you change the roots characteristics, the rules change with them.

Oh, and the way I've been watering, I haven't had much run off if any. I've been experimenting a little so I can learn to water without over watering. I started with 1 cup at a time and they're now up to 6 cups at a time, but I learned a lot with the flushings I've been doing and will be watering with more water from now on. But the run off isn't the reason that they're at the drainage holes.

Thanks for the concern though, I really do appreciate it.

I know this is going to sound like a real newbie type question, especially after this post (I'm an advanced newbie, but still a newbie. lol). What's the best condition of ths soil so it stays together better while transplanting (dry, moist, saturated, etc...)
 

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billybob88

Well-Known Member
I've found that hard surface pots tend to make roots circle the pot and rootbound the plant quicker.

I just started using Smart Pots. And man are those things awesome. I had to chop a pretty big male out of a 5 gallon one and there was 0 root circling at all. The pots are made out of some felt material that lets in air and lets heat out. Also it air prunes the roots, One the feeder roots hit the edge of the pot, the air gets em and they right back into the middle of the pot instead of circling. Amazing stuff. Can be used for soil(as I am doing) or full of hydroton on a flood and drain table.

They are more expensive than plastic pots but IMO worth the extra couple bucks. I have plants in those pots ranging from 3 gallon for mothers up to 10 Gallon for big flowering plants. I have 2 exact same grapefruit, one in a 5 gallon and one in a 7 gallon. Both have exact same nutes/light/environment. Just to see what would happen. Have to say that the Grapefruit in the 7 gallon is bigger than the 5 gallon girl for sure!
 

MacGuyver4.2.0

Well-Known Member
I've found that hard surface pots tend to make roots circle the pot and rootbound the plant quicker.

I just started using Smart Pots. And man are those things awesome. I had to chop a pretty big male out of a 5 gallon one and there was 0 root circling at all. The pots are made out of some felt material that lets in air and lets heat out. Also it air prunes the roots, One the feeder roots hit the edge of the pot, the air gets em and they right back into the middle of the pot instead of circling. Amazing stuff. Can be used for soil(as I am doing) or full of hydroton on a flood and drain table.

They are more expensive than plastic pots but IMO worth the extra couple bucks. I have plants in those pots ranging from 3 gallon for mothers up to 10 Gallon for big flowering plants. I have 2 exact same grapefruit, one in a 5 gallon and one in a 7 gallon. Both have exact same nutes/light/environment. Just to see what would happen. Have to say that the Grapefruit in the 7 gallon is bigger than the 5 gallon girl for sure!

SmartPots are def the way to go....lots of sizes and a little spendy...but the results are worth it.

http://www.smartpots.com/
 

DannyGreenEyes

Well-Known Member
SmartPots are def the way to go....lots of sizes and a little spendy...but the results are worth it.

http://www.smartpots.com/
Thanks for the link, I have it saved to favorites so I can use it on my next grow. Might even have to go with 15 or 20 gallon pots since I'll be treating the roots from day one on my next grow.

But I have to conserve money & time right now so I'm probably gonna go with the 10 gallon containers at Lowes http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=305704-84240-TU0089&lpage=none They're a little cheaper when you're buying 7 especially, and I can just go down the street and buy them the same day.

But those smart pots look very cool, I'll probably switch over when I can.

Thanks again +rep
 

Arvada

Member
Today two Denver grow stores have 15% off. I'm getting some supplies.

What sizes of Smart pots are good? I will be starting from seed & growing in soil.

I think two sizes would work - maybe 1 gal after seeds root, then into large size for rest of plants life? Large would be 3 or 5 gallon size?

Please reccomend.
 

billybob88

Well-Known Member
I start my plants in 1 gallon plastic pots. Then transfer to 5-7 gallon pots. I wouldn't go any smaller than 5. I had a Headband in a 3 gallon pot and then transplanted into a 10 gallon and it has absoultely blown up. Was smaller than some of my plants in 5-7 gallon pots and now its bigger!
 

Arvada

Member
Today I picked up eight 5 gal cloth grow pots @ The Grow Store . They are not Smart pots, but a comparable product.
The price is $3 each. They also have 1 gal size, but the salesperson reminded me every time you transplant can delay the plants cycle by up to two weeks.

Has anyone else seen these cloth imitations?
 

Dahmer8afew

Active Member
As a fellow Colorado patient, just wanted to introduce myself. I'm currently working on my second grow. I'm currently growing in a DWC system with 4 plants in each 18 gallon reservoir. The strains are white widow and AK-48. I'll post some pics sometime soon. So I went out and bought several hundred dollars in CFL lighting supplies but have decided to go with a 1000 watt HPS! I just got back from The Big Tomato where I purchased the ballast, cord set and bulb. I already have a reflector. My total came to $288. and I'm not sure if that's a decent deal or not. Either way, I'm so friggin stoked about my new light! I've read stories on here where people started with CFLs and then upgraded to HPS after a grow or 2. Some say their yields increased by over 300%! I know with my first grow (master kush), the buds were big but not very hard at all. In fact the buds were embarrassing they were so loose.

I'm going to buy a 4'x4' ebb/flow system to replace my current DWC system. Instead of having to mess with several reservoirs, I'll be able to focus on one.

Have any of you read this thread from another site that talks about this 42 pound harvest from 10 plants? http://www.thcfarmer.com/forums/f131/42-pound-10-plant-tree-grow-14877/
Flippin amazing!!

Anyway, just wanted to say hi. Good luck and happy growing all
 

growman09

Active Member
sounds nice i been wanting to upgrade also im using a 400 watt mh/hps but have herd good stuff about using a 1000 watt youll have to let us know the difference dahmer. " Dahmer" any relation to the famous one LOL
 

Dahmer8afew

Active Member
sounds nice i been wanting to upgrade also im using a 400 watt mh/hps but have herd good stuff about using a 1000 watt youll have to let us know the difference dahmer. " Dahmer" any relation to the famous one LOL
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely brag about the difference with the HPS.

Dahmer8afew = Dahmer ate a few lol
 
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