On to the next step and a very important one. As with many things regarding the growing of a cannabis plant there are points of debate about many things. One very important one is whether or not to transplant an auto or to germinate it in it's final pot. I can see the benefits both ways and yes, it can stunt the growth of an auto if you're not precise and ultra careful/gentle transplanting a delicate seedling. If it's a photoperiodic plant it has a long time to recover and bounce back, an auto does not. I started germinating in hempy solo cups for two reasons but they sort of come together. First, my success rate is extremely high. I truly believe that if a seed is going to germinate and sprout it will do it every time in perlite. Will you have a dud seed from time to time, you betcha. But if you handed me just one single seed, the last cannabis seed on the planet and tasked me with reversing the plant to produce seeds that last little seed is going in a hempy solo cup.
So without further ado here is how I transplant a seedling from a hempy solo cup into it's forever home. I'll do my best to provide a thorough description but if at any point you have questions please do ask. From what I've seen so far on this site everyone does their best to help everyone else.
Here is the seedling I am transplanting today. It is from FastBuds and is their Original OG Kush auto. It sprouted two days ago and has been in my little homemade germination box under a couple of screw in LED light bulbs. The first day after sprout it is under it's dome and the second day out from under the dome.
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Notice at the bottom of the cup there is a small 1/2" drain/reservoir overflow hole. To remove the seedling the cup must be filled with water till the perlite floats to the top. The piece of duct tape covers the hole and allows me to fill the cup with water. Here is a photo showing the duct tape application and a photo of the cup prior to filling with water. Note the level of the perlite in the second pic here.
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Here I stop and wash my fingers thoroughly with alcohol (91% is best) before handling the plant. I never touch the white tap root, only the stem.
At this point I slowly fill the cup with water until the perlite floats almost to the top of the cup. What this does is allow you to squeeze (gently) the cup from opposite side loosening up the perlite. Sort of breaking it apart (gently) to separate the perlite from around the taproot. Again, this is the most crucial part and gentleness and patience is the key. What I do after it's flooded is slowly spin the cup squeezing with my thumb and forefinger as it spins. When you feel it's loose enough and as you continue to squeeze and release the sides of the cup ease the seedling out of the perlite. Do not bend it or twist it or pull too hard. Trust me it will start to lift out of the perlite. And if you're patient and gentle you'll end up with something like this. First picture shows the cup after filling with water and bringing the perlite to the top. Second picture is of the Original OG Kush seconds removed from the hempy solo germination cup.
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Now, prior to the steps above I will prepare the hole in the pot into which I will transplant the seedling. I use a simple artist's paintbrush for this job. I've learned to make the hole deeper then I think I'll need as some strains will really put down a long taproot in just two days. And in the case of this Original OG Kush it was needed. So I make the hole like so in as close to the center of the pot as I can.
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I then mix up a very small mix of beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizae and sprinkle it down into the hole. So now it's ready for the seedling.
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The last step is to plant the seedling. I always take great pains to not damage the delicate taproot. My hole is wide enough for it to slip right in but sometimes it can get caught on the edge of the hole. I never force it, instead I lift it back up a tiny bit and ease it back down again. When I have it all the way in and straight I leave just about 1/4" of stem above the surface. The paintbrush is right there sticking in the medium. I envision a circle about 2" around the seedling. I push the brush down into the soil to the depth of the bottom of the hole and gently push it towards the seedling. You are STILL holding onto the seedling at this point maintaining that 1/4" depth. Keep moving around your circle pushing the medium towards the seedling. You are closing the hole you put her in moving the medium so it's making contact with the taproot. I do this till I'm confident her root is gently encased in the medium. Pat the soil around the seedling and you're done. She looks SO tiny in her 15 gallon pot.
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Now she is in her forever home and ready to grow. I apologize if you feel this was long winded. I try and be as concise and detailed as I can so that someone wishing to try this themselves will have no problems. I hope this proves helpful to at least one person.
!!! Always interested in different ways of doing things!! Experience is a great teacher
Good luck an on for the ride
