Indoor Lessons on Stress

[FullDuplex]

So this isn't about the common thing that we all deal with and then smoke to forget about. This is a session on stress to autos, and what happens when certain things come into play when growing them. My goal here is to help new and old growers alike to avoid this heartbreak. I say it like that cause we all know that most of us are thinking about one thing when we start this and that is yield. Most of the growers out there are not looking to do what some of us like to do and that is breed, yet that is something else that i plant to touch on but right now, Im speaking from recent experience.

Most of you know that i am back to this game after a long time and some may not but that is neither here nor there but a teaching reference for myself and others. I want to touch on this because i see it happen to new growers all the time and this site has its heart at teaching anyone who wants to learn. This may be a waste of my time but its something i need to get out there as a thought and i figured that this is the best way to do that.

We all have seen them here and im sure that there are a few out there that wonder what it was that caused this to happen to the plant that they stress over. So i want to clear this up a little or at least share what has caused me to see the stunted result of stressed plants.

1. Proper Soil

So this is a rule of thumb, I think, for most cannabis. The soil has to be light and airy, if not the result will be slow growth. It can take its toll on a plant if the roots can't move. This relates to my old theory of roots being the success of whats going on above the soil. If they move freely and can get what they need, the plant above will do the same as the result.
Tight, heavy barked, and compact soil will reduce the rate in which the root system grows. When this happens, the plants do not respond well to proper growth and will result in stunted plants down the road, if they dont die off first.

2. Transplant

This is hit or miss really, some have luck and others do not. I think that there are two ways of doing this, but in reality there can only be two, right or wrong. Now everyone may have this thought down and others say that its ok and others say never to do it. I think that it all comes down to timing to do it proper and then there is the way that i did it recently and all it did was add insult to injury. Proper way would be to keep the entire root ball intact and not to disturb it, many have had success this way by either removing the plant in a whole from the start container and others have used my low stress tier method. Either will work in making the transplant a success and leaving the plant to do its thing. Most say that when the growth meets the edge of the pot/cup its time to move to the final pot. This keeps the plant roots from circling and i think that is related to the final height of the plant.
Now what i did recently was remove the dirt from around the roots, and this as i figured it would, stressed the plants and i am left with rather small autos on my first go back at it. I knew it would happen but I did something that most first time growers do and that was rush into it and not think it out all the way. I left my most important key out, and that was attention to growing medium. It was a blow to my ego but hey we all loose some every now and then. The result is learning not to do that again.

These are the first two in what i will make a longer post. I have a few more theories about this and please feel free to share your experiences here. That is what this thread is for. Things that you have done and seen the result of a stunted plant. Well use this as a guide for users and new growers of what NOT to do.

 

[Cannaficiando]

Howdy, FD...I like where this thread is going.

Now what i did recently was remove the dirt from around the roots, and this as i figured it would, stressed the plants and i am left with rather small autos on my first go back at it.

Just did the same thing with a Sweet Seeds Jack 47. https://www.autoflower.org/threads/stunted-seedlings-recover-after-transplant.48190/ It stunted after a week, so I didn't have a root ball to deal with, but I had to clear crap soil from a long tap root before transplanting. It took a couple of weeks to recover and that was vegging time lost, so the plant ended up a little, ahem, weedy. But she produced an ounce of excellent bud that I wouldn't otherwise had.

My point is: if you decide, or if circumstances dictate, that the only chance of recovery is an open root transplant, do it early, do it quickly and do it gently.