How to transplant cannabis plants- Beginner guidance

Why Transplant?

If you don’t transplant your plants in time they might get rootbound. Rootbound means that the roots have grown all the way around the edges and bottom of the container because it is nog big enough. Your plant will not grow any more until you transplant it to a larger container.

The following symptoms are signs that your plant is rootbound:
Stunted Growth
Stretching
Smaller and slower bud production
Needs watering too often
Easy to burn with low % nutrient solution mixtures
Wilting
Red stems

The Benefits of Transplanting Cannabis

Plants do best when grown in appropriately sized containers. This is true about all plants in all media, but it is particularly true about cannabis plants. In both soil and coco, transplanting helps promote the ideal conditions for early growth. Keeping small plants in small containers makes it easier to achieve the correct air to water ratio and encourages denser root growth. The risks of transplant shock are minimal even for new growers. Therefore, the benefits of transplanting cannabis plants clearly outweigh the risks.
The Benefits of Transplanting Cannabis Plants in Soil
When growing plants in soil, transplanting is critical for several reasons. As with any media, plants started in small containers grow faster, develop better root ball mass and greater root density. However, in soil, there is an even more important reason to start small and pot-up: air to water ratio.

Transplanting Promotes the Best Air to Water Ratio
One of the key benefits of keeping small plants in small containers is that they do not become water-logged. Soil retains too much water, and roots suffer from oxygen deprivation immediately following watering. With large plants, the roots themselves help absorb the water and keep the soil from remaining water-logged. However, when small plants are in large containers, they cannot absorb sufficient water through their roots and the soil remains saturated. This will stunt root growth and can lead to “damping off” and eventual plant death.

New growers often think that starting a plant in a large container of soil will be the easiest way to grow. However, you really need to be an expert gardener to be able to water small plants in large containers of soil without over or under-watering. The truth is that it is easier to learn how to transplant than it is to effectively water small plants in large containers.

THE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR SEEDLINGS

Cannabis seedlings need to be treated delicately. Mind your marijuana like babies. If seedlings need support, prop them up with a toothpick or a cocktail stick and some soft gardening wire.

An 18-6 light schedule is considered the sweet spot by most growers. White light is preferred. The source of light should be CFL, MH grow lights, or LED grow light. If you have a sunny windowsill, it can work in a pinch.

Roots grow in the dark. That’s why we advocate 18-6 or 20-4 over a nonstop 24-hour light cycle. High humidity, ideally around 70% RH, and temperatures in the 20–24°C range make for a perfect seedling habitat. A propagator, thermo-hygrometer, and a spray bottle of water are the tools to help you dial it in.

Stretchy or floppy seedling growth can be due to genetics. Often, it’s an indication the grow lamp is positioned too far away from the canopy. A cool white 250W CFL can comfortably hang 15cm above a dozen or more seedlings without scorching leaves.

Transplanting the Seedlings

Soon, roots start to form after the seed splits open. Once that happens, then it is time to place the seeds in small pots. To do that, prepare the following items:
small 2-inch pots
potting soil
spray bottle
tweezers
pen or pencil

Step 1. Put some soil in the small pot. At the center, make a half-inch hole using a pen or pencil.
Step 2. Use a pair of tweezers to transfer the seed to the pot. Be gentle as it is fragile. Carefully, place it in the center of the hole. After, top it and make sure the seed is only a few millimeters deep.
Step 3. Spray water and let it settle.
Let the seedling sprout until it has two or more internodes. Until then, keep it moist, and it should grow nicely. Transplant the plants into bigger pots once they are ready. This time, instead of using tweezers to pick up individual seeds, it is only a matter of removing the whole plant including a clump of potting soil and placing it in its new environment.
Things to Remember
Transplanting from a small pot to a bigger one allows the plant to continue growing. Otherwise, it becomes too crowded, and it stops rooting.
Spraying water once or twice a day is good enough. The key here is knowing how much is enough or lacking. If the leaves are signs of being droopy in which entire leaf curls down or having a yellowish color, it may be a sign of over-watering. If it looks wilted, then it may be due to under-watering.Once seedlings appear, lighting becomes vital to its survival and growth. Regardless if eventually placed outdoors or using grow light inside the house, it should not be too hot. It is achieved by placing it in an area where there is ample shading or adjusting the height of lighting fixture.
Soon after the first internode appears, it is time to add some nutrients. Some growers prefer the root-stimulating foliar nutrients. But, be cautious of the dose since the roots are young. Keep the concentrations low.
Finally, do not stress out the plants. Transplanting itself is already strenuous. During its care after, limit movement and avoid touching.

Vegetative Transplanting

While seed starts are used for outdoor growing or mother plants, clones are used for any short-growing style, which includes indoor and light deprivation greenhouses.

A good rule of thumb is that your cannabis plants need two gallons of soil for every 12 inches of growth in the vegetative stage. From here, all subsequent transplants should be based on root expansion and whether you’re growing from seeds (primarily outdoor) or clones (indoor/greenhouse) – this will make the biggest difference between pot sizes.

If you’re growing outdoors or making mother plants, your cannabis will need to veg between four and six months in order to reach maturity and may be up potted more than once before reaching their final home. Growers may transplant their outdoor plants from 4-inch pots to 1- or 2-gallon pots, to 5- or 7-gallon containers, and then into 100+ gallons for the remainder of for the rest of the season. The largest size pots will house the plants for months prior to flowering.

For shorter growing cycles, clones are ideal because they’re already proven phenotypes that you don’t have to sex – they’re all guaranteed females. Clones are as old as the plant from which the cuttings are taken, and often take just one to two weeks until they’re rooted. This means you won’t need as big of a container for plants. For an indoor or greenhouse application, it’s a good idea to transplant one, even two weeks before you flip your lights to the 12 hours off / 12 hours on flowering cycle. Doing this will allow your cannabis plants to maximize their growth in that particular pot before they advance.

Keep in mind that each environment and growing style will vary, naturally. Whatever your chosen method, be sure to transplant before your plants become rootbound. With RediRoot containers, this is never a problem. The company’s innovate design reduces circling roots and prepares plants for transplantation, thanks to the air pruning capabilities. If you’re not sure what size pots are ideal for your grow, the Garden Rebels team can listen to your goals and help you determine the best time to up-pot, and which size pots would be ideal for your situation.