Hello all. My gorilla glue auto flower seeds have been in a red solo cup for 2 weeks now. I know it’s not ideal to transplant autos but I didn’t have a lighting system. With that said, I was wondering if anyone had advice for a first time grower on transplanting autos from solo cup to final pot safely. Advice appreciated!!
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Just be gentle and they’ll be fine.
Alot of times i just cut the bottom off the cup and plant the cup, very little stress if any at all this way.
Thats a Northern lights auto flower, I cut the bottom off and a couple small slits up the side and you can zoom in and see it had no trouble
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I germ and grow seedlings in solo cups for 14 days with a transplant. I cut down the side of the cups in several places and they come right out. Soil or coco and which brand will you be siding 
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Be as gentle as possible, and try not to disrupt the rootball. You should peel the solo cup like a banana instead of squeezing the cup or turning it upside down to shake the rootball out.
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Great solution cut the bottom of the solo cup
Welcome, as mentioned, gently remove from cup and place in final home.
Using ocean farms at the bottom, happy frog in middle and top
What did you use to cut solo cup like that?
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I use a pair of diagonal pliers to make the snips in the ring around top of the cup, and then very carefully peel down the sides.
Did you water directly before transplanting to make the soil more compact?
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I have used trimming scissors, works fine or household scissors. I cut all around the lip and peel it like a banana. Damp soil stays complacted better for transplant. If it’s too dry, it will just fall out everywhere.
No, I find that it’s best to do it when the soil is on the dryer side. As long as you time it properly, the root system will be strong enough to hold it all together. When wet, the root ball is much heavier, and more likely to start to come apart
As far as the timing of transplanting autos, I disagree with the common practice of judging by the leaves, and when they reach over the ends of the cup. I’ve found that the size of the leaves are not a great indication of what’s going on in the root zone. What works perfectly for me is waiting until they get thirsty again the day after I feed them. If I feed/water on Monday, and they haven’t dried out yet on Tuesday, they’re not ready yet. On average, my autos get transplanted between 11 and 15 days above ground.
For reference, this is a batch of my autos on transplant day.
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I was also going to say it’s better when it’s a bit dry, the wet soil will stick to the cup but either way as gentle as possible without breaking any roots works
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