Transplanting question

[petert]

Most of my outdoor and greenhouse plants will be cloned this year and I'm getting bigger pots, so I'm going with Grassroots soil savers 100 gallon pots. They are only 14" tall as opposed to old pots 30 gallons and 20" tall.
I transplant from 5 gallon pots.. I start with 4" then to 1 gallon, then 5 gallon. I plan on keeping them in the 5 gallon till late May when I get them off the supplemental light and into the 100 pots.
Is that jump from 5 gallon to the 100 gallon too big? I'm really not wanting to transplant again.

 

[backtracker]

That's a long time to keep them in 5 gln pots you could go to 10 gln or bigger but don't fill them all the way up and let the roots grow out.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

once a plant gets root bound in its container, the only way to keep it growing is to feed it almost constantly, like a drip system. so there's no real benefit to a longer veg in any size container unless you feed like hell. if you're going from 5 gallon pots to 100 gallon pots, i'd let them get pretty bound up, and still expect it to take at least a week for the plants to build a good network in that big of a pot and start doing any growing above the soil

 

[petert]

That's a long time to keep them in 5 gln pots you could go to 10 gln or bigger but don't fill them all the way up and let the roots grow out.

That's the rub.. I'd have to go out and buy 50-60 ten gallon containers and repot them all for 45-50 days just to repot them again in the 100s. Not sure that's worth the time and labor.

 

[petert]

once a plant gets root bound in its container, the only way to keep it growing is to feed it almost constantly, like a drip system. so there's no real benefit to a longer veg in any size container unless you feed like hell. if you're going from 5 gallon pots to 100 gallon pots, i'd let them get pretty bound up, and still expect it to take at least a week for the plants to build a good network in that big of a pot and start doing any growing above the soil

I can live with a week of rebound time to adjust and send out new roots.. I'll just use a good root enhancer and innoculant. Just trying to avoid an extra expense of buying a whole set of 10 gallon pots

 

[sandhill larry]

I can live with a week of rebound time to adjust and send out new roots.. I'll just use a good root enhancer and innoculant. Just trying to avoid an extra expense of buying a whole set of 10 gallon pots

Some folks use trash bags as grow bags. Not sure how easy they are to transplant out of. The cost point is attractive though.

 

[Growdict]

Use your 30 gallons half filled as your up pot

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

^ doable, lift em up and fill under them when its time to go up

 

[petert]

Some folks use trash bags as grow bags. Not sure how easy they are to transplant out of. The cost point is attractive though.

That's right. Last year I bought 5 gallon plastic Grow bags !! Thanks for reminding me about those.. I'm sure they must do 10 gallon too!!

 

[petert]

Got em!!