How many times should I transplant my plant?

I seem to remember seing quite a few videos on youtube by “expert” growers stating that we should transplant our plant a few times through it’s lifetime. Starting with small pots and going bigger as the plant matures and needs more room. I think it was to prevent the plant from getting root bound…

So I’ve always put my seedlings in a small pot (solo cup), then before starting veg i would transplant it in a bigger pot. And then a couple of weeks before starting flowering I would transplant them in their final pot.

But now, I’ve been watching the grow journals on this forum and most of you seems to go for the biggest pot straight away. And it looks like you are doing great mind you.

I don’t mind the extra work that transplanting brings, I only have a few plants and I love to play with my “girls”.

My question is : Do you think there’s any advantage/disadvantage of one method over the other?

Larger grows transplant multiple times to make the most efficient use of space and inputs.

In a 4’x4’ space:
Nearly 400 clones can fit into 2 aero cloners.
About 150 plants in Solo Cups.
40 plants in square 1 gallon pots.
16 plants in square 5 gallon pots.

Larger pots also require more water and nutrients, which can add up.

If you’re growing at home and not concerned with keeping your cost per gram as low as possible then frequent transplanting is not something to worry about.

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So if I understand correctly it’s more of a matter of cost per gram and it has no benefits for the plant itself?

And yes I grow from home for myself. I’m just trying to get the best medecine I can from happy plants!

There are some benefits to potting up. Allowing the roots to fully develop in a small container before moving to a large one can help some plants to grow more vigorously.
If you’ve got the time and space, try doing one or a few plants in each style. You might find the extra effort adds some value in the end, or it could be that putting a rooted clone into its final pot is the best solution for your style.

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