HELP! Root bound but no room for bigger pots!

[Ichibaniles81]

The title basically says it all. I have plants that I think might Be getting close to becoming root bound just as they’ve started to flower. The only evidence that makes me think they have outgrown the pot is some new growth that is bright lime and with much smaller leaves. This also happened the first time I potted them up and found they were root-bound that time. I have no more space in my 2x4x5 tent, not floor space or height space.I could separate them into two tents but at present I don’t have enough power outlets and this wouldn’t solve the height issue.

Someone here told me you can drill holes in the side of plastic pots but I assume that will not change the fact the roots have circled the pot already? So there are 5x 30cm (approx 4.5gal) plastic pots. Plants are mostly Indica, 1 week into flowering. They are in Coco/soil/perlite mix, 50:30:20.

SO... 1. can roots be safely pruned without causing too much disruption? (I’m sure they can survive but could be severely stunted?)
2. Can you air out roots In plastic pots by drilling holes, and would that help anyway?

anyone have any other bright ideas? I’d really like to hear them! Am I just overreacting?
I guess I just want to know if there is an option should I need it.

thanks so much!

 

[HappyDaze]

Without some pics or some idea how large the plants are, or how long they've been in veg, it's really impossible to give good advice. If you're feeding them properly, it really doesn't matter if they're a little root bound, and I'd doubt that they are in 4.5 gal pots. I'd just manage their feeding and keep going. If your grow media is prepared properly, there's lots of air in your buckets, drilling holes in the sides probably won't be of any benefit.

 

[VtGreen1965]

It's in bud, the energy that went into rooting is now going into bud and sugar production, keep it going as is, don't worry about the roots.
But after this, ditch the pots and go to fabric bags, they work much better even though they wear out after a couple grows.
Bigger pots=bigger roots= bigger and better buds.

 

[Ichibaniles81]

Thanks for your advice Daze, and sorry there wasn’t any pics, I did take 3 but they obviously didn’t work???
Anyway I really appreciate you and VT giving me the encouragement to keep going without big changes. Last night I actually took 2 plants from one tent and moved them into the other one so I could have less shade on some heads. It was packed in the little 2x4x5!!

 

[Ichibaniles81]

I will go fabric for sure from here on out. Thanks !