Thick mat of circling roots at the pot wall
Builds as the plant outgrows its pot; the plant then dries out within hours and stalls..
- Also called
- root bound
- rootbound
- roots circling
- roots out the bottom
- pot full of roots
Likely causes, most likely first
Ranked for this sign on its own. Your stage, medium and readings change the order, so run the checker for your plant.
LikelyRoot-bound in a pot too small
Fix: Up-pot photoperiods into a container about 2-3x larger, loosening circling roots gently. Autoflowers: don't transplant; increase watering and feeding frequency instead. Small pots can still grow big plants with high-frequency fertigation (several feeds a day).
Recovery: New white roots in the fresh medium within 5-7 days; daily wilting stops.
How to confirm it
- Look at the roots. Hydro: lift the net pot and look at the root mass in good white light. Containers: tip the plant out with a hand over the medium and look at the edges and bottom of the root ball. Healthy roots are white to cream with fine fuzzy tips. Brown roots whose outer layer slides off between the fingers leave a bare thread: rot. Firm, evenly tan roots with white tips in coloured solution are staining.
- Lift the pot and check moisture at depth. Lift the pot right after a full watering to learn its wet weight, then lift before each watering. Water when it is clearly lighter (about half the added water gone). Push a finger or a moisture probe 5 cm (2 in) down. Heavy for 3-4+ days with droop: overwatering. Very light with limp papery leaves: thirst.
Look for
Root ball out of the pot showing a dense white wall of circling roots..
The full guide: Cannabis root problems: the master decision tree
Guidance, not a guarantee. The checker weighs common causes against what you tell it; confirm with the tests before you treat, change one thing at a time and watch the new growth.
