Transplanting

[Edge05]

How many pot sizes should i use? I can transplant from solo cup directly into 5 gal pots or should there be an inbetween pot like a 1gal?
I bough plastic pots, should i go buy fabric instead?

My seedlings stretched at first or is that normal, can i add more soil right away to bury them a bit more or would letting them just grow be the smart move?

 

[Old Salt]

How many pot sizes should i use? I can transplant from solo cup directly into 5 gal pots or should there be an inbetween pot like a 1gal?

It depends on your medium. In soil they recommend up sizing a few times. I grow in coco/perlite and up size once.

I bough plastic pots, should i go buy fabric instead?

Folks here really like the fabric pots. I use home made caged grow bags. You can use the plastic pots.

My seedlings stretched at first or is that normal, can i add more soil right away to bury them a bit more or would letting them just grow be the smart move?

I bury my plants a little deeper when I transplant them. I top them first, and bury them to just above the first node.

 

[Blew Hiller]

Plastic works fine but is depends on the shape of the pot....if the pot is straight sided (diameter of rim is approx equal to diameter of base) you'll be fine...when they get conical that tends to limit root growth and/or get root bound. Fabric pots are hard to beat: inexpensive, compact to store, and reusable. One advantage is you can water till it comes out the bottom and you know the plant has got its fill (and the pot will suck up the overflow when it needs it). I use soil and start seedlings in a quart deli container (for 2 weeks) and then straight into their final pot. There are differing points of view but mine is just transplant it once.

 

[Emilya Green]

I up-pot several times, depending on the final size I am wanting to finish in. Typically I start in a solo cup, wait for the roots to outgrow it, and then move to 1 gal. From there, again only after the roots have started to outgrow the container, I go up to 3 or 5 gallon, and from there to 7 or 10 gallon. I treat successive up-potting as a necessary method to develop solid rootballs in my container, and I am convinced it is why I am able to grow so much quality weed.
As Blew says, there are differing points of view on this. My method works for newbies and for those un-familiar with growing these plants and how to correctly water. When you have the ability to read your plants and instinctually know how much water to give them and how often, maybe quickly moving to the final container will work. I would surely overwater my plants if I did it that way, but maybe you will be able to figure it out in time.
Read my treatise on How to Properly Water for more thoughts on this... the link is in my signature.

 

[Edge05]

Thanks everyone, here are the pots i have and sounds like using them both will be best for me being new to this as i have already overwatered and need to get use to watering better. Cheers!

 

[Edge05]

Would i be harder to lst changing pots? Or perhaps just remeber where they were tied down and retie? I am going to try top, little lst, and scrog. Hopefully 4oz plant, seems unrealsitic my first grow tho idk.

 

[Blew Hiller]

Those pots look good. I don't start LST until the branches are long enough to pull them without worrying about breaking them...usually 4 weeks in...

 

[Old Salt]

Would i be harder to lst changing pots? Or perhaps just remeber where they were tied down and retie? I am going to try top, little lst, and scrog. Hopefully 4oz plant, seems unrealsitic my first grow tho idk.

I straightened large coated paper clips, and formed them into a 'J-hook' for initial training in my smaller pots. The J-hooks were just pushed into the medium. After transplant, I use plant ties to fix them to my automatic watering system, a 1" X 1" grid over my caged grow bags.

It all depends on how you grow them. Many strains will produce a pound or more with the right growing conditions.

 

[Emilya Green]

i use gardening wire and bend u shaped hoops with a slight hook in the soil end to better grab in. Since these are attached to the soil, there is no problem transplanting the whole thing, LST hoops and all. Check out the veg portion of my current journal to see these hoops in action. BTW, now in flower the hoops are there, helping to maintain the strength and structure of the plant.