Yes, I did top once a couple weeks ago. There are some pretty common misconceptions about transplant shock. Transplant shock comes from breaking main roots, drastic changes in soil, or environment. When I say main roots I don’t mean the little spindly roots matted around the edges of the pot I mean the big ones closer to the center of dirt ball. You can break quite a few of the small fibrous roots with little to no ill effect. If your careful with your transplant protocol, there won’t be any transplant shock at all, only roots that are happy to have room to grow and good soil.
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It looks pretty good bud. It’s a fun time taking care of em just in general. I thought about topping but eh, my first serious grow, I’d be happy with any yield. Maybe lst but I’m a bit worried about snapping the stalks… they’re pretty hardy atp. Exactly bud… exactly. I thought to break up the ball a little but I didn’t like the idea of harassing any of the roots… man I went easy.
I started with pretty generic Vigoro soil and sure it did the job. Did eventually get some good organic nutes… Transplanted with Happy Frog… They seem happy 
So just an update y’all, sorry for the hiatus. Went ahead with the transplant and they seem to be doing really well. The roots looked ‘ok’. Not wicked ‘hairy’ and vibrant but i did start with very generic soil IMO… Vigor from Home Depot. I topped with happy frog and laid some Buddha organic nutes before covering them up entirely. It’s been a little over a week and man, they’ve grown some 30% high and bushier and seemingly happier, which of course makes me happy 
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Gotta thank all you guys who chimed in and gave some great advice. I hope to return it here in the forums when and if i can!
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Hey there…Keep posting updates …Im curious to see how they do…They look healthy!!
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@AL_GREEN Seemingly pretty healthy! Leggy but they basically stay on the shelf. They’ve grooooown.
It’s been about 90+ everyday in direct Sun. Sorta wild temps for MA. They began canoeing one day i left them out. I pulled them right back inside. Sun stress maybe?
I’m sure the black pots don’t help :-/. They get HOT. Hindsights a b***h.
I started putting them in white 5-gallon buckets hoping to keep them cooler. I haven’t them out all day since, avoiding 10am-2ish.
Overall though they seem to be pretty happy. I suppose after their next drink I’ll put em out for the day. I’d like to acclimate them… hopefully slow their height somewhat.
kept
After looking at other’s photos and all, I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong here or causing slow growth. There about 5 weeks old… should they be this small still? They’re overall 16” but buried about 6” during repotting passed the cots. They’re grown they’re 9-10th nodes.
I’ve given good nutes on schedule, babied em really, repotted when i figured was needed with good soil. Although they aren’t given full, all-day-outdoor basking. I feel like they should be bigger/bushier but maybe that’s just my amateur and hopeful eyes haha. No topping was ever done either
They are looking good and healthy. What strain are they? Sativa strains tend to be longer and lankier, but those don’t look like sativa leaves to me. With no topping or training your plants will grow taller and less bushy. The highest node wins. This concept is called apical dominance. In essence we top and train to redistribute the hormones in the plant that make it taller or shorter and more or less bushy. All that said I would say low light is still a big culprit. You are correct that you need to acclimate them as they go outside. To harden them off you start by putting them out in the shade for a half hour. the next day go for an hour in the shade. After a couple days of that start giving a little full sun at the end before they go back to their shelf. Slowly increase their time outside as well as the full sun portion each day. Sometimes this can be done in a day or two sometimes it takes a week or two. It just depends on your plants and conditions outside. You can also start the full sun in the morning when it’s less intense if you think you need the extra cushion. Hope that helps.
With acclimating, that is sorta what we’ve been doing. Hmm. Only once did i let them get hit that hard with sun. They did get heavy nutes the night before… nitrogen might’ve been high. The white buckets seem to help. I’m gunna have to start using more shade for sure and try again.
I really should try to diagnose with one variable at a time… not pots, water, nutes, sun, so on all at once.
Did i just answer my own question? Hahaha.
They are hit with sun on that shelf from dawn till about 1pm. Later in the day i bring em out front till dusk. They do get a pretty good amount of sun all be told. But it has been damn hot this year.
At night i put them under a cheap led light… i tested around 6000k, but week. I’m trying to avoid the sleepy hormones during veg. They get a couple hours of dark but still.
The strain is Bubba Kush x Pink Runtz. Bubbas Triad Runtz. It’s a store owners cross. Feminized and photos. All this taken on their word of course.
This is a total tangent… sorry. Calyxes are starting to pop up. No pistils or anything but they’re growing. I’m new to growing but this def seems odd to me.
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I do see they are doing better now. I think that’s about what my outdoor plants looked like when I put them out a month ago. That screen will stop a lot of light too, but I bet they are close to ready for some full sun. They may taco a little in the heat. As long as they perk up when it cools off they are just fine. Calyxes pooping up at the nodes is perfectly normal. It’s the plant showing it has reached sexual maturity. As time goes on you will see two pistils emerge from each calyx. If it was a male you would see pollen balls start forming. It isn’t flower starting, but is the sign that you could flower when you switch the lights or the days get short enough outside. Flower is starting when you see pistils sprouting from the tips of the branches.
Yeah definitely need a bigger pot, or ground, I think you’ll be amazed at the difference when you get her in a bigger grow area happy growing
@BatZ_JT when you transfer her to bigger pots, did you l@@k at her roots? L@@king at the bottom of the root ball did you see lots of roots, like if roots were growing around the bottom of the pots? WATCH THAT …its called root bound…roots ike to spread out, they get different nutrition from soil when spread out…plus yo dont want the roots to grow out the bottom of pot, it makes it very hard to transplant, and you risk damaging The Roots
Can I ask why you just dont leave them outside?
Oh my God, wow it’s been some time here guys. Wicked sorry about that. It’s been a busy year for sure.
We haven’t really kept them outside entirely in fear of insects and animals. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, fairly large lawn that when mowed kicks up a TON of insects. So far in these ladies lives weve had leaf hoppers, fungus gnats (currently working on them but at bay), bronze beetles, and possibly spider mites- could just be tiny spiders haha. So far they’ve been 50/50 indoors and now beginning to flower. They’ve done well.
And btw, i have transplanted into their final pots, 5 gall buckets. They seem to love the freedom. They showed very healthy root systems and although not bound, the roots were a plenty.
Right now I’m working on pruning, kinda taking a page from every technique and making my choices. Could use a hand there but they are doing pretty dang good
Less is more when pruning. Think about why you are removing each leaf. If its not diseased, stopping air, or blocking light(less critical outside since the sun will penatrate throgh quite a bit of canopy) then its probably better let the plant have its solar panels. The only exception i can think of at the moment is I have seen the benafit in removing the bottom 20%-30% a few weeks into flower.
Yes sr… that’s essentially what we’re doing, kind of a halfass lollipop technique. I’ve trimmed about the bottom third, getting rid of the weaker branches with very tiny buds. When they’re under the led light, there is def some blocking from the canopy. In the Sun not really. Atp they’re not getting much led anyway, just Sun.
I’ve considered putting them outside permanently but i think being a first time grower has me as a nervous parent haha. I’ve handled them indoors and out every day since germination.
I’ve been moving outside in controlled areas, they’re staked so i don’t have much worry about heavier winds. I’ve got that much going for me i guess. Budding is beginning to make em top heavy though. So far so good I’d say
I have run into another pest issue though… fungus gnats.
This will probably be long winded…
I haven’t noticed any maggots just the flies here and there and some roaming through the soil.
I have a local canna shop and trust the owner but the guy I’ve been running into… not sure :-/.
He’s said they’re the smallest of any of my possible pest issues but idk, from what I’ve read if left too long they can do serious damage.
These plants have been my babies for over 3 months now.
I’m new, first real grow, I’ve put out more time/money than initially thought, BUT i am not complaining. Whatsoever. But I do worry time/money down the drain 
:-(.
I placed some sticky traps yesterday and so far only caught one. But more in the soil when i tap the sides. I’ve cut them in quarters and perched em in the bucket leaning against the inside wall, sticky out/up.
I don’t believe I’m over watering. Only when the top soil is pretty dry and lately waiting an extra day or two cuz of this pest. I have gone at most about a week without water and without any noticeable detriment.
I’ve beaten spider mites, leaf hoppers, copper beetles (which did a small number but controlled quickly). I fear the worse since i can’t See the damage these gnats could be causing.
I’ve read BN, mosquito bits, dE but have read dissolves with watering and nasty if not careful, play sand, BTI but still somewhat unsure how that works. Some perlite as well i hear works well.
I’m currently in early flower and they’re flourishing. I feel this moment is crucial. One is a little stunted and unsure why but beginning to wonder if it’s these gnats. Possibly lack of nutes… working on that atm.
I’ve been altering feed and water but recommended to feed each time from here on. Conflicting opinions online though.
Btw I’ve been using Buddah nutes- Buddah Grow, now Buddah bloom. All organic. That’s all as far as nutes.
Again, sorry for the rant but wanted to give as much info as i can.
I don’t have much personal experience with fungus gnats. I see a couple here and there but never enough to worry about. I hear the mosquito bits or DE work well.
Do you have pics of your struggleing plant? Keep in mind some are going to be bigger and some are going to be smaller. Even both seeds come from the same mother it’s quite common to get different phenos.
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I’ve had great luck with mosquito bits. Super easy to use and very effective. Just follow the instructions on the bag. Easy peasy!
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@Gl1tch You are entirely correct my friend… as far as stunted i digress. I would say less bud production though but again agreed, it is just how it is. All four (originally five but one was dropped early on :-/) came from the same seeds.
Pictures are a bit deceptive but in person the buds are quite small in comparison to the other three. Just is what it is, agreed. Second from left, one of tallest, has the least production by quite a lot.
They’ve been leggy their whole life haha. I have trimmed them but not too much. It’s very hard to tell in the pics of the buds as well, how large or small they are.
Yourself and @Truetopath … i have heard good things about Mosquito Bits. Just about everywhere I’ve researched they’ve come up. But a dozen other items so it is nice to have two people recommend the same thing.
I am going to try those. Sounds like they’re pretty good for root health as well? Would you recommended more
than BN? My store carries BN but not mosquito bits
Thank you guys so much for the help and opinions. Being first time is like a parent… you worry about every little thing haha
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I still do.
I think I see what your talking about. Maybe. First one from the left looks like your star and the next ones seems to be less developed. Looks like you may have pruned her a little harder than the others. Though they are still a little leggy, they look pretty happy. I would increase watering frequency rather than feeding frequency. At this stage they should be drinking quite a bit. I beleive I see some yellow/ burnt leaf tips which can be a sign of under watering or overfeeding. Given you were trying to cut back to control the gnats I think you just went a little far. You should probably be watering 2-3 times a week.