The humidity dome is the perfect place for early plant growth, spanning the time from sprout to seedling. Once the seedlings in your humidity dome have grown 3 nodes or 3 sets of true leaves, you are ready to transplant them into larger, 2-Gallon cloth pots.
What is transplanting?
Transplanting is simply taking your seedling and putting it into a larger pot so its root system has a larger area in which to develop.
For optimal transplanting, the soil inside your seedling tray should be damp to avoid it crumbling and the roots becoming damaged. This is especially important if you have an autoflower strain, as they have more delicate root networks than photoperiod plants. The best way to dampen the soil is by misting with a water sprayer as you are more likely to evenly moisten the soil and avoid over-watering.
Note: If you are careful to ensure the soil of your plant’s root ball is moderately damp before attempting the transplant, you will not encounter problems like the soil and root ball crumbling apart. If the soil and root ball does crumble apart, gather it up the best you can and continue transplanting.
When should I transplant my seedlings from the humidity dome?
It is important to remember that root mass directly controls final yield.
To encourage your seedlings to grow dense, vigorous root balls with which to sustain healthy foliage later in life, transplant into 2-Gallon cloth pots just before they outgrow their space in the humidity dome. This means, you should transplant your seedlings once they have grown 3 nodes or 3 sets of true leaves.
Note: The first rounded set of leaves produced by the sprout are called cotyledons and are not counted as a true set of leaves.
Why should I transplant my seedlings?
It is a delicate process to go from a sprout that popped from a cannabis seed in paper towel, to a healthy, thriving plant. Transplants need a precise environment so that foliage can grow at the same rate as roots are able to supply moisture and nutrients from the soil. The balance of light, relative humidity, temperature, and nutrients available to the sprout will determine whether it continues to grow, or shrivels away.
Planting your sprouts into good quality soil in the humidity dome allows you to control and fine-tune the environmental factors needed to promote growth, so that you can have the healthiest plants possible once seedlings are transplanted into larger pots. Starting in 2-Gallon pots to begin with, bypassing the humidity dome, is not recommended because in a larger pot, the humidity-moisture balance is difficult to gauge.
The bottom line is that a sprout planted into a larger pot will take longer to emerge from the soil than one planted into a humidity dome, if at all.
What steps should I follow when transplanting cannabis seedlings?
STEP 1. Fill your 2-Gallon cloth pots with Gaia Green Living Soil, or alternatively our recommended mix of ⅓ Fox Farm Happy Frog and ⅔ Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil, mixing well and leaving 1-2 inches of space at the top of each pot. Budget for one seedling per pot. Spritz the surface of the soil with water to dampen it.
Note: Too many nutrients at this early stage of plant life is actually detrimental to your seedlings. Planting into soil that is too strong (such as Fox Farm Ocean Forest, on its own) will not give your seedlings a boost in health, and could cause them to perish.
STEP 2. Make a hole approximately the size of your seedling’s pot within the soil. You can remove this soil or push it to the edge of the cloth pot, as you are going to replace it after you transplant. If you are using mycorrhizae powder, now is the time to dust it on the plant's roots or within the transplant hole to encourage increased root development.
STEP 3. Invert the nursery pot gently in your hands to release the soil and seedling. If the root ball doesn’t fall out easily, depress the bottom of the pot’s edges slightly while you invert. You may also use a spoon or butter knife to loosen each section of the seedling dome before transplanting. Gently place the root ball into the new hole you made in the 2-Gallon cloth pot, making sure that the bottom of the roots are in contact with the soil in the hole.
STEP 4. With one hand supporting the newly-transplanted seedling, replace the soil around the root ball and fill in any gaps along the edges. Use more soil if you need to. Gently press along the seam to make sure the soil is in contact with the sides of the seedling root ball. Build up the soil over the root ball and carefully tap the outside edges of the cloth pot; this is to decrease the likelihood of air gaps within the soil as air can prune the roots and stunt growth.
STEP 5. Fill your 2L watering can with plain water. Pour water around the transplanted seedling, taking care to saturate the soil in the pot to the edges and especially the circle just outside of where the root ball meets the newly-packed soil. This disperses any air pockets that may be trapped inside the soil and helps to settle the transplant.
How should I water my newly-transplanted seedlings?
Use one full watering can per 2-Gallon cloth pot and water in a tight circle, following the perimeter of each transplanted root ball and lightly to the edges of the fabric pot. Take care to water all the way to the edges of the soil - although the roots cannot reach this far yet, they also will not grow into dry soil so you must water all of the soil initially in order to activate it.
Congratulations! Your transplant is complete.
After watering in completely, leave your seedlings to grow in the Stealthbox undisturbed for up to 2 days before watering again. For best results, continue watering with plain water every second day for about a week before beginning nutrient application every second watering.