Roots were growing like crazy on the Chem 91 X Aliendog Cherry and with it being a little cool this morning I figured it was a perfect day to get her up-potted. Her color was/is just a bit lighter then I care for so it was a good time to get her into a bigger pot. I will remember to snap a couple photos of her on Sunday to see hopefully that her color is improved. So here we go, my steps for up-potting. Maybe some small part of what I do will prove helpful to someone.
So here is the Chem 91 plant ready for a new home. This plant typically has leaves that are a bit darker then these. My homemade soil has enough nitrogen in it (note ever so slightly burned leaf tips) so I'm thinking more room will help.
Here is the new pot she will be moving into. I go in steps in pot size. She will be up-potted 3 more times before she's flowered. In the photo you can see a container of Mycorrhizae, if you don't use it consider picking some up. Fantastic stuff for root development. The stuff in the photo works great but is WAY overpriced. I have new stuff that works just as well for a LOT LESS money. I'm just trying to use up this contrainer.
To make up-potting a breeze I create the perfect sized hole in the new pot using a cup the same size the plant is in already. I put soil under the cup and then fill the new pot with soil all around the cup. Pack it lightly, but hard enough so the soil stays together and doesn't fall into the hole when you remove the cup.
Then sprinkle the Mycorrhizae in the bottom and on the sides of the hole so it comes in direct contact with the roots.
Here is where you want to be really gentle. As carefully as you can remove the plant from it's existing pot. Wiggle and push up from the bottom if you can. Do as little damage to the roots as is humanly possible. I actually had a bit of a tough time getting this girl out of her cup as her roots had grown out of the holes at the bottom of the solo cup. Finally I got her out and was happy to see healthy white roots.
Next step is to gently place her into her new pot, backfill and lightly press the soil against her root mass. A happy plant in her new pot filled with fresh homemade organic soil.
The soil in the solo cup was plenty moist, so when I water her I will water around the inside of the rim of the new pot but not in the center. The idea is to draw the roots outward in search of water and always increase the size of the root mass. Here she is with her sisters in my homemade seedling/clone/small plant box. She will stay under these CFL bulbs until I see she is starting to grow and starts putting out new shoots. At that point she will be moved into my small veg tent under one of my
@VIPARSPECTRA LED grow lights.
