Is it time to put them in larger pots?

I started my seedlings in 2 inch pots. They're just a few days old now, is it too early to plant them in larger pots? I was going to put them into 1 gallon pots, then another transplant a bit later into 3 gal.

What do you guys think?

Can you see any roots coming out your drainage holes?

TVMASDL said:

Can you see any roots coming out your drainage holes?

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Pots are made of biodegradable wood fiber that are supposed to let air, water, and the plant's roots through. In other words, there are no drainage holes.

The roots aren't growing out of the pots or anything. The plants are still really small - one of them is just starting to get it's second set of leaves.

Should I wait awhile? The reason I'm thinking of moving them to larger pots is that the tiny pots dry out really fast, and whatever they're made of pretty much works to wick water out of the soil where it instantly evaporates under the lights. A 2 inch pot is basically the size of a shotglass, and having to check them several times throughout the day to make sure they aren't dried out is getting to be a pain.

doobnVA said:

Pots are made of biodegradable wood fiber that are supposed to let air, water, and the plant's roots through. In other words, there are no drainage holes.

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I use the coco cups ever now and then. I put drainage holes in the bottom.

I transfer from one size to the next when the plant needs to be watered more than once in two days.

Thanks, I think that's a pretty good rule of thumb myself.

It's probably fine to go ahead and transplant, just be extremely careful with the roots - the plants are only a few days old and their root systems are not fully established yet - any damage to the roots could spell disaster.

Also - I don't know if I would go from 2 inch containers to 1 gallon containers because water is going to sit in the soil and you could end up with root rot since the roots won't be expansive enough to take up all that water. I would transplant into something in between 2 inch containers and 1 gallon pots.

id go with a four or six inch pot.. but that;s me..goodluck..deceiding...lol..

Ahh, I didn't even think about root rot with the bigger pots. I think I'll wait just a bit, in that case. I guess having to water more frequently is better than rotting the roots, for sure. Thanks for the tips, guys.

i would hold off on transplanting man. when you see roots growing out of the pots, you can go ahead and transplant.

i love the natural pots, i use peat. all you have to do is stick it in a bigger pot and your good.

xxacehighxx said:

i would hold off on transplanting man. when you see roots growing out of the pots, you can go ahead and transplant.

i love the natural pots, i use peat. all you have to do is stick it in a bigger pot and your good.

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Yeah, I like them because there's no waste, but these don't seem to hold water as well as the peat type. On one hand, that's good because fungus gnats seem to abound here and peat pots seem to attract them for some reason. On the other hand, there's the watering issue. Not that I mind checking on my babies more than once per day, but I'm going on vacation in a week and I'll be gone for four days. I'm worried they'll get too dried out and die while I'm gone.

I think I used those same 2'' pots made of fiber you're talking about, and from my experience don't like them they are too light and prone to accidents easily, just start you babies in cheap 16oz. pots next time for better results, and I would get them out of those tiny pots asap.

Gblink3 said:

I think I used those same 2'' pots made of fiber you're talking about, and from my experience don't like them they are too light and prone to accidents easily, just start you babies in cheap 16oz. pots next time for better results, and I would get them out of those tiny pots asap.

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They are pretty light, aren't they? Even completely full of soil I'm afraid the fan is going to blow them over while I'm not looking, lol. What I ended up doing was sitting them in some muffin tins to keep them from falling or being knocked over.

They do come in bigger sizes, but I got them for starting mass amounts of seedlings (should've gone with the strips instead of the 2 in round pots, though).

Decided to repot them ASAP into some 4 inch plastic pots.

Thanks for the replies.

doobnVA said:

They are pretty light, aren't they? Even completely full of soil I'm afraid the fan is going to blow them over while I'm not looking, lol. What I ended up doing was sitting them in some muffin tins to keep them from falling or being knocked over.

They do come in bigger sizes, but I got them for starting mass amounts of seedlings (should've gone with the strips instead of the 2 in round pots, though).

Decided to repot them ASAP into some 4 inch plastic pots.

Thanks for the replies.

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since they are so young, i would wait a few days and transplant them 2 days before you leave...i would not want to risk damaging or even disturbing the roots if only a few days old