Does the rootbound really affects the plants as people believe ? Do growers transplant too soon on first signs of roots ? Whats your method of transplanting do you grow in small containers with a nice root ball or you rush to transplant ? And how really rootbound affects plants ? For me one of the biggest myth is bigger container - more yield , especially when we talk for hydro/ soilless mixes . Your opinion ?
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I am a big believer in allowing my roots to spread out and I am always trying to avoid rootbinding. I agree that a rush to transplant can be harmful to young plants. Also, it takes more time to grow a large plant. Timing is everything in commercial facilities so if you can jam the life cycle into a shorter time period you are going to get more cycles out of your facility every production year. I have seen facilities flowering in 3 gallon pots get as much or more in yield as those facilities growing in 5-10 gal pots. As long as plant count is not a concern, I see no reason to grow in giant containers.
What size containers do you prefer, @eldindupljak?
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Every year i go with smaller container , i dont see the cannabis plants as plant who has strong and big roots , they are super fine and thin . After harvest if you leave the container for two weeks and then try to flip and clean the medium from roots , you can barely see roots , they decompose super fast . Popping roots on the side and bottom i dont see as rootbound , on this way you save water,food and medium , they dry faster , get more oxygen and food . I am using now 7 gallons fabric pots for plants that they will finish 7-8 feets high . I have used 3 gallons pots for 4-5 high topped wide plant with no problem .
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I think it really is up to the individual to determine what size container is best for his or her grow. It sounds like you have found that smaller is just as good as big for you.
Do you prefer fabric or plastic containers?
I use a soil mix, 3 gallon squat pots, 16 pots in a 6x6 space. After rooted in the 5.5x5.5 square pots they go to the 3 gal and veg for 10-14 days then flip. Our biggest producers give us 4 oz a plant. Because we keep them smaller we do very little staking and high skirting/thinning out. Iām also a fan of not topping. I prefer single stalk hardy plants, of course not all cultivars grow that way
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If your VEG cycle is short i will not top either , but if u grow them more i believe topping is must especially some strains , i usually top twice during the VEG. You keep them short and bushy its much more convenient for spraying, moving , supporting the buds and structure and saving the plant material /used nutes and time . I dont think it affects the yield when you grow with sun as long the square footage is filled , even or not even canopy will not make difference with sun but it makes your life easier . With the topping i sacrifice the tops , but i save the lower branches instead of doing heavy stripping before flowering , i save more useful plant material .