Transplanting into something shorter?

GhostTrainHaze

New Member
I planted my first clone into a home depot paint bucket, but I found out about smart pots and they have the same capacity but they are shorter and wider instead. can I still transplant it into a smart pot in the future or do I have to find a pot that is as tall as the current soil level?

Also if I could transplant it, I'm afraid that at that point the roots will come out of the holes I drilled, and these holes have sharp parts from the plastic being drilled inwards, will I have to be worried about the possibility of the bottom roots ripping out?
 
Hey,
So as far as transplanting goes...every time you do it the plant is going to experience some level of shock...maybe significant / maybe not...less is better.

The pot size is important for a number of reasons. The amount of water storage capacity (bigger means less frequent watering), the amount of root capacity potential (bigger plants have bigger root systems) - but also there are drawbacks as well....more soil, more water, heavier...etc. If you do not plan on growing trees then you do not really need a very big container. The 5 gallon bucket should suffice for a really decent size plant.

The holes you drilled - the sharp edges will not be a factor. Roots get trimmed in nature all the time...animals eat them, insects eat them, rough terrain cut them, etc.
Shit, I have cut TONS of roots off of plants in my hydro systems for maintenance purposes and the plants recover fine...sometimes it takes a little while because the plant has to redirect resources but in my case I do not care because I usually grow trees and time is not a factor for me...I vegged plants out for over 6 months before and they were monsters.

The difference between depth and width is important in the fact that evaporation will occur quicker with a more shallow container. The plant will grow in a container 2 inches deep....so it is not important in that regard.
 
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