Jack in the Bud
Active Member
steveo,
Now this is just my opinion, but all this worry that's out there over transplanting a flowering plant (or one that's so called "too far along") because it will kill it, is just unfounded nonsense. Now if you damage the plant (say by breaking the main stem) while you're doing it, that's another story.
The only thing "farther along" has to do with it is that it generally means the plant is bigger which makes it a little harder to handle and means you have to be a little more careful not to damage the above ground part of the plant.
I routinely upcan plants that are 2 weeks into flower and twice the size yours is right now. If I was going to transplant the plant you showed us pictures of the first thing I would probably do is get those bottom branches tied back to the main stem with some soft cotton string. Besides pulling them in and getting them back out of the way it will provide some support for them while you're handling the plant so they don't flop around and break. After transplanting you can cut them back loose if you wanted to.
The other big thing is not to have the soil in the pot you're transplanting from either to wet or to dry. I like to do it a day or two after the plant has last been watered. If you try and do it right after you water the soil is going to be too soggy. I'd prefer it a little on the dry side rather than to wet.
First off I'd do a dry run by setting the container it's in, into the bigger one it's going into. This will help you gage how much soil you've got to put in the bottom of the new pot so that your height ends up where you want it at. I always try and have the main stem end up burried a little deeper (rather than shallower) than what it is before transplant. I try for right around an inch below the bottom set of leaves.
When I've got everything set to go I squeeze the sides of the pot it's in to lossen it's grip on the sides, place my hand across the top of the pot with the stem down between two fingers, flip the whole plant/container combo over and spank it's bottom once or twice until the root ball slips out. Then it's just a matter of flipping the plant/rootball back up right and setting it in the new pot, making any final height adjustments and then filling in around the sides with more fresh potting mix. After that I set the new container in the sink and water it in good until it's thouroughly saturated and has good run off out the bottom. I like to use some Super Thrive (@ 1/4" teaspoon/gallon) in this watering in because it helps stimulate root growth.
And concerning the root ball... I don't handle mine like it's a piece of delicate China that can't be disturbed. On the contrary I squeeze it a little bit and try and loosen it up some and get some of the old dirt to fall off of it. If the roots are pretty thickly packed on the surface I'll take my finger nail and drag it down along the sides in a half a dozen places to try and purposely tear some of them a little bit.
Now if you're only 3 weeks from harvest it could be debateable as to how much benefit a transplant will do you. But it sure as hell isn't going to hurt anything. The plant will get some benefit from it. I know if I some how magically became the owner of that plant that's the first thing I would do.
I think the big lesson here might be that on the next grow, get them into a bigger container a little bit earlier in the game.
Hope this helps.
Jack
