18 days into flower? any reason not to transplant beside less yield

So I have 3 plants going in a 4x8 , I let them get a bit bigger than I intended in the 3 gallon pots in Roots organic potting soil, but now 18 days into flower and I am looking at them thinking they would be way happier in 5 gallons.
I'm sure transplanting them now will likely take some from the final yield as they will spend energy trying to grow more roots. Am I right in thinking that ?
If I am I think I am ok with that loss as this is my first grow and anything will frankly please me .
but is there any other reason not to just do it ?
Also with every transplant I have used Mikos (microrrhizae) any thoughts on if I should or shouldn't when I transplant into the 5 gal? part of me thinks yes for the microrrhizae cause it will make the root growth explode way faster and get the plant back on course faster, but another part of me thinks skip it and let just use what is in the new soil so it can take it's time to send out more roots and the energy will be more equally distributed between roots and flower development. what do you all think?
I'm looking to do it tonight cause right now the soil isn;t too wet or too dry and I figure if I do the sooner the better.
Also the plants are about 40 inches tall from the soil and as you can see from the pic the Blue Widow is quite wide, about 30 inches with tons of tops from being super cropped.

make sure to rough up the roots when you transplant, they wont spread unless you really rip up the ~1" outside layer. the plants will have a noticeable growth spurt

Transplanting at this point probably won't accomplish a lot. After the stretch, she won't be growing roots much since she will be busy growing buds.

You're still early in flowering, so she may expand the roots out some with a healthy wet/dry cycle, but she won't waste anything growing fully into it.

Good luck

I'd live with the 3 gallons now that you are already there in flower. Smallest pot I ever used for a final was 4 gallon and I found them to be too small.

I suggest using fabric pots next time, or the hard plastic air-prune pots but the fabrics do the same thing for a fraction of the price.

If you are going to transplant, yes you can use your root stimulator. That early into flower will only help with roots growing out more before all the energy becomes dedicated to the buds. You are real close to a point of no return at 18 days. I wouldn't do it, but you can.

Use a weed puller to push down and amputate roots. It rejuvenates them. The new fabric smart bags operate on that principle by severing root tips that protrude. Cutting roots results in 2 to 4 new root tips being generated and ending root binding in a pinch. Amputate all plants. I do.

So I went ahead with it.
A few hours later and a good watering they are showing no stress signs so I can only guess they are going to be happy.
If the stalks were not as thick as they are I don't think it would have been successful.


Had an accidental super crop on one in the process of taking it out of the tent.... hit the reflector I think. oh well, she will heal and I gave her a little support.

dirtysnowball said:

make sure to rough up the roots when you transplant, they wont spread unless you really rip up the ~1" outside layer. the plants will have a noticeable growth spurt

Click to expand...

I see what you mean it was like a wall of root. My fingers were sore as heck for a bit after .

smokinrav said:

Transplanting at this point probably won't accomplish a lot. After the stretch, she won't be growing roots much since she will be busy growing buds.

You're still early in flowering, so she may expand the roots out some with a healthy wet/dry cycle, but she won't waste anything growing fully into it.

Good luck

Click to expand...

Yeah I was figuring to concentrate watering/feed too the outer edge of the old root ball and the new soil to make it want to reach for it. I think anything will be a positive effect for them.

thehole said:

I'd live with the 3 gallons now that you are already there in flower. Smallest pot I ever used for a final was 4 gallon and I found them to be too small.

I suggest using fabric pots next time, or the hard plastic air-prune pots but the fabrics do the same thing for a fraction of the price.

If you are going to transplant, yes you can use your root stimulator. That early into flower will only help with roots growing out more before all the energy becomes dedicated to the buds. You are real close to a point of no return at 18 days. I wouldn't do it, but you can.

Click to expand...

I have some root maker pots set aside for the 2 of the clones I took that prove themselves worthy to be motherplants.
I was figuring it was a point of no return kind of thing which was ultimately what made me chose to transplant

hotrodharley said:

Use a weed puller to push down and amputate roots. It rejuvenates them. The new fabric smart bags operate on that principle by severing root tips that protrude. Cutting roots results in 2 to 4 new root tips being generated and ending root binding in a pinch. Amputate all plants. I do.

Click to expand...

I had seen some videos a while ago about root pruning for mother plants so this makes sense however that is a bit more aggressive than I want to go with my first grow. My next round is going to have more plants and smaller size , I'll give it a shot then.

HiUpThere said:

Yeah I was figuring to concentrate watering/feed too the outer edge of the old root ball and the new soil to make it want to reach for it. I think anything will be a positive effect for them.

Click to expand...

No, don't do that. Water the medium thoroughly, all of it, all the way through. Deny water to the existing roots and they will die and your plant will suffer.

Watering strategies can have a limited effect on directing root growth early in veg, but not now.

Transplanting may decrease your yield, but not as much as leaving them in a pot that is too small will...
Indica strains usually need more root room in my experience. I have one that always seems to want a transplant no matter what size the pot is. If it starts flower in a 5 gallon I will inevitably move it to a 7 gallon...if it starts flower in a 3 then 2 weeks in I have to go to a 5...and mind you I transplant from a 1/2 gallon into a larger gallon, 2, 3 or 5, right before I start flowering...I can have a huge sativa in a 2 gallon pot and it won't have any issues at all, but my more indica strains just can't take the pot size issues...they start to go all yellow and no matter what I add or how much I water they won't stop the yellowing until I repot them...

smokinrav said:

No, don't do that. Water the medium thoroughly, all of it, all the way through. Deny water to the existing roots and they will die and your plant will suffer.

Watering strategies can have a limited effect on directing root growth early in veg, but not now.

Click to expand...

I did I totally made sure the old ball was watered completely but on your advice I'll scratch whole trying to direct root growth idea and do the whole thing. Thanks for your help.

missnu said:

Transplanting may decrease your yield, but not as much as leaving them in a pot that is too small will...
Indica strains usually need more root room in my experience. I have one that always seems to want a transplant no matter what size the pot is. If it starts flower in a 5 gallon I will inevitably move it to a 7 gallon...if it starts flower in a 3 then 2 weeks in I have to go to a 5...and mind you I transplant from a 1/2 gallon into a larger gallon, 2, 3 or 5, right before I start flowering...I can have a huge sativa in a 2 gallon pot and it won't have any issues at all, but my more indica strains just can't take the pot size issues...they start to go all yellow and no matter what I add or how much I water they won't stop the yellowing until I repot them...

Click to expand...

I had noticed the same thing in the transplant last night. There are 3 strains in that tent. Blue Widow, which seems to be Indica dominant going by the leaves and it was the most in need of transplant. A Skunk Amsterdam which is absolutely sativa dominant and was not as badly root bound. A SAGE plant which looks really 50% 50% and I think it could have cared less either way. Of the 3 the SAGE has always had less of a appetite, taking 25% less water than the rest but that is because it had some burn early on and some other issues. It was the sage which was being a little stunted that i wanted to get caught up that caused me to let the other 2 get too big for the 3 gals.

My one strain that will NOT tolerate a smaller than necessary pot is DNA Genetics Rocklock...but if you give it enough space it is a champ...but in a small pot it is just a sad looking yellowy little plant...I have a colombian gold right now that is happy in a 1 gallon pot...and it is probably 2 feet tall with 10 or 12 tops...I have to water it at least everyday or it droops over...I have to kill it anyway, no way to flower it...it takes too damn long...I haven't had the heart to kill it though...so it is just sitting there in the tiny pot...but seems to be doing alright.