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When to pot up?

jessxcr

jessxcr

Are some of these ready to be potted up? These are in 8 oz cups. The very small ones are some Habaneros I just started.

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I know one user said to wait until they get a couple sets of true leaves. They are still in seed starting mix and I will be getting some ProMix BX tomorrow. Is it worth it to move them up to the Solo 16 ouncers or should I go bigger? How many moves before going into the 5 gallon buckets?

I did search and couldn't find any info on this.
 
I usually wait until roots start creeping out of the drainage holes. Pot size usually depends on how much room you have. Potting up gradually also promotes a dense root ball.
 
From what I have read on transplanting, you want to transplant before the roots become root bound in your container to avoid dwarfing your plant. Knowing the exact time to transplant comes with experience. However based on videos I have watched and comparing them to yours, the second from the top on the left is about the size if not maybe a few days bigger would be ideal for a transplant. However an important point to make is if you transplant too early then the extra soil in the new container may not be used. In this case you should avoid watering the plant too much to avoid leaching all the nutrients out of the soil.

I have seen people transplant right after it germinates with no problems. The key thing is to allow the soil to dry before you transplant so the soil bulb does not break. If you dry the soil you can transplant the whole soil bulb intact which minimizing, pretty much eliminating, any shock to the plant.
 
Absolutely, it more about the root growth then the leaf count. I'm trying grow plugs this season, and as soon as I see roots I'm moving them into 3.5" x 3.5" pots. I'm hoping the next stage will be the 5-gal pots and the ground. I'll have to keep a close eye on the 3.5" x 3.5" pots as not to let them become root-bound. I do have some 5.5" x 5.5" if I need them.
 
I found it easier to transplant with the Jiffy seed starting mix wet. I think thats what you're using? I tried it dry but because it's so fine, it just fell right off of the roots. It was very easy when wet.
 
Take a look at Silver Surfers grow page 4. Good photos, including a root structure at the bottom of page. He went from a container not much bigger than yours (2.5 x 2.5 x 3.5) to a #1 pot, which I ASSume is 1-gallon.

I think you could go almost anywhere in between and will really benefit from the Pro-Mix.
Edit to add: something around 32-oz might be ideal at this stage, with a 1-gal pot-up if needed.... :cool:

SS grow good
 
muskymojo said:
I found it easier to transplant with the Jiffy seed starting mix wet. I think thats what you're using? I tried it dry but because it's so fine, it just fell right off of the roots. It was very easy when wet.
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Thanks. This was another wonder of mine. I just watered them last night so they should be damp today when I repot. When I repot after this using the potting soil, then I will do so when it's drier. Thanks guys.
 
I guess I differ from some people on here. I let mine get a good root ball before I transplant, almost to the point of root bound. I believe if you should start in a small 2"-3" cups, get a good root ball, transplant to 5"-6" cups, get a good root ball, then to the final pot. I think this promotes better roots. With the roots I get I find it easier to transplant when the medium is more dry than moist. Just the way I do it :mouthonfire:
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muskymojo said:
I found it easier to transplant with the Jiffy seed starting mix wet. I think thats what you're using? I tried it dry but because it's so fine, it just fell right off of the roots. It was very easy when wet.
Click to expand...

I use Hoffman's seed mix and it has to be wet to pot up or it falls apart.
 
Louiethe8th said:
I guess I differ from some people on here. I let mine get a good root ball before I transplant, almost to the point of root bound. I believe if you should start in a small 2"-3" cups, get a good root ball, transplant to 5"-6" cups, get a good root ball, then to the final pot. I think this promotes better roots. With the roots I get I find it easier to transplant when the medium is more dry than moist. Just the way I do it :mouthonfire:
IMG_4794%20%28Large%29.JPG

IMG_4789%20%28Large%29.JPG
Click to expand...

When I potted up to the 18oz. cups my root balls were solid but not quite that compact, and man did they take off again in the cups. I hope they'll hold out another couple weeks in the cups.
 
Oops. You are correct. I didn't see it was quoted. I was just flying through the posts at work. ;)

By the looks of the size of those plants, I maybe should pot up to those cups. They are 2x the size of my cups.
 
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