Root bound ?
Newbie54started grow question 1mo ago
You think my plants are root bound ?
its now 5 weeks in veg i think its in a 8 L pot . Last week was the soil ph 5,6 - after correcting it shows still lockout Symp. and stunted grow i am not sure and dont want cut roots before asking to see how many would say yes :)
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cangrowzanswered grow question 1mo ago
Hey Newbie54! Looking at those photos, you've definitely got a "yes" from me your plants are indeed root-bound. When the roots start circling the bottom and sides like that, they run out of room to breathe and absorb nutrients efficiently, which explains the stunted growth and lockout symptoms you're seeing despite the pH correction.
The good news is you don't need to cut the roots! Just carefully "tickle" or loosen the root ball a bit with your fingers to break that circular pattern, and transplant them into a much larger pot (at least 15-20 L) with fresh soil. They’ll likely take a few days to recover from the stress, but once those roots find the new space, you'll see them take off again.
Happy Growing Growmie🌱
00110001001001111Oanswered grow question 1mo ago
That is not rootbound to the point it would cause any problems. It may be the start of it, but 'rootbound' is a physical thing.. restricting air and water, which isn't happening here. Any problems you've had are caused by something else. Definitely don't mutilate roots over this insignificant root growth around outside.
figure for every month in a pot, you want 1 gallon of volume... soil generally needs a bit more volume than soilless, too. 3-gal is plenty for an auto or short vege photoperiod. These are generalizations, not rules etched in stone. E.G. 2 gal might be a bit on small side, but also shouldn't result in any major problems on its own as long as you don't go much longer than 3 months. If people can make multiple fertigations per day work in a smaller pot, your plant can handle a sparse amount of roots around the outside.
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John_Krameranswered grow question 1mo ago
wha ?
ffs i thought i am a madman but diagnose on roots... hell yeah 😲😲😲
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Nocone_Purpleanswered grow question 1mo ago
Looking at your root photos, yes, those plants are definitely root bound. You can see the roots circling the perimeter and compacting densely that’s the classic sign. At week 5 in veg, an 8L pot is borderline for photoperiod (okay for autos, tight for photos). The lockout symptoms you’re seeing are partly root bound, but also pH-related. You corrected to 5.6, which is actually too low for soil soil prefers 6.2–6.8. At 5.5–5.6, you’re locking out calcium and magnesium, which explains the stunted growth and deficiency signs even though nutrients are available.
Don’t prune roots just transplant up. Move to a 12–15L pot with fresh soil (or top-dress with compost), and dial pH back up to 6.5 when you water in. The fresh medium will reset things, and the extra space will let roots expand. Root pruning is stress you don’t need right now.
Once in the bigger pot, your growth should accelerate immediately. The combination of root space + correct pH is the fix.
You’re not doing anything wrong — just learning the timing. Most growers upsize earlier, but you caught it. Do it now before flower.
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