When to transplant for 8w veg/8w flower?

First grow/first question: My seedlings are 10 days old, and look pretty good. this is for an indoor grow in soil. they are planted in 9oz paper cups.

Should I do one transplant straight into a 3 or 4 gallon pot
OR
Should I do a transplant into 1-2 quart and then (in another month and two weeks before starting flower) do another transplant into the 3 or 4 gallon pot.

Maybe a better question would be: when should I transplant, and into what size pot(s) for an 8week veg/8week flower?

Further: they are under fluorescent lights. Do I need to introduce them to the 600 watt MH slowly, or will they be ready to take it full strength right away?

I am going to do the uncle bud's top after 2nd true node. Can I use the clipped tops for clones?

My setup: an 8x10 (8ft ceiling) room, two 48" fluorescent lights(2 bulbs each) , one 400 watt hps/mh, and one 1000w hps/mh. I have two Sun YM II sealed hoods with 6" vents. I have one 6" valueline fan, one carbon filter. I plan to vent heat outside (summer) and inside (winter with a carbon filter).

My goal is to partition the room (completely light separated) and have a veg area and a flower area, run 8 week veg/8week flower and do about three crops per year (flowering one bunch while veg'ing the next bunch)..

You want some good roots before you transplant, they will hold the dirt together. Right now you'd turn the cup over you'd have a hand full of soil, & you'd stress the plant unnecessarily. Need at least 2 wks in a cup but 3 is better. You might even be able to top in the cup.

I personally transplant twice (cup, 3 quart, 3gal hempy bucket) but this because of the way I grow, It's better to go straight to the final size with no other transplants. But you will use more water and nutes.

When you go from 120w floro to MH keep the light high for a few days and then bring it down slowly.

Yes you can clone from a top but you need 3 full nodes on the clone, because you will cut off the stems of the bottom node, and root them

8 wks veg will make some good sized plants to go into flower, I know this because this is the system I use. I can only get 4 plants in a 4' square area, so I'd give each plant 4 sq ft each.

Best of luck with your grow.

I go from plug to 1 gallon pot to 10 gallon tote. I am a huge proponent of expansive root systems and amazing yields. The plant will fill its's container and the faster that happens and the broader the root ball is the larger healthier plant you can produce. For example when you transplant from plug to cup you have roots everywhere right? Then when you go from cup to pot that cup is full correct? Well if you go straight to the larger pot its just one less stress for the plant and strangely enough those roots will fill that 1 gallon pot as quickly as it will fill that cup (with in 2 weeks) Then I move to the 10 gal tote normally 2-3 weeks before flip. This allows the root system to expand out and the yield will blow your mind.

you guys have almost convinced me just to transplant into a 5 gallon straight away.

DaGaBuds said:

you guys have almost convinced me just to transplant into a 5 gallon straight away.

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Go to an intermediate size pot. I go party cup>1 gallon>5 gallon.

Reread lugger37's post again.

Wet

Wetdog said:

Go to an intermediate size pot. I go party cup>1 gallon>5 gallon.

Reread lugger37's post again.

Wet

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This is what I ultimately did. In fact, I transplanted to 1 gallon in two weeks, and then to 5 gallon at 5 weeks (I should have done this at 4 weeks). Both transplants, roots had grown out and around the edge and could have been done much sooner (like 1.5 weeks and 3.5 weeks).