New Grower Tap root question

[Corgy]

Over on Tang's thread https://www.autoflower.org/f109/tangs-dinafem-cheese-auto-dp-auto-ultimate-38389-2.html#post777700

I agreee with three Es lol the tap root is the key to plant size...ok I hereby commit to a grow sometime soon with a DIY extended Airpot,it may be worth getting a standard 20L Airpot for comparison.....

something else i want to work try this year is an Eco AN feeding schedule using just A&B bloom,calmag and BigBud....that what I hope I can get away with anyway lol.

I didn't wan't to hijack his thread, hence the question here:

Is depth more important than horizontal width, i.e. a tall narrow pot rather than a shallow wide(large diameter) pot, or is it just overall size(volume) that matters when it comes to growing a plant to the largest possible size and yield?

Any thoughts?

 

[medic grower]

Thats a really Interessting Question which popped up in my Mind a few Hundred Times. Would really like to know Brother Tangs 2 cents on this!!

 

[TaNg]

Over on Tang's thread https://www.autoflower.org/f109/tangs-dinafem-cheese-auto-dp-auto-ultimate-38389-2.html#post777700



I didn't wan't to hijack his thread, hence the question here:

Is depth more important than horizontal width, i.e. a tall narrow pot rather than a shallow wide(large diameter) pot, or is it just overall size(volume) that matters when it comes to growing a plant to the largest possible size and yield?

Any thoughts?

This is the golden question and a very good one, I personaly think the tap root grows downwards in until it hits the bottom and it's this that conducts the size of the plant,I'm going to try a 3L in a 6L Airpot so it will be tall and thin.

 

[MikeyB420]

Over on Tang's thread https://www.autoflower.org/f109/tangs-dinafem-cheese-auto-dp-auto-ultimate-38389-2.html#post777700



I didn't wan't to hijack his thread, hence the question here:


Any thoughts?

Guilty as charged! :Woopsadaisy:

I think this will be an interesting thread? I have included my initial thoughts on the subject:

Interesting thoughts Bro! I had similar ideas for the BAM Slam comp ........ however, can I ask if you have ever had a primary root which has reached the bottom of a 15l airpot? Yeah, seen lots of huge rootballs from larger pots but, the primary seems always to be short in comparison?

IMHO Indoor canna cultivation does not allow time enough for the plant to do this, more so when you consider that basically canna is an annual plant and therefore(?) does not need the root system of a perrenial/houseplant.

I just wish it was legal to do the type of research needed for our favorite plant!

There were comments by some of the more expert growers here at AFN that they had tap roots which had reached the bottom of the pots. Ok, maybe I'm not in their league (yet) but, it would interesting to see how many people here do actually achieve this?

One other consideration maybe that if you have a super root system with a long tap root, would you get a proportionally taller plant? Great if you have the headroom for them to grow but, does everyone have that luxury?

I hope this stimulates some good discussion from which we can all learn.

Peace and Love

MikeyB420.

 

[Chester]

The secret to reaching the bottom of the pot w/ the tap root is proper watering when the plant is still young ... in fact it starts w/ the proper moistening of the soil prior to planting the seed ... also important not to turn the last couple inches of the pot into a 'soggy bottom' where it's too wet for roots to thrive.

 

[gbd]

I've grown ab AutoBlueberry in a 5 gallon bucket and one in a 5 gallon bucket with a bottomless 5 gallon airpot stacked on top. The 5 gallon airpot was zip tied so thst it would fit in the mouth of the bucket. Both Blueberries gave about 3 oz each and reached just under 2 feet tall. I also tried that with a Think Different and saw no noticeable increase in yield or size with it either. Based on that I'm thinking that tap root depth only matters when there's a lack of space. 5 gallon buckets seem to have the perfect depth for medium and larger auto strains, in my experience. Hope this input helps.

 

[TaNg]

Seed and backup seed are into soak and pots have been retrieved from the bottom of the garden.....thought I should go with a strain that's known to get big so gone with AutoUltimate.

 

[TaNg]

I've grown ab AutoBlueberry in a 5 gallon bucket and one in a 5 gallon bucket with a bottomless 5 gallon airpot stacked on top. The 5 gallon airpot was zip tied so thst it would fit in the mouth of the bucket. Both Blueberries gave about 3 oz each and reached just under 2 feet tall. I also tried that with a Think Different and saw no noticeable increase in yield or size with it either. Based on that I'm thinking that tap root depth only matters when there's a lack of space. 5 gallon buckets seem to have the perfect depth for medium and larger auto strains, in my experience. Hope this input helps.

Exactliy why I want to try it with smaller pots, my first thought was a 6L on top of a 15L but I'm going with a 3L on a 6L.

 

[Corgy]

Here is a few snippets from the ether, not saying that they are all relevant to Cannabis. Given the scant stuff found, except for the usual forum speculations, MikeyB420 is absolutely right,

I just wish it was legal to do the type of research needed for our favorite plant!

http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch26.html

Early Root Development and Its Relation to Transplanting.--When tomato plants are grown from seed, they develop a strong taproot which, under favorable conditions for growth, may reach a depth of 22 inches in 3 weeks. This growth has a rate of 1 inch a day. On plants of the John Baer variety, the taproots were uniformly branched to within 2 inches of the tip. The rate of branching in the first 6 inches was 10 to 12 laterals per inch; at greater depths the number varied from 6 to 8 per inch. At this time the plants were approximately 4 inches tall and had about 4 leaves each. It is clear that such plants could be set into the field only with difficulty. Hence the practice of transplanting one or more times before the plants are finally set into the field. Transplanting or potting of seedlings tends to modify the natural taproot system into a more or less fibrous one, due to the injury to the taproot. The change in the root system is really very profound (Fig. 70).

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[SIZE=-1] Fig. 70.--Typical root system of a tomato grown from seed sowed in the field (right) and one that has been transplanted (left). This illustrates the pronounced change brought about by transplanting the seedlings. (After J. T. Rosa.)

http://www.spliffseeds.nl/difference-between-marijuana-seeds-and-clones.html

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http://www.votehemp.com/PDF/Charact..._roots_under_different_growing_conditions.pdf

Characterisation of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) rootsunder different growing conditionsStefano Amaducci & Alessandro Zatta &Marco Raffanini & Gianpietro VenturiReceived: 22 February 2008 /Accepted: 16 June 2008 / Published online: 9 July 2008# Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2008Abstract Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is mainlygrown for its fibre and is considered a desirable cropfor sustainable production systems. In a field trialcarried out over two years in Northern Italy the rootsystem of a hemp crop, cultivated at contrasting plantdensities, was sampled and analysed with an imageanalysis software. Root length density (RLD) washighest in the first 10 cm of soil, almost 5 cm cm−3; itdecreased progressively until the depth of 130 cm, apart from a peak at 90–100 cm in response to aperched water table. Roots were found to 130 cm ofdepth in one year and to 200 cm in the other. Rootdiameter was finer (190 μm) in the upper soil layer, itincreased with depth until 100 cm, and remainedconstant at 300 μm thereafter. Following the sametrend of RLD, root biomass was highest in the firstsoil layer; 50% of the root biomass was found in thefirst 20 cm or 50 cm when taproot biomass wasconsidered or not. Total root biomass was 3.21 t ha−1and 2.41 t ha−1 in the two years of trial, but the ratiobetween aboveground and below ground biomass wasconstant at 5.46. None of the root parameters weresignificantly affected by plant population, whichseems to confirm the plastic behaviour that hempshows for aboveground development. The high rootbiomass production measured in this study, especiallyin deeper soil layers, provides additional evidence ofthe positive role that hemp can play in sustainablecropping systems.Keywords Hemp . Image analysis. Root growth .Soil texture

http://udspace.udel.edu/bitstream/h...ter 5. Roots and Root Systems.pdf?sequence=10 very long general ROOT read

http://progressivegatherings.com/section-MARIJUANA-GROWING-CENTER-Hardiness-Marijuana.htm

If Marijuana gets a head start on neighboring plants, Marijuana will win, especially the Sativa outdoor variety. Cannabis Sativa can be started as an accidentally dropped seed somewhere in your backyard. Without water, fertilizer, or cultivation, before you know it, there stands a huge plant at eye level. This aggressive weed, does not attract many pests, and once Marijuana has a foothold, large animals generally won't bother it either.​

Marijuana employs a "tap root system", one in which the primary root grows down from the stem with some small secondary roots forming on it. A carrot, for example, is a tap root vegetable. The Cannabis tap root will seek water and nutrients deep below the topsoil, delving at whatever level is necessary for survival. A well grown Sativa would need a saw to get taken down. After the earth softened, and you pulled up the remaining root, you would discover an arm's length tap root. This is the tenacity of Marijuana.​

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[/SIZE]Dunno why the pics come out so small, they are resized, re-named and what not ???????​

 

[MikeyB420]

Here is a few snippets from the ether, not saying that they are all relevant to Cannabis

http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch26.html

[SIZE=-1]http://www.spliffseeds.nl/difference-between-marijuana-seeds-and-clones.html
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http://www.votehemp.com/PDF/Charact..._roots_under_different_growing_conditions.pdf


http://udspace.udel.edu/bitstream/h...ter 5. Roots and Root Systems.pdf?sequence=10

http://progressivegatherings.com/section-MARIJUANA-GROWING-CENTER-Hardiness-Marijuana.htm

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Not wishing to play the Devil's Advocate but, Tomatoes are technically perrenials grown as an annual and the other articles all refer to outdoor grown cannabis plants. Still, good reading though.

Also, can I throw this into the discussion? In DWC the aim is for a huge root ball of the small fine type for maximum water and nutrient uptake. Or should we just keep this soil growing?



MikeyB420.