Tangled Roots

[ezwider]

Hello Everyone, this is my first for both growing weed and hydroponics.
My babies have grown 5" tall in a month, I have been feeding them with half the recommended dosage of Root66 from TF for the last two weeks.
I have to transplant them onto the larger reservoir, with the bigger 3" net cups filled with clay rock, but I am confronted with this tangled root nightmare.
For what I have read so far cutting the roots is the only solution, and the plants should recover.
Maybe if I cut off the bottom of the net cup with some small cutting pliers I can pull up the entire bush through, but then how do I set up these roots on the new 3" cup?
So please after the laughing eases and you can type again, your advice will be much appreciated

[SiriusFourside]

That's definitely a predicament you have there! Cutting off the roots will severely limit the growth for weeks, but even if you cut off the bottom of the net pot you'd still be left with the nightmarish task of weaving the roots through the new net pot.

So the first thing is, you never want to have to transfer a plant between net pots; they grow into them and get real comfortable and don't like moving. It looks like you did a good job starting this one, so next time just do the exact same thing but starting in the final net pot.

How big are you planning on letting this plant get? Is that a 2" net pot? If you're not planning on growing a large plant, you could keep it in its current net pot and the net pot should still fit. I grow 2 plants at a time in my 4x4x7 and the main stalk could barely fit in a 2" net pot (though the roots always burst the bottom. If you were already planning on growing this thing 1-3 feet tall, that size of net pot would work.

If that's not something you want to do, you could carefully cut the net pot off the plant without hurting the roots. In the larger net pot you can clip off one of the plastic bars to give you more room to fit in the roots (like this):



I would do that 3 times, on the net pot; once for every bunch of roots. Then it's just a matter of sticking the roots through without breaking any, and making sure they're not tangled or twisted (especially towards the bottom) afterwards.

Also, I didn't laugh at all! I saw the second pic, dropped to my knees and yelled "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

[ezwider]

Thanks for your advice Sirius.
I performed major surgery yesterday, untangled the best I could the main thick roots and was able to slip them through the base of the larger net cups. Had to dispose of all the tangled fine roots.
Following TF recipe, I am feeding them Root66 + SugarDaddy and spraying with Thrive Alive B-1 Green once a day before lights come on.
I am looking at them today and it seems like they are going to make it, will upload some pics in a few days.
Next time I will know to transplant just after roots start showing up under the net cup.
Thanks Again, I´ll keep you posted.

[Mañ'O'Green]

Hi ezwider:

I am a firm believer in never messing with the roots. I have grown an Organic vegetable garden for over 40 years now. I just have a small one for my wife and I now but at one time I had a full acre of vegetables and flowers for cutting that I sold out in front of my house on a busy street. I would drink beer and BS with my customers all morning long. One day my wife came home just as I was falling out of my chair from too much beer and pot. She told me "I needed to get a real job". She was right. Anyhow I have tried so many techniques for starting my vegetables indoors and in greenhouses to get an early jump on the season. Eggplants and Peppers are by far the most temperamental vegetable seeds to germinate. Handling their roots in any fashion when they are small is almost always fatal or you end up with stunted growth.The best germinating systems I tried never disturbed the tap root or ball.

I have moved this learning indoors to my cannabis grow. I use a product called Bio Dome Sponges. I think that they are basically the same thing as Rapid Rooters but they have a more pyramidal shape and the tap root usually comes right straight out the bottom. I start germination right in the net pot it will live its whole life in. just situate the sponge in the middle of your expanded clay balls, position your top feed water outlet to the side of the sponge so it keeps it moist but not flooded. Then I just plant the seed point down 1/2" deep. The seed will germinate without you ever having to handle it period. No root hairs stuck in your paper towel, no pulled off root shoots or accidentally broken tap roots. It may take a day or two longer for the cotyledon leaves to get pushed above the surface because the tap root has very little resistance in it's downward growth. I know my plants luv me for this and in return they nourish me. I don't have any beginning pictures of this process but here is a picture of Mobina's stem penetrating the clay balls.

PS. I am trying to figure out what camera settings work best for posting here. That is why the strange label.

[ezwider]

Thanks MOG , I am sure going to do things better next time I plant. I am using rockwool and like it pretty much, Sirius mentioned Rapid Rooter and now you Bio Dome Sponges. All good options for all tastes I guess. For now I am concentrating on the patients in intensive care, and also feeding from all the info you guys share on the forum. Cheers.

[ezwider]

Hello Everyone, its been 2 weeks since I had to chop the roots of my babies to transplant them, here's some pictures of how they looked right after and how they shine (and smell !!!) today.
I started feeding them the nutrient recipe for the vegetative stage, they are about 7" tall and my total growing space is about 26" (touching the led lights)
I have a few questions:

- Should I do some pruning right now?
- Main steems have thickened nicely. Should I start bending them to train their shape?
- I am working with 10 ltrs. in my reservoir but about one liter gets consumed every couple of days. I just refill but is this normal?

Any other advice or comment would be very much appreciated, thanks in advance fellow growers.

[Mañ'O'Green]

They are looking healthy now. What minimum distance from the lights is recommended by the manufacturer? You will need to subtract that from the height you have for growing. I would recommend covering the empty net pots with something so light does not penetrate into the reservoir otherwise algae can grow and cause PH and nutrient balance problems.

As far as training goes see Nebulas pages for recommendations based on the growing space you have available. .

[Royal Nugs]

What a turnaround! What are you, a surgeon?!?

I would top her first. You should have an idea of how you want to train her.

you can top off your rez with weak solution and do a Rez change every 2 weeks in veg, then every week in flower. That's what I do.

[Tika]

Nice Recovery!!!! Bravo!

[ezwider]

O'Green you were right, I flushed yesterday and there it was, the water was lightly green already. I will be handling that.
I started reading Nebulas material on training, very good. Since it is my first time I am just going to softly turn them so they end up 90° to the side.
This image told me everything !

I will post more pictures along the way.
THANKS, great and fast growing forum.