Just transplanted... did I mess it up?

Hey folks,


So I just did my first transplant in a while (haven't grown in like four years...). My plants are about three weeks from germination, and are about four inches tall, really bushy, and were in small four inch pots. I knew it was time to transplant.

So I filled up two five gallon buckets with good potting soil and a bit of compost and then dug holes in the soil as big as the small pots. I then took a clean butter knife, went around the insides of the two small pots and loosened up the soil/root ball. I simply tipped the small pots over, the plants and their soil slid seamlessly out, and I put them in their intended spots in the big buckets. Sounds good, right?

My problem is, I realized as soon as I was patting myself on the back for how smooth it went, that I didn't loosen up or cut out the roots at all before throwin them in the buckets. They weren't horribly root bound, just enough so that the roots held most (not all) of the dirt together. I could definitely see some circling around though, especially in the bushier one. So how is this gonna affect their growth? Big problem? I almost considered diggin back up and cutting the roots so they were hanging out but I decided it probably wasn't worth it. Should I expect major stunting/dying? Greatly appreciate any responses!

Any ideas??

Again: Does not loosening up the roots when transplanting cause major problems?

everytime i transplant i dont loosen anything up, and they turn out just fine NO stressing as far as i know. i have my femmed pineapple express that is inna two gallon pot right now n the roots are coming out the bottom already. so later today its gonna get transplanted into a five gal pot. i wouldnt worry my friend..goodluck to ya

you should be fine, unless the roots were more bound than originally thought.

Your fine. first off, its a weed. Second off if it wasn't root bound, you did less damage to the root system. When you break up the soil in transplant you are actually breaking the root system. If it was still a little soft to the touch your plants will reward you by taking off. One thing you may want to do is back your light cycle off a little. The dark makes them root. I would go to 16 hrs for a week then back to your normal 18, or 24 hr light cycle. Happy growing.

andrewcrestline said:

Your fine. first off, its a weed. Second off if it wasn't root bound, you did less damage to the root system. When you break up the soil in transplant you are actually breaking the root system. If it was still a little soft to the touch your plants will reward you by taking off. One thing you may want to do is back your light cycle off a little. The dark makes them root. I would go to 16 hrs for a week then back to your normal 18, or 24 hr light cycle. Happy growing.

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Thanks folks, great advice. I think I will try backing the lights of some. They've been on 20-4 but I'll switch down to like 16 or 17 on instead. I've got a couple seedlings in jiffy pots that aren't doing so well (wish I'd read more about Jiffy Pots before trying them) so a little less of the metal halide would probably help those deiicate creatures too. Thanks again, +rep.