New Grower Medimadness’ rotating garden of lunacy.

[Medimadness]

Really impressive Medi. I don’t think I could keep that many plants straight though from the looks of things, you keep nice records.

Something I’ve always wondered, maybe you could give some insight. Why transplant at all? What’s the advantage versus putting the seed in the final pot, and a monster one at that?

That is a truly great question that has a few answers tbf. There is a lot of argument in the autoflower community about potting up due to the chance of shock, and i think it’s a pretty valid argument that makes new growers look at the different benefits of potting up vs direct germing and my take on it when i did my research i leant towards doing “tactical” potting depending on plant growth but always starting in 200-500ml pots.
My reasoning is:

First off even with autos if you’re technique is good (like i normally don’t shock plants, this time round i transplanted stoned which never work as good lol) then it still has the beneficial effect of makings overwatering near impossible and also potting up seems to be beneficial to plant growth when performed correctly, particuarly in root health though i dont truly understand why it does yet, i’m actually studying that at college atm so i’ll know soon.

Second is that at different stages of life it allows you examined root structure and density and for disease etc.
Third is that with growing with soil it allows you to avoid over-compaction of soil that can happen over time with a lot of water running through a pot.

Fourth is with larger gardens or small rotating ones is space, being able to fit the pot to the point in the plants lifecycle can be quite handy

But primarily it’s because using a 200ml starting pot allows me to create the perfect environment for a seed to germ in soil and so get stronger seedlings.

I’m sure other avid gardner’s out there would agree with me on the whole, but in general the auto community leans towards not transplanting which i agree with if you don’t have any other garden experience to take along i think you would get better results by just going into the final pot. It’s more of a case with me since i have the skill i may as well use it

And i’m all about the idea that if you have a healthy potted up seedling it’s better than the natural stress to a small plant that can’t get enough oxygen to its roots and is bathing is large amounts of fertilised medium.
I think the stunting that could be caused by a little root disturbance isn’t as severe as possible overwatering or excess nutrients in soil etc since all of my tomato plants do way better even uprooting and moved than be in a large container from the beginning.

Basically long story short I’ve just seen from my lurking and research that it’s way easier to kill a small plant in a big pot with kindness if you get my meaning.
From pics i’ve seen online the seedlings in big pots just don’t look as happy as compared to the guys that start in solos or something you know.
But tbh the anxiety of the transplant process is probably something i could do without, there is a bit of pressure knowing that a mistake could cost a lot in yeilds lol

 

[davisgirl]

Wow. Great answers. I understand a lot. Especially the part about being able to monitor the roots at different stages. And it being less likely to drown the poor thing.

I remember reading early in the learning process that autos don’t like to be transplanted. I also read that you shouldn’t top them, supercrop, or anything besides LST. Hah!

I approach things with a little too much caution at first probably. Put the thing in a giant pot and leave it alone. Then I get into a comfort zone and one day my lovely ladies look like this. Good times:

 

[NiceOption]

That is a truly great question that has a few answers tbf. There is a lot of argument in the autoflower community about potting up due to the chance of shock, and i think it’s a pretty valid argument that makes new growers look at the different benefits of potting up vs direct germing and my take on it when i did my research i leant towards doing “tactical” potting depending on plant growth but always starting in 200-500ml pots.
My reasoning is:

First off even with autos if you’re technique is good (like i normally don’t shock plants, this time round i transplanted stoned which never work as good lol) then it still has the beneficial effect of makings overwatering near impossible and also potting up seems to be beneficial to plant growth when performed correctly, particuarly in root health though i dont truly understand why it does yet, i’m actually studying that at college atm so i’ll know soon.

Second is that at different stages of life it allows you examined root structure and density and for disease etc.
Third is that with growing with soil it allows you to avoid over-compaction of soil that can happen over time with a lot of water running through a pot.

Fourth is with larger gardens or small rotating ones is space, being able to fit the pot to the point in the plants lifecycle can be quite handy

But primarily it’s because using a 200ml starting pot allows me to create the perfect environment for a seed to germ in soil and so get stronger seedlings.

I’m sure other avid gardner’s out there would agree with me on the whole, but in general the auto community leans towards not transplanting which i agree with if you don’t have any other garden experience to take along i think you would get better results by just going into the final pot. It’s more of a case with me since i have the skill i may as well use it

And i’m all about the idea that if you have a healthy potted up seedling it’s better than the natural stress to a small plant that can’t get enough oxygen to its roots and is bathing is large amounts of fertilised medium.
I think the stunting that could be caused by a little root disturbance isn’t as severe as possible overwatering or excess nutrients in soil etc since all of my tomato plants do way better even uprooting and moved than be in a large container from the beginning.

Basically long story short I’ve just seen from my lurking and research that it’s way easier to kill a small plant in a big pot with kindness if you get my meaning.
From pics i’ve seen online the seedlings in big pots just don’t look as happy as compared to the guys that start in solos or something you know.
But tbh the anxiety of the transplant process is probably something i could do without, there is a bit of pressure knowing that a mistake could cost a lot in yeilds lol

Agreed! It's pretty much impossible to overwater if they start in a solo or something of a smaller size.

The guy in my hydro shop who is clearly an old pro at this said that when growing photos, one should always, always pot up as it gives the seedling time to develop a healthy root ball. I guess it focuses the root development and allows quicker early growth instead of the roots hunting around the pot when it should be growing on the surface. It kind of makes sense.

Obviously any shock caused can be made up by a longer veg time which isn't an option for autos. He said he pots up his autos too but woudnt recommend it until one had a few grows under the belt.

I planted directly into the final pots on my current grow with the exception of the seedling. I've tried both and I'd say that things do indeed get moving bit quicker. To be honest I also think it's pretty difficult to reeeeeaaallly mess up a transplant. Shit happens of course but for the most part it's a relatively painless procedure for everyone involved!

 

[Medimadness]

Agreed! It's pretty much impossible to overwater if they start in a solo or something of a smaller size.

The guy in my hydro shop who is clearly an old pro at this said that when growing photos, one should always, always pot up as it gives the seedling time to develop a healthy root ball. I guess it focuses the root development and allows quicker early growth instead of the roots hunting around the pot when it should be growing on the surface. It kind of makes sense.

Obviously any shock caused can be made up by a longer veg time which isn't an option for autos. He said he pots up his autos too but woudnt recommend it until one had a few grows under the belt.

I planted directly into the final pots on my current grow with the exception of the seedling. I've tried both and I'd say that things do indeed get moving bit quicker. To be honest I also think it's pretty difficult to reeeeeaaallly mess up a transplant. Shit happens of course but for the most part it's a relatively painless procedure for everyone involved!

Exactly mate, I mean I potted up Greta from 200ml-2L, then 2L-11L final smart pot and she’s got an amazingly strong root system now that literally soaks up water in no time.
Tilda is in a 200ml transplant pot suspended above an 11L pot and tbh i’m amazed at how quickly she’s bound up the smart pot to the 200ml now and drinking like mad! There was 0 transplant effect on her growth and you just have to look at Amelia’s who is in a 500ml transplant pot slightly suspended above soil level and loving it! She is a beast and soon going to overtake all the other plants in my tent so i’m glad Greta is getting to the end now.

It’s great to experiment with all these slightly different methods but i think for posterity i will do a white widow auto planted directly in smart pot next and see if there’s any difference. all the guys that got me into growing are pretty experienced an even with autos recommend potting up min 1x max 2x

 

[Medimadness]

Wow. Great answers. I understand a lot. Especially the part about being able to monitor the roots at different stages. And it being less likely to drown the poor thing.

I remember reading early in the learning process that autos don’t like to be transplanted. I also read that you shouldn’t top them, supercrop, or anything besides LST. Hah!

I approach things with a little too much caution at first probably. Put the thing in a giant pot and leave it alone. Then I get into a comfort zone and one day my lovely ladies look like this. Good times: View attachment 987563

Like i said honestly if you’re going in on your own research and stuff i think that’s probably the best way to get goin with no worries and obviously in nature seeds just like fall on the ground and wait till spring so it’s definitely a good method haha.
I do suffer with anxiety and i hate transplanting my babies big time

 

[NiceOption]

Exactly mate, I mean I potted up Greta from 200ml-2L, then 2L-11L final smart pot and she’s got an amazingly strong root system now that literally soaks up water in no time.
Tilda is in a 200ml transplant pot suspended above an 11L pot and tbh i’m amazed at how quickly she’s bound up the smart pot to the 200ml now and drinking like mad! There was 0 transplant effect on her growth and you just have to look at Amelia’s who is in a 500ml transplant pot slightly suspended above soil level and loving it! She is a beast and soon going to overtake all the other plants in my tent so i’m glad Greta is getting to the end now.

It’s great to experiment with all these slightly different methods but i think for posterity i will do a white widow auto planted directly in smart pot next and see if there’s any difference. all the guys that got me into growing are pretty experienced an even with autos recommend potting up min 1x max 2x

Oh I didn't realise you potted up twice! Worth it you think? I hadn't though it was worth it before but it seems to be working for you. It would actually be really useful for me on the new ones as I'm gonna be struggling with space too.

 

[Medimadness]

Oh I didn't realise you potted up twice! Worth it you think? I hadn't though it was worth it before but it seems to be working for you. It would actually be really useful for me on the new ones as I'm gonna be struggling with space too.

Honestly it has to be timed perfectly but i didn’t with Greta. She had no shock but that was luck because her root ball was maybe one day off from being there.

But then i did it with both the White widow and NL. WW went from 200ml- 5L- 11l and done very well i believe from how she’s growing! NL was the same however like i said i shouldn’t have got stoned on the 2nd transplant. Oh well, live and learn lol

 

[Medimadness]

Hey AFN, little update here for my little garden.
The closer it gets to christmas, the harder it is to keep up with all these updates but i’ll try to keep up my thorough documentation since I’ve managed to so far!

Greta (Critical Cheese Auto) day 63 in soil:
Coming on well now and seems to be liking the increased feed.
Buds are getting fatter by the day and a lot of pistils are turning orange now.
THC is clearly visible with very frosty buds.
Have been giving her a little grow since i discovered they need it all through the life cycle.
She is currently getting 0.5ml grow, 2.5ml Bloom, 2ml calmag and 2ml topmax (pH 6.8)

Tilda (Blueberry Auto) day 49 in soil:
Pistils coming in well now and clearly coming into flower.
I believe the stretch is happening nicely however due to the better feeding schedule to Val her growth is no where near as stretchy, I’m very pleased.
She is currently getting 1ml grow, 1.5ml bloom, 1ml Calmag and 1ml Topmax (pH 6.8) 1L everyday and obviously far happier than Val ever was.

Broomehilda (White Widow Auto) day 38 in soil:
Excellent plant and recovered well to the super cropping and pinching. She is growing at a nice rate and despite showing sex still mainly in veg.
Have had to defoliate her quite a bit but i’m trying to leave her alone as much as possible. She is surprisingly quite stinky

Amelia (Dr. Feelgood) day 28 in soil:
Now this plant is absolutely amazing, with such vigorous growth i am already a little worried about space! I will attempt a tiny bit more LST on the mainstem in order to control height a little even if i just gain an inch or so.

Augusta (Northern Lights Auto) day 20 in soil: Starting to take off into full veg now and any slowed growth is long gone.
The four main colas are coming on well and pretty equal in height but i will be starting little LST on her soon.
She has had her first feed today since she’s in biobizz lightmix which seems pretty light on nutes available to a plant without an extensive root system there to break it down.

I think next time round i’m going to use some mycorrhizal fungi in order to stimulate a more extensive secondary root system to allow the plant to use up all available feed in soil before the first feed and avoid possible soil hotspots.

 

[bad dragon bzzz]

its all looking fine and dandy in here
keep er lit.

 

[davisgirl]

Yeah! Looking really good Medi!