New Grower Transplanting Autos/ Stunting Growth

[Jaythree]

Not at all happy with the size of my autos. One is barely 5" and the other is 7-8". See my post here:

https://www.autoflower.org/f44/dinafem-fruit-auto-kush-cheese-auto-35881.html

A friend of mine suggested that starting in pellets then transplanting to 6" pots then transplanting again to 3 gal pots were probably the real reason for their short stature.
He started a few a week or so after I did and his are definitely bigger then mine. One of his is the same strain as one of mine.
Any thoughts?

 

[TheSpacePope]

Yeah man save the transplanting for the photos, Autos traditionally hate being transplanted and will usually stunt. Some phenotypes less/more than others. This is because of the Tap Root on autoflower plants. Once it hits bottom it thinks thats all shes got to work with and will start to fan out rather then to restart going back down in a new pot and will greatly affect your yield in the end. You might sneek by once with a transplant, but twice is really hard with no setback.


The vast majority of auto grower from exp. will start the seed in the final pot between 3-7gal and you will be much happier with the results then trying to transplant. An will avoid subjection your girls to unneeded shock that they will have to recoop from before cont and usually loose a week or two in the cycle.


Unless height is an issue in your rig, transplanting is a major Taboo much like pruning instead of leaf tucking. You should head over to the new growers section and read through the beginner guide it will help if your not familiar with autos.

Or if you dont like reading, this is a great vid to help out. and How I personally found out about this great site.
Dr. Autoflower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wGlZ8hqapE

But we all had to start from somewhere :Sharing One:


Best of luck with your grow, "We all live and learn"

-The SpacePope

:grat:

 

[F.N.]

Definitely something to do with your enviroment. Did your freind transplant at all? Are you both using the same lights and feed schedule. I transplanted my autos this year once and had no set backs emulate your freind and you will get the same results

 

[Wait what?]

I transplanted a chemdog with no stress. Since run 80-90 days anyway, I don't see why they would stress that much

 

[Muddy]

Looking at your grow thread I see you've only fed them once in 30 days? There's your problem. Your soil mix, peat, perlite and vermiculite doesn't contain any nutrients so it's up to you to supply everything the plant needs. You should have been feeding them regularly right from the start. I also see that you didn't add any lime to your mix, so it's quite possible your soil pH is also off. Next feeding capture and test your run off water. I suspect you are going to see a big difference between the pH of your feed and of the run off. Also, unless you are growing under HPS lights I would eliminate the vermiculite from your mix. It tends to hold too much water under lower heat light sources like LEDs, T5s and CFLs and doesn't dry out fast enough.

Regarding transplanting, it can be done without stressing the plants and causing stunting. The key is to disturb the roots as little as possible. I start all my plants in 1/2 gallon juice containers and transplant to their final pots after they sex. They are back to normal growing within 24 - 36 hours with no stunting.

 

[justintrudeau]

To be honest I too just made that same mistake of starting in a small pot but it hasnt seemed to have stunted them at all..its still early though as its only been a couple of days since transplant sooo who knows but my best guess is also gonna be a lack of nutes...anyway I wish you luck on your grow and hope they turn around for ya!
Stay glossy

 

[F.N.]

To be honest I too just made that same mistake of starting in a small pot but it hasnt seemed to have stunted them at all..its still early though as its only been a couple of days since transplant sooo who knows but my best guess is also gonna be a lack of nutes...anyway I wish you luck on your grow and hope they turn around for ya!
Stay glossy

Justin Truedeau for prime minister and Marc emery as minister of POT Canada then will become a huge amsterdam

 

[Torched]

I like the coco pucks to start as they are easy to transplant up with out bugging the roots. I've stunted more than a couple with rough transplants. I've also transplanted quite a few with out problems. I think Muddy is on to your real cause though.

 

[F.N.]

Get feeding them bro I would go with Tangs schedule you will grow amazing buds then

 

[Jaythree]

Thanks for all the great advice folks. I'm gonna have to remember all this for my next go round...I have a few more on stand by awaiting their turn to bless us! Before I start them I may let you guys pick the next 2 from my stash and see how they grow up!!!