The Merits of Transplanting Seedlings Deeply

[Smokin Moose]

Being that tomatoes should be planted as deep as possible because of the profuse root growth that is induced along the buried stem, I did an experiment with cannabis to see if the same holds true. I treated my experimental cannabis seedlings the same way I do my tomato seedlings - I pinched off side branches and only left foliage located at the topmost node. I left the seedlings alone for a day to allow the injured points to callous over and then buried them right up to their topmost leaves, whereby the leaf sets were actually laying on the soil's surface. Month later I carefully uprooted the plants, gently washed the soil off the root-ball and confirmed my expectations; the buried stem was covered with healthy roots.

Caveat; don't try this on a very young seedling that may still be susceptible to damp-off disease.

 

[3lions]

isnt it more important for the roots to be healthy and given enough nutrients to feed the plant as oppose to having a large root structure?

 

[ChicagoJoe]

3lions, you are responding to a 2 year old post.

I like the technique mentioned though, especially if the grow room is vertically challenged.

 

[3lions]

Oops, soz, just browsing and rarely look at the dates. Will do so in future I guess.

 

[slimm]

Yield is directly proportional to the size of the root system. Of course it must be healthy whether it's large or small.

 

[SciFi]

This technique is also used in bonsai moms. After trimming the roots up, in a square pot, and replanting it, you plant it deeper and deeper each time, and in result you move the root structure up the plant trunk more and more, controlling the height at the same time. Eventually you can replant it enough times that once you start getting roots into the branches, you can actually split the plant down the middle, and make two mothers from the one.

 

[Jasonlee247]

yea. When I plant a seed I'll plant it in a 3' pot with about 1.5" coir in the bottom and get my 'seedling nutrient mix' all ready to water nutrients 3 days after it reaches the surface. I cut and seal nodes as I fill the pot with coir following the top growth.

I find that in Coir this encourages the plant to maintain Lateral horizontal root growth pattern later in bloom. Even in Hydro there's truth in 'The more the marrier!' It creates denser buds VS. seedlings without 'root training'. Hands down makes a better yield by manipulating the Tap Root.

IMO ofcourse. and yes this is an old post, but it's a current issue.

 

[slimm]

I recommend using H2O2 when you do this with seedlings to keep them from damping off - especially in soil.

 

[SupraSPL]

Thanks OP that is an interesting experiment. I have noticed the little white nubs on the lower stem where the plant is trying its luck looking for the media and I have always wondered if they would root nicely.

If a grower is planning to LST you can use the opposite technique. It seems that the upper portion of the soil tends not to include many roots, so when I transplant the seedling or clone I raise it up a bit so there is as much new soil beneath it for the roots to expand into as possible. This also helps make the most use of the container space it has been given and with the LST it really puts the brakes on stretchy seedlings' height.


SciFi mentioned an interesting bonsai technique above. Many times I am trying to maintain moms for future use so I want to keep them healthy but as compact as possible. Growers have pointed out that in order for a plant to survive it has to grow continuously. Once a plant becomes rootbound in veg, it tends to shed fan leaves and generally lose vigor. If the rootbound condition persists despite being treated well in every other aspect, new growth will come very slowly and will be miniaturized.

After pushing the plant with this technique for about 6 months or so, adding even a small bit of fresh soil beneath a rootbound plant by raising it slightly will restore some vigor and extend the process for a very long time. Every once in awhile a new cutting can be taken to restart the whole process. In theory, a grower could keep a dozen or more future moms alive for many years using only 15 watts of fluoro or 3 watts of LED. The downside is that these smaller containers tend to dry out very quickly. Maybe a custom soil mixture could slow that down.

 

[slimm]

You can also remove a plant from a container, give it a deep root pruning and it will rejuvenate after recovery from the rough handling. Two weeks ago transplanted a root bound container grown lime tree, giving it a radical root pruning, and two weeks later its doing great. It even held on to its fruit through this.

You can also cause roots to grow just about anywhere on a plant. There is a method of cloning whereby one wraps the stem with some coco or peat inside plastic wrap. Add some cloning compound and roots will soon appear, at which point the clone is cut off the plant and planted. This is a good way to defer an increase in plant count when cloning. You cannot consider the clones individuals until you cut them off the mom.

 

[QUEENBUD00]

Sounds like air layering to me...

 

[Grandpappy Sr]

You can also remove a plant from a container, give it a deep root pruning and it will rejuvenate after recovery from the rough handling. Two weeks ago transplanted a root bound container grown lime tree, giving it a radical root pruning, and two weeks later its doing great. It even held on to its fruit through this.

You can also cause roots to grow just about anywhere on a plant. There is a method of cloning whereby one wraps the stem with some coco or peat inside plastic wrap. Add some cloning compound and roots will soon appear, at which point the clone is cut off the plant and planted. This is a good way to defer an increase in plant count when cloning. You cannot consider the clones individuals until you cut them off the mom.

That is awesome info for somebody in a MM state who is trying to stay just under the legal plant count limit like me