Quote Originally Posted by SnSstealth
So how do people keep plants much larger than this for a long time without getting rootbound? Am I gonna be able to do 1 gal pots throughout the room Like we planned? I need to be able to keep them in 1 gals. To keep them from getting rootbound, should I send them into flowering earlier? I dunno...shits aggravating as hell...I have had 3ft plants all day in 3 gals and them not get rootbound...I added the perlite, lots...lol
Sorry for the ranting, lol...If I transplant the mums to 3gal, as long as they are getting haircuts monthy, will they be able to maintain in 3 gal? The way I have been pruning them was to keep em small so they could stay in smaller pots...IDK...Shit man, I have seen bonsai moms larger than these in 4.5in pots!!! So what am I doing wrong?!?!?
whiskeytango

Please know none of this frustration is directed to you WH, lol.
Well you can keep a mother in a 1 gallon pot for an indefinite period of time, however you have to keep trimming the root ball. I believe you can remove up to 25% of the root mass without it stressing the plant too much.

However if you do this you need to trim the top also. I learned very quickly in my last LST grow that bushy plants make massive root systems.

I think a good rule of thumb from being able to judge your root space is to look at the foliage on the plant. How much do you have.. does it seem to overwhelm the pot? If so then it's probably time to transplant.

I have a good link that teaches how to bonsai moms and how to maintain the root mass. I'll see if I can find it after power is restored to my house from Hurricane Ike. :hippy: