Starting Inside - Finishing Outside

Hi Folks!

We plan to do an outdoor grow with about 2000 plants. Normally i would put them in 5 or 7 gal pots but I don’t have space in the greenhouse…I plan to veg them in 1 gal pots for 4 or 5 more weeks at which point they will most likely be root bound… I don’t think this will be a problem as long as I water them frequently with the drip system. What do you think ? Will they be OK after I replant them in large pots?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

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They should be fine - still young enough that they won’t suffer irreparable damage. When you transplant them out just gently massage the root ball apart a bit to stimulate the roots to break out - and then hit with with a fish emulsion or tea to stimulate growth.

I have also found that square pots are preferable to the round, with the round pots the roots will circle and create more of a ball, whereas when the roots hit a 90 degree corner they seem to generally go down into the pot rather than balling up as much.

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I think your plants will be fine if they don’t get up potted. If you do find that they are terribly rootbound just be sure and break up the roots quite a bit with you transplant them outside and really saturate the soil after you plant them. If they get too crowded while you are waiting to transplant them, I would defol a little bit in order to create better airflow thru the plants and ultimately encourage new growth.

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Starting inside is the best way to start a healthy crop. Every year I start seeding in side inter t5 lights, Before I throw them outside. But the long term stay in a small pot is a little bit of a bummer. But like you said watering often will help keep them in good shape. Be sure to inoculate the soil for transplant and everything will be ok. Next year pick a cloth pot or a root making pot to keep from being as root bound. Best of luck and happy growing.

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Also the defoliate idea is definitely good. Just remember that some/most strains will stretch if trimmed at the bottom.

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Thanks for the advice… It was my opinion as well but I have a couple of friends that were suggesting that the plants would be “shocked” and “stunted” Which just doesn’t make sense to me. especially if I continue to water in the same manor once they are outside.

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I’ve helped do this on a smaller scale, and yes slightly root bound. But , we placed them directly in the ground after veg , and they thrived! Sunlight is the best! A little shocked at first but within a week or so they took off.

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If they are going from inside, or a greenhouse to outside - it can help if you harden them off for a week before hand. Put them outside for a few hours a day - increasing the time as you go. This will allow them to toughen up to the more intense environment of outdoors (sun, wind etc) and reduces transplant shock.

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Just curious, what soil are you using?

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