Transplanting cannabis: the biggest mistake that many (most) growers make

Often unknown or overlooked, these helpful hints will surely help your cannabis transplant grow better!

A "Successful" Plant Transplant? what's wrong with this pic?

It is a practice as important as any other when growing cannabis or any other plant for that matter. One of the first things I learned in college perusing his degree was transplanting and these are lessons he wants to pass to everybody. Until I learned better, I made a couple common mistakes that it seemed I mislearned along with almost anybody I ever saw transplant...including my mom and grandma who were avid gardeners. They didn't know, perhaps neither do you.

One you know... you will feel the need to pass along this helpful information and tips.

Tip #1 - Let the water do the work! Always water in transplants immediately!

Most people know this and most do this but many do it incorrectly. Watering in your fresh transplant settles soil in around roots, reduces transplant shock and gives your plant what it needs to jump right out of the soil. The most import tip is to flood the plant with copious amounts of water. Until is coming out the bottom of the pot or the surrounding soil is completely drenched. Dont hold back. Water is free.

Adding a vitamin B supplement to your water is another good way to insure reduced shock and better bounce back. There are many products with B-1, B-6 and B-12 marketed just for transplanting.

Tip #2 - Let the water do the work! Do NOT tap down, press or pack soil of transplant!

What's wrong with the photo above? You can see by the bent back fingers this person is packing in the soil around the plant. When this is done, root hairs are damaged/destroyed. My teacher Mr. Ikeda emphasized many times "It takes 7 days for roots to replace damaged root hairs" You may think you see root hairs on roots but that is unlikely because they are really microscopic. You probably see hundred of hairs that look like fuzz.

Root hairs are extremely fragile and instantly destroyed if you even touch them with your finger. Compressing soil does too.

Under a microscope the fragility of root hairs is obvious. Pressing, packing or compacting soil around a seedling or transplant compresses the media and crushes root hairs. All of this destruction occurs below the surface hidden to the eyes of the most careful, knowledgeable and nurturing growers. This literally sets the plant back about a week. Valuable grow time.

"It takes 7 days for roots to replace damaged root hairs".-David Ikeda-Professor University of Hawaii/ Hawaii Community college

If you are growing for money, this initial setback makes a huge difference in plant size and eventual harvest weight. Experienced growers know that cannabis plants get into a certain groove at a point (if grown correctly) when plants go into overdrive and growth vigor is maxxed out. Add a week of growth at the end of a vegative cycle its a significant difference. A week in the beginning is the same as at the end. a week is a week. An extra week or minus a week...either way is a big difference. How much weight or money will come of this? When farmers and licensed producers are working to make more pennies to the dollar (percentages), this is a major way to get a few more cents!

Let the water do the work!

By following tip #1 the drenching of the transplant snuggles your plant, the roots, and the root hairs perfectly down to the microscopic level. Water does a much better job than your big crushing hands. That's another reason to use copious amounts of water (only do this once, after that watering depends on media moisture)

Always let the water do the work. Its the very best tip on transplanting you could ever get or give. Do it right and your transplants will thank you.

There is more to perfect transplanting but we'll save that for another time. The Professor still has a few tricks up his sleeve! follow these tips and watch you garden grow!

One trick: grow Hawaiian bred seeds! Mahalo

Jason Lamoore