How Do I Create A Good Root Ball?

[420noob]

So I have had many issues with small plants, stunted, slow growing to the point of dying at 2" tall but 5 wks old. I have thought of many things that were true but in effect were preventing good healthy root production. These include over watering, not watering properly and creating water channels the roots follow directly to bottom of cup/pot. Also notice when go to do first transplant the soil doesnt come out in the shape of the pot but falls apart leaving a few long roots no real feeeders even after 4 wks+.
It has finally dawned on me i dont have root balls. I have roots but not proper roots. So I am asking for any tips for making a good healthy intial rootball. This I belive will up my growing game as eell as male my grows faster since the plants will be uptaking nutes properly.

Thanks all.

[leetdood]

What media/medium do you use?

Can you take a picture?

Do you wait for your plants to dry back before watering again? Meaning, do you let the soil dry out? How much do you let it dry out?

How often are you watering?

[leetdood]

Also, good job identifying the issue

[Sandfarmer]

Lack of root hair tells me there’s not enough microbial life in the soil. The root tip sends out the sweet sugar to draw the microbes inside the plant. The plant uses superoxides to strip the cell wall of the microbes and nutrients. After the plant extracts what it wants it forces it over to the root nodule. The nodule is the beginning of a root hair and extends with each microbe that’s ejected. Get some worm castings.

It’s important to have a soil that’s well aerated. Over-watering in my experience is very easy to do. Smaller plants I give them a little bit of water little by little until they get established before I do a full soil saturation. I like to make it habit of always lifting the container to get a gauge on the soil saturation. Never water your plants before lights out! If it’s dry wait till the morning. Make sure your VPD is in check if you have the ability to control your environment.

[jesuswearsflares]

In soil I find watering from below encourages the roots from being lazy as well as not soaking the soil and causing an anaerobic/no air soil. Water only when pots are light. Potting up only when the roots hold together also. Mychoryzl if using soil organics.

[sober]

I’d start them directly in 3” pots with an adding at least 5-10% more perlite. After they germinate wait 2 days or so before you take off the dome completely.

You’ll want to keep them in an area where that 3” pot will dry out to 20% in about 4-5 days. You’ll keep that plant there until they look like this

.

They can stay another 4-5 days if you want the roots a bit denser.

Edit: Make sure your PPFD is at least 300 and have your lights at 24/7.

[Foreigner]

@420noob

dying at 2" tall but 5 wks old

Something else is going on here.

I used to uppot many times to concentrate the rootball but I don’t anymore because it just does it on its own.

Can you think of another aspect of your plants health that might be an issue?

[Star_Dog]

What is your temps and humidity like? what lights are you using?

[NoCal]

@420noob
Can you describe what you do for the first 0-2 weeks? Container size, medium, environment, watering frequency/volume/nutrients etc…

the more info the better. hope someone can help ya get massive balls!

[420noob]

Awesome thanks for the responses! Im growing in soil sometimes seed to rr to soil sometimes germed seed straight to soil. My temps aren’t great and getting worse with desert temps. I have some humidity domes when they are young my inside Rh 35% outside is 10%. I have 2 18w 4’ lux clone lights, vivosun 100w, viparspectra xs1500. I’ve had huge issues I overwatering seedlings. I have been working on this issue starting with the soil. I have started adding 20% peat moss to my soil mix that has help it dry back faster. I found I do best with solos over .75 gal pots. I’m doing a bit better but as you see some yellow and I lost 7 from this round.

These are by far my best run yet but getting lucky once isn’t learning. As summer comes my plant room temps will get up to 90° best I can do is have a fan. The ac runs 24/7 and still the house will be 87°. The plant room is warmer.
I believe if I concentrate on the roots the top will follow.

[Cannabinoid]

My go to. I use ffhf soil with 30% more coarse perlite added, so roughly 40% +/-. I premix with and water with microbe brew, dynamyco, and diatomaceous earth until the moisture is even at least a couple weeks before using. Kind of let it cook in a closed tote or bucket but aired out every couple days. Cracked seeds go into 3" pots under a dome under the light and on a seedling mat at a consistent 82-85F at the bottom of the tray. I water after about a week from the top, and when the dome is off, from the bottom. about 1/2" in the tray or whatever they soak up in about a minute. I get nice consistent rootballs more than not.
These are @3 weeks from soaking seeds.

[globalhead]

Seems to me your soil is too dense for the roots to spread out, try a 60/40 coco soil mix
I use a mix of sea weed extract and homemade banana bio enzymes for good root proliferation

[leetdood]

Add more perlite, you need much more drainage
Should be 30% perlite

You did not say how often you water and how dry you let the pots/plants get

[Terpsnpurps]

I feel ya brother… I was in the same boat always watching plants fade before they had a chance to take well enough to handle any issue before a death…
My guess is you either are overwatering… or getting a nute buildup, or a ph imbalance

These things happened to me because I over-watered mostly…

I have since changed that (along with making sure temps were warm enough for uptake under a led )
Do you have a good ph meter? And are you able to test your soil ph… or the ph of runoff?

I also added more perlite…making sure of more aeration in the rootzone

The rule of thumb I went by and started doing better… is I did NOT water the plant until it was the same weight as when I potted it initially… sometimes lighter even…

You can wait until the plants leaves start to actually droop even … underwatering is so easy to see coming…
You literally have days to watch it unfold slowly
So I’d try that as well… don’t water until the pot is as light as the day you potted it (obviously adjusting for plant weight as time goes on)

[Terpsnpurps]

Remember as well LITFA goes a very long way

[Blueridge]

I do like a dartboard you have to make them look for water or will get lazy. No roots no fruits.

[Lobstah]

One mistake I learned the hard way was up-potting too soon. That, combined with a poor soil mix for seedlings causes a lot of problems. Seedlings sit there and stare at you like “WTF are you doing to me??!!??!” and go dormant and/or die.

Nice, fluffy mix with lots of perlite (and DON’T use Miracle Gro Perlite, it has nutes mixed in) and leave them in a small starter cube/pot until they are well established.

The light fluffy mix will help prevent over-watering, keeps from traping moisture in a dense soil where roots don’t bother growing…and instead actaully end up drowning.

[Groenevingers]

I always had problems with my pH meter, now I no longer use a pH meter and just use rainwater… It works better for me…

[Uprangewilly]

@420noob

Im growing in soil

Is it store bought?
What brand?

[webeblzr]

I do not use soil for indoor growing at all.
I do blend coco husks, sunshine Mix #4, some EWC, large chunk perlite, on a tarp, then add Down To Earth nutrient’s, alfalfa/kelp/BioAlive/fish meal/feather meal/oyster meal/guano/langbeinite/diatomaceous earth/rock dust from a local quarry.
I add LAB’s to my water tote, 2 shot glasses per 8-10 gallons of water.
I like to start them in small pots 4" then to 1 g, then to 3g and into flower.
I’m old, soil is to heavy to get to my grow, and bales (SSM#4) roll down the steps, very easy.
I do not add myco’s much anymore, as alfalfa/kelp/BioAlive and LAB’s does the same thing.