your plastic pots are slowly killing your plants BY STONEY TARK
G rowing top-quality cannabis in- volves time, love and care, but the pots you use play a bigger role in root development than most growers realize. This piece is not meant to give plastic pots a bad name. It is about the benefits of aerating your growing medium to encourage root prun- ing, and what happens when you do not. I will cover how and why plastic pots promote root-bound growth, walk through the different types of roots and their roles, and lay out several pot solutions to help you avoid root-bound plants for good. How Plastic Encourages Root-Bound Plants: We have all been there when repotting. You pick up your plant, turn the pot upside down, and check the roots, only to find them jam-packed, white, tangled and healthy, grow- ing in the exact shape of the pot. In some cases, roots are already pushing through the drainage holes at the base. It can look impressive. But root-bound cannabis plants come with real problems. If your plants seem off, check this list before assuming it is something else: • Stunted growth: Plants stop vegetating at their usual pace. During flowering, bud development slows and yields drop • Constantly watering: Growing medium dries out unusually fast after watering. Roots through the holes: Roots pushing out of drainage holes mean you need to repot immediately. • Nutrient deficiencies: Root-bound plants consume nutrients faster, leading
to nitrogen, calci- um, magnesium or trace element deficiencies. • Wilting leaves: Root-bound wilting looks al- most identical to overwatering. If you have ruled out water issues, check the pot.
• Tall, lanky structure: An unstable, stretched plant that needs canes for sup- port can signal root-bound growth. The Benefits of Fabric Pots: Having grown with thousands of plastic pots over 20 years, I can say without hesita- tion that fabric pots are a genuine up- grade. Unlike plastic, fabric allows air to pass through the container walls, which changes how roots develop entirely. Root pruning happens naturally in fabric pots. As roots grow outward and hit the fabric wall, they come into contact with air. The tip stops elongating and instead branches into new lateral roots. The result is a denser, more efficient root system. continue reading at HighTimes.com
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