Tutorial A low trauma way to transplant using larger size cups....

:jointman: A few folks have asked about this method, so here it is! It's applicable to most any size cup, styro' or plastic,... personally I like to use 24-32oz styro' because of the good volume size (can stay in a bit longer), good drop depth, and easier to work with... styro' is excellent at insulation too, a plus for outdoor growers who have their seedlings in filtered Sun, preventing potential overheating. A plus to doing a transplant is that you can have some time to assess the seedlings quality before going into final pots... so if you get a mutie, or misfire, etc., it's less hassle to deal with and less wasted resources, space, etc.,....
I moved this seedling early to do this (about 12 days old or so, suffered a little damage from a spray gone foul), since things were already prep'ed for others,.. It could have stayed several days longer... This is an F1 auto/photo cross, just for clarity's sake, but it doesn't matter if it's an auto, or photo,... the point is the get your baby moved without any trauma to the roots!

1] get your next step/final pot prep'ed by filling it up around the exact same seedling pot nested inside....
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2] Next, gently roll the cup between your hands on the side, to help free up what's sticking to them on the insides,.... then slice around the base, leaving just a little attachment point,...

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.... Then up the side to make halves, again leaving an attachment point,....
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3] ...remove the base piece gently,...
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4] .... and then slip it into the pocket,... snip the top attachments free,....
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5] Now the tricky-ish part! First note the soil level in the final pot, vs. your cup,... it should be a bit higher (1/2" or so) than the final pot, to compensate for the base, and in my case, some perlite that was at the bottom of the cup..... Remove one half at a time, rock it back and forth a bit, tug up a bit, to start dislodging it; place your fingers over the top of soil to keep it from getting knocked around or lifted up,.... then repeat for second half, which usually comes out easier,... Voila'! :wiz: :joy:

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6] If you like, apply some root tonic, and foliar too,... like Jump Start or SuperThrive, but there's lots of choices to help with any potential shock, and stimulate more rooting- :coffee:

...enjoy the happy campers in their new shoes! :greenthumb:
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:smokeout:--- thank you @Auto melt and @Autoseeds.com ....:toke:
...typically I plant directly into final pots, but sometimes the styro' cups can be helpful for saving space while juggling plants coming and going,....:woohoo1:
Yeah, there's all manner of beefing over transplanting! I think the key (trauma aside) is in how big the starter pot is, and how long/how large the plant stays and gets in it,... there's a definite window to catch, most importantly well before cramping starts and the plant responds to this restriction,.. :doh:
 
I do the first step where you cut the bottom off, then I just plop it on the top, pushing down slightly. In a couple days roots have adhered the cup to the pot the rest of the way. I like keeping the solo cups in there because they're labeled and I don't have to redo labels
 
With bigger, longer growing Auto's, would 2 transplants be pushing it?

Say insta-cup into 2+ quart styro or bottle using your tech, then later into a 5 gal pot or outdoors?
 
Hi Waira,
This was one of the very posts I looked at before joining and before germinating an auto.
It is excellent but I also anecdoted it to friends in a humorous way to highlight the sensibilities of the little ladies. Your system is so considerate I wonder if you were in bomb disposal at some time.
In blighty we aren't very styrofoamy anymore and the only I could find had a three-week delivery wait. Untenable with seeds in hand! So I used 3 litre pots and were as gentle as an understanding gynecologist and all would be well if some had flowered and some had smelled!
T&B
 

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