How to boost roots

[Z71banshee]

I cut down two plants last night and today I pulled the “root ball” from the pot. One had minimal roots and the dirt just fell apart and the other had roots at the bottom and a nice ring around the top, but the middle was pretty sparse. They did produce some nice, dense buds with a lot of weight, so I’m not too concerned. Just curious what I can do to promote more root growth, because I’m sure that will lead to even bigger and more dense nugs.

This is the better of the two.
They were in these pots.

 

[Couch_Lock]

Roots Excelurator Gold is what you want. Its not cheap though.

 

[Fr3nzy]

I kinda felt the same about my roots. There is a lot and it holds all the dirt but they are thin.

 

[Capt. C]

I cut down two plants last night and today I pulled the “root ball” from the pot. One had minimal roots and the dirt just fell apart and the other had roots at the bottom and a nice ring around the top, but the middle was pretty sparse. They did produce some nice, dense buds with a lot of weight, so I’m not too concerned. Just curious what I can do to promote more root growth, because I’m sure that will lead to even bigger and more dense nugs.

This is the better of the two. View attachment 18121
They were in these pots.
View attachment 18122

I can tell you what i use @Z71banshee . I do 2 different re pots and when i do that i use extreme gardening Mykos and the Azos. After that point they get a weekly dose of Recharge.

 

[jaguarlax]

I swear by this

Premium Mycorrhizal Inoculants - Soil Inoculant For Roses, Beans, Peas

DYNOMYCO®, produced and developed in Israel, is based on 30 years of scientific research originating at Israel’s national Volcani Center for Agricultural Research (ARO).

www.dynomyco.com

 

[Z71banshee]

I can tell you what i use @Z71banshee . I do 2 different re pots and when i do that i use extreme gardening Mykos and the Azos. After that point they get a weekly dose of Recharge.

Recharge is a powder, right? Do you just top dress it? I was using SLF100 once a week and that supposed to be an inoculant.

 

[Couch_Lock]

Its a dark brown fine powder. It MUST be stored well, gotta keep it dry. I store mine in its original bag surrounded by a giant zip lock. You add it to a gallon of water, like a tiny amount. If I remember right I think its a 1/4 teaspoon or so per gallon.

 

[Capt. C]

Recharge is a powder, right? Do you just top dress it? I was using SLF100 once a week and that supposed to be an inoculant.

You mix the powdered Recharge in with your irrigation water or feed solution. I am sure it is probably fine but i am not familiar with the SLF100. The only thing i used to top with was bat guano and i stopped doing that because i has to put a respirator on to apply that.

 

[Capt. C]

Its a dark brown fine powder. It MUST be stored well, gotta keep it dry. I store mine in its original bag surrounded by a giant zip lock. You add it to a gallon of water, like a tiny amount. If I remember right I think its a 1/4 teaspoon or so per gallon.

I am fairly certain the dosage on the Recharge is much higher than that. I don't have the bag in front of me but i have been using more like a full teaspoon per gallon once a week. I will check it out when i get a chance or if someone else can chime in on a correct dosage as i could be mistaken. I store mine in a mason jar with a cork lid for easy off.

 

[Couch_Lock]

I top dress, if needed, with FF Ocean Harvest. Its got lots of bat guano + worm castings in it. I know Fox Farms is the "easy way out" but I'm not a fan of hand mixing manures.....I'm old and I'll pay for the easy way.

 

[Couch_Lock]

Just checked, its 1/2 TEASPOON per gallon.

 

[Capt. C]

Here we go. Recharge


Clones / Seedlings
Innoculate when first roots are visible with ½ tsp per gallon water / nutrient solution.

Vegetative Plants
Use 1 tsp per gallon of water / nutrient solution, once a week.

Transplants
Water in at 2 tsp per gallon water / nutrient solution to minimize transplant shock.

Flowering Plants
Use 1 tsp per gallon of water/nutrient solution, once a week.
Stop using one week before flush.

Enhance Your Compost Tea
Recharge can be added to your existing Active Aerated Compost Tea recipes. When brewing, expect a beautiful heady foam to develop so leave some room at the top of your brewer. Please use sparingly, as it is highly concentrated. Try ½ tsp per gallon.

Recharge Quick Compost Tea
You can also brew Active Aerated Compost Tea with just Recharge and water. Start with 1 tsp per gallon for a mild tea. When brewing, expect a beautiful heady foam to develop so leave some room at the top of your brewer. Ready to use after 15 mins. Do not brew longer than 24 hrs.

Once Recharge is mixed with water, use within 24 hours.

 

[Capt. C]

I top dress, if needed, with FF Ocean Harvest. Its got lots of bat guano + worm castings in it. I know Fox Farms is the "easy way out" but I'm not a fan of hand mixing manures.....I'm old and I'll pay for the easy way.

Me too. Always looking for a easy way to do things.

 

[Couch_Lock]

I'm not here to argue but I did go in my basement to read the back of the RECHARGE bag. First sentence said to use 1/2 tsp per gallon, I didn't read any farther though. My eyesight is shit, and that print is tiny.

It\s what I have used everytime I've used it. Seemed to work.

 

[Capt. C]

I'm not here to argue but I did go in my basement to read the back of the RECHARGE bag. First sentence said to use 1/2 tsp per gallon, I didn't read any farther though. My eyesight is shit, and that print is tiny.

It\s what I have used everytime I've used it. Seemed to work.

I have one of the swinging lamps in my grow area that has the light and magnifying glass as well and i use it all the time to read packaging. Some of the damn print is so small these days i struggle with that sometimes.

 

[Couch_Lock]

Less is more, in my book, using nutes. I just carefully watch what happens to my plants after any application and respond accordingly.

I've only grown indoors 3 yrs, but outdoors for 40 yrs.

 

[Jewels]

Ultra fine roots are all good. I have had rootballs that will crush to dust after a couple days outside.

can do to promote more root growth

I am not certain that ‘it’ translates straight across, but,,
You ever seen a tree uprooted by a windstorm ?
Where was it? Not in the nature. Trees grown naturally will snap the mast before they uproot. You find them uprooted only on a manicured lawn, and nearly everytime, it brings up the underground sprinkler plumbing.
Trees, grown on automatically irrigated lawns become very lazy. Moisture is readily available at the surface, and roots colonize just barely underground. These trees become susceptible to drought, winter kill, and overheating, as there is little buffer provided. There is just no ballast. Wind comes up and they go down.
Super convenient for me to suggest , because I am not there !
Another tactic I employ, is constant aeration. I keep a skewer handy, and will 20X plunge that pot right to the floor, every couple weeks. My motivation is to provide water AND oxygen to ALL the media, and (whereby) ALL the roots. If my waterings pool on the surface and then run down the sides of the pot, I am not taking advantage of the entirety of the available volume within the container.
May I suggest, ,, decrease the frequency, and increase the overall volume, of the watering.
More at a time, less often.

Sometimes habits are just as effective as products. Just an idea’r,,, can’t hurt.
☮

 

[Capt. C]

Ultra fine roots are all good. I have had rootballs that will crush to dust after a couple days outside.


I am not certain that ‘it’ translates straight across, but,,
You ever seen a tree uprooted by a windstorm ?
Where was it? Not in the nature. Trees grown naturally will snap the mast before they uproot. You find them uprooted only on a manicured lawn, and nearly everytime, it brings up the underground sprinkler plumbing.
Trees, grown on automatically irrigated lawns become very lazy. Moisture is readily available at the surface, and roots colonize just barely underground. These trees become susceptible to drought, winter kill, and overheating, as there is little buffer provided. There is just no ballast. Wind comes up and they go down.
Super convenient for me to suggest , because I am not there !
Another tactic I employ, is constant aeration. I keep a skewer handy, and will 20X plunge that pot right to the floor, every couple weeks. My motivation is to provide water AND oxygen to ALL the media, and (whereby) ALL the roots. If my waterings pool on the surface and then run down the sides of the pot, I am not taking advantage of the entirety of the available volume within the container.
May I suggest, ,, decrease the frequency, and increase the overall volume, of the watering.
More at a time, less often.

Sometimes habits are just as effective as products. Just an idea’r,,, can’t hurt.
☮

@Jewels i really like the idea of the skewer. I have always been afraid of hurting the roots like that but i guess not. Probably even helps much more than it would hurt the plant. Just out of curiosity how big around is the skewer you are using as i would like to give that a try.

 

[Z71banshee]

@Jewels very good info and it was well absorbed (pun intended!). I have done the skewer method in the past when I let them get too dry and the water wasn’t soaking in, just running off. I did this run in the pots that are supposed to promote more oxygen to the roots, but in turn, I think they dry out much quicker. Like I said, I’m not super concerned about it because the nugs are fat, dense and stinky! I’ve just saw pictures of root balls that are solid roots and want to educate myself on root growth.

 

[Jewels]

I think they dry out much quicker.

I would agree. I think that is ideal.
Consider: What if a plants root development was a direct result of the number of wet/dry cycles; not by calendar days.
There is merit there, I believe, as we see flood and drain systems irrigating two, three times a day.
If a plant likes those cycles, would more not be merrier ?
I like a chunky, airy mix. Perversely, I kinda like hand watering. Ideally, I could share a pint a day with each of my Gretels. If I could afford it, I would do the bottom half of the bucket with hydroton. My current run has a crushed brick foundation, I will let you know how that turns out, come September.
Taking it to the extreme, I have also employed milk crates and burlap sacks. That is when I had to get all stabby @Capt. C.
Water just ran off. I ended up shunting that one with 2 inch abs pipe- like a feeding tube.
Same plant voluntered roots clean through, into the drip tray,,,Got the wheelz turn'n.

'Skewer', may have been overselling, or at least slightly romanticizing the tool.

It is a repurposed fibreglass tent pole.
Dont be intimidated, it has GOT to be smaller than @TerpyTyrone 's horseradish wiener, and he hasn't been doing too much damage, poking that thing everywhere ,,,everytime opportunity affords.
I figure a thatcher on a lawn mower is ripp'n up roots at mile minute. The sod only comes back stronger. We prune topside to increase robustness. A lil root trim should make for a lovely cannabis constitutional.
Honestly, I have overclayed my mix in the past. By watering time , the media was damn near a concreation. I can bottom that pin out 20 times a week with only positive results.
Truly, I mean -I get carried away sometimes. Still, I have never evaluated a stabbing in hindsight, and observered it was excessive.