How To Pot Plants And Grow Weed Like A Pro

If you spend any time growing your own weed, or if you want to give it a shot for the first time, one of the basic skills you need is knowing how to pot plants. There are a few different times when this skill might come in handy.

If you are starting with a clone, you will definitely need to transplant the baby to a larger pot so it can keep growing. Same thing if you start out by germinating a seed. Similarly, if your cannabis plant gets too big for the pot it’s in, you will probably need to transplant it.

Basically, you should transplant your weed anytime it needs more space to grow. Here’s everything you need to know so you can pot plants like a pro and help your weed plants be as productive as they can.

Step 1: Find A Pot

To pot plants the right way you have to start off by gathering the right supplies. The first thing you need is a pot. It needs to be larger than whatever your plant is now growing in. Additionally, it needs to have some drainage holes in the bottom. This lets water circulate throughout the soil but without drowning the roots of your plant. It doesn’t really matter what the pot is made out of, just as long as it’s big enough to give your plant and its roots some room to grow and it has adequate drainage.

Step 2: Use The Perfect Soil To Pot Plants

The next thing you need is the growing medium. Be sure that whatever you use meets the basic requirements for good, healthy soil:

• Drainage: The soil needs to be light, fluffy, and airy, not hard and compacted. This makes it easy for oxygen and water to get to the roots. It also ensures that your roots won’t drown in too much standing water. And finally, good loose soil makes it easy for the roots to grow and dig down deep for effective nutrient uptake.
• Water Retention: The soil also needs to hold water—it can’t all just immediately run through the pot and out the bottom. Your growing medium needs to hold enough water to feed your plant but not so much that it gets water logged.
• Nutrients: The three most important nutrients for cannabis plants are phosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen. So be sure your soil has them all. And for even better growing, be sure the soil has organic microbes. These microscopic little lifeforms keep the soil healthy and active so your plants have a good place to grow.

To keep it simple, we suggest getting some organic potting soil with nutrients and microbes already in it. Companies like Mighty Grow Organics have products that make it super easy. After your plant is potted, you can continue feeding it with organic plant food. Or you can make your own fertilizer right at home.

Step 3: Fill The Pot

Now it’s time to start filling the pot. When you pot plants, you want them to sit just an inch or so below the top of the pot. So before adding soil measure the size of your plant’s roots. Then fill up the bottom half of the pot with enough soil so that the plant will sit at the right height in the pot.

If it’s too low in the pot there won’t be as much room for the roots to spread out. But if it’s too high, the water might run out over the top of the pot rather than trickle down to the roots.

Step 4: Place The Plant In The Soil

When you’ve got enough soil in the bottom half of the pot, it’s time to add the plant. Carefully loosen the root ball from the sides of the container. Now very gently lift or tilt the plant out of the container. Do not grip it by the leaves. Instead, hold very gently to the bottom of the plant, near where it hits the soil.

Once the plant is out, gently shake loose the bottom of the root ball. If there are any super long roots, untangle them and be sure they are dangling free. Now place the plant on top of the soil in your new pot. Be sure it’s positioned in the center.

When you are happy with the placement of the plant in the new pot, use one hand to hold the plant steady and the other to add soil around the edges. Do this until you’ve filled in all empty spaces and the soil is even with the base of the plant.

Step 5: Water It

Give the plant water until it runs out the drainage holes. This ensures that the roots will get a good feeding, and it will also help the soil settle into place. As it does, you may see places where you need to add a bit more soil.

At this point, you’ve pretty much mastered all you need to know to properly pot plants. Now put your potted plant in a nice sunny spot or position it under your lights, feed it plant food as needed, and keep it well watered.

Pro Tip: When it comes to watering, it’s better to give it a thorough watering once than a bunch of shallow waterings.

Final Hit: How To Pot Plants

From here on out, enjoy watching your baby plant move through the life cycle until it eventually puts out a nice crop of trichome-heavy flowers. If you are growing outdoors, watch out for pests. And if you are growing indoors keep tabs on the humidity and temperature to be sure your plant doesn’t get mold or mildew.