Roots coming through the bottom of the pot. Is it anything to worry about?

Hi, i've got 2 plants 2 weeks into veg and I only transplanted about 5 days ago except for one which I did 2 days ago which is the smallest one which was started about 11 days ago. Anyways the roots from the 2 biggest are now starting to grow throught the bottom of the pot. If you look closely at the bottom of the pot on the left you can see the root coming out. This photo was taken a few days ago and now there's roots coming out of nearly every hole it can find. Should I transplant or just leave it and not worry about it. I just can't see how they would need transplanting again this quick. They were started in 7cm pots and then into 2 litre pots which they're in now.

Easier identification, i've put a red ring around the root so you can spot it easier.

I never understood this trend of not filling the pot with soil when transplanting... just as a tip... next time you transplant... put about 3 inches of soil in the bottom, and place your current pot (with plant in it) in the new pot on top of the soil base you just put in. Then fill soil around the old pot until it is up to the water line on the pot. Then remove the old pot. Remove the plant from the old pot and place it in the perfectly fitting hole in the soil you just created.

Sounds like you place the transplant directly on the bottom of the new pot, as dice clay said retransplant in new pot but his time as he said place a good layer of soil in the bottom first. You may damage a few roots but you should be ok, might set them back a little.

That seems to be about average for root growth. I have seen them go down through 10" of soil in that amount of time after transplant. If you transplanted 5 days ago, you can let it hang for a few weeks.

How long do you intend to veg? I ask that because you will want to transplant into something at-least 3-5 gallons about two weeks before you start to flower. So if you are only vegging for a month, i would probably let them be.



EDIT: Unless you did what Dice Clay said, and put the transplant in the bottom of the new pot. If you did that, then yeah, you may want to transplant again.

I didn't transplant at the bottom at all. What I did is fill the pot up bit by bit and kept sitting the plant on it (still in the pot) until the top bit of the soil of the plant was a few cm's under the water line. Then I took the plant out of the pot and sat it on the new soil then put new soil around it until it was filled up to the water line.

Sounds like you did it a correct way. They will be alright in those pots for a few weeks, no longer, or it could stunt them a bit. How long will they be vegging?

I plan to veg for another 2 weeks, maybe 3. I think i'll definately be vegging the one on the left for longer, it's a blue rhino which isn't supposed to stretch much when put into 12/12.

Alright, then I would let them stay in those pots for another 8-10 days.Then transplant into something bigger, preferably 3-5 gallons. Let them chill in there for another 10-14 days to explore, and switch to flower anytime after that.


Edit: Just make sure that if the roots are coming out of every drain hole, that they are not so crammed up that they are clogging them. You can take some clean scissors and snip the ones hanging out, then use something to push them back up in the pot. They will tend to branch out from the cut. Just try to be gentle.

MyPetSkunk said:

Alright, then I would let them stay in those pots for another 8-10 days.Then transplant into something bigger, preferably 3-5 gallons. Let them chill in there for another 10-14 days to explore, and switch to flower anytime after that.

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Thanks, I really appreciate your help, I feel so much better now knowing I aren't going to get root rot or anything. I've got some 10 litre pots which I think is 2.6 gallons that i'm going to put into afterwards and then flip the switch after about 12 days.

I am only trying to help, but according to the pictures you provided, the middle pot is only half full, with the 2 on the outside being better at 3/4. If you have all that space utilize it

Put them in the biggest pots now. The more the roots grow out the more traumatic on the roots it is.

Sounds like a plan. Good luck with them.

hotrodharley said:

Put them in the biggest pots now. The more the roots grow out the more traumatic on the roots it is.

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They were just transplanted days ago. If the final pot is only 2.5 gallons, and he is going to veg them for another 2-3 weeks, theres a good chance that he may be rootbound 3/4 through flowering if he puts them in there now. I have never had issues with a few roots coming out of the bottom. They will prune themselves. From my observations, a vegging plant will find the bottom of a 3 gallon pot in less than a week.

I get what you mean hrh but if I was to put them in bigger pots now they won't all fit in the veg cab they're in at the moment. I'll wait until my tent comes and then I will and veg them in there for a bit longer too. This veg cab is just to get them growing for now but it'll do for most of the veg time and i'll also be able to get some more starting about 4 weeks before the chop as well so I get to chop lets say every 11 weeks as most strains i'll be growing will be 8-9 weeks flowering becuase i'll be mostly growing indicas, cbd is pretty important to me but i'll be growing the odd sativa but I fear I might get a loooooong pheno that could fuck up my plans for the plants i'd have in veg at the time that might need the tent when they start outgrowing the veg cab.