the 1/6th volume works for me in sunshine mix #4 with nothing else added.
It may not be as effective in other mediums but should also work for promix HP
With actual soil that may have different water holding properties the amount may need to be adjusted. I find in the sunshine mix 4 , the 1/6th volume serves me well and seems to allow a good moisture/air relationship that favors root health.
I keep meaning to add mycos to my regimen but everything like that is mail order only where I am at and I just haven’t ordered any yet LOL
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I have always heard it about 5% to 15% of your pots volume, depending on strain and what phase/maturity. I guess substrate as well.
Once established, i stay around 10% of pot volume. Maybe i have been underwatering
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Microkote Creates complex root ball structure that act similar to fabric pots in that the coating on the inside of your pots prunes your roots for you grow plants 4 times the size out of a little pot and you hold your water better being in hard pots.Bigger plants you will have to adjust for top dressings as the plant eats up all the soil it was initially planted in These things pack pots so root trimming for mothers is a must.Micronutrients are embedded in the paint so they get a touch of feed at a extremely
slow release
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I wouldn’t use anything to boost root, it looks like some watering issue, as you are in the desert, why not add a cup of desert sand to the soil?
Sand would bring some minerals and would make the soil better to drain and breathe.
You live in desert and you should try to use most local materials to tune your soil for your needs, you can develop a better watering technique or you can make your soil better for overwatering but the first one is the way to go.
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Check out Lions Pride, comes with beneficial bacteria and myco already in it. It’s cheap in Amazon anywhere else it’s pricey. You need the bacteriassss 
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Folks should put their favorite microbe product under a microscope to make sure it is still alive.
Most have been found to be mostly dead.
You could be just wasting money…
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Nice ball.
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I would love to be able to put native sand in but we don’t have sand. This desert was a lake bottom so we have this wonderful stuff called “poof dirt.”. It’s fine like talcum powder so when it gets wet turns into a concrete like substance. I have made this mistake already lol.
I think you all have nailed it! I have watering issues personally but improving my seedling medium for drainage might help greatly.
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I hope you get over those issues and get growing like a boss, order some stuff to amend the soil so it drains better, but mostly you need to adapt to your conditions and watering discipline.
Good luck!
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I’ve started a new process for my auto flowers. I fill my 3 gal fabric pot with soil then scoop out the center bit and fill with seedling starter soil. That way the roots can easily move through seedling dirt then work it’s way into the real soil. Anyone else try this before or have any ideas.
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I’m getting ready to transplant some seedlings (photos) and that is basically my plan as well 
My plan is to fill the pot with soil, make space for the transplant like usual plus a little extra space. Add some seed starter and/or worm castings to line the space before repotting the plant. 🪴
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Alright thanks for feedback! I have corrected a few of the issues as I said before the op. Here is exactly what I’m talking about. Plant is(was lol) growing well in a solo but here’s the roots.
That is not a healthy football. It has healthy roots but not a good grasp of the soil.
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this !!! 
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That looks pretty dense Imo. Can you get anything to cut it with? Perlite, promix? Coco? Anything?
As well get some airflow under them.
I killed my first cou6of seeds when I started. Found out besides all the other stuff. Environment plays a huge factor.
Can you get a cheap 4x2 tent to kepp humidity up?
I remember reading somewhere that if humidity is low, it tries to do other things besides its intent… I think it was at Grow weed easy.
But whatever you decide, best of luck figuring it out. 
Promix n perlite… Mega crop 1 part… "KISS "
Started this in a solo, then went hempy, turned out male
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Ohhh man, idk what it is but I absolutely love a good root ball. Every plant I’ve ever grown I have examined its root structure. I love repotting and transplanting to see those roots. Idk what it is but I sum it up to, you can tell alot about someone by the shoes they wear.
Its all about soil structure, roots are like electricity, they take the easiest route to water. Alot of guys will only water far away from the stem to promote root outgrowth but its all about soil structure/microbiome and water to me. These plants were 17 days old, maybe 6" plants but the roots were bound already.
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Lots of roots but they are all straight down. They aren’t filling the cup also all big roots no nice fishbone structure.
I’d suggest seaweed extract to give mild nutrients & a fan to make the stem dance and force a good root structure…
fyi here is a young one - Nepal / Tibet seeds gathered at 3100M - so a real hearty / wild variety
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I’ll start running seaweed kelp for initial watering and add to nute base.
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Some nice balls in here…
This is my best root ball at transplant so far (definitely done a lot worse at least!)
Its coco, so kinda like cheating when it comes to watering. In soil I start plants in little 4" square containers that have even less volume than a solo cup and really try hard to wait to water them again after the initial soak. gotta make those roots work hard!
If you have any extra room pop some tomato seeds or cheap/extra cannabis seeds and try some of the techniques you’ve read about
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