So you just sowed some cannabis seeds, and they’re finally starting to sprout. Congratulations, it’s not always easy to make those little seeds sprout into strong and healthy seedlings. But what’s the next step? We created this helpful guide to give you the rundown on when, how, and why to transplant your precious seedlings.

Transplanting any plant is the simple process of beginning your growth in a small tray or pot, then carefully moving the seedlings over to a new space once they need more room to grow and spread their roots.

It’s ideal to sow your seeds in a seedling tray first, and extra points if it’s a fiber-made tray that’s 100% decomposable. This gives you more control of the space and helps you easily identify which seedlings are the strongest, indicating a successful harvest a few months down the line.

You could transplant cannabis seedlings once or twice, depending on how well you want to control the root system and the plant’s growth. In the simplest explanation, a large pot or grow bag will usually produce tall and large plants, whereas smaller pots let you control how large your plant gets by limiting the root growth.

The first indicator that you need to transplant your seedlings from a small tray or pot into a larger 3-5 gallon container is looking through the drainage hole on the bottom to see how well developed the roots are.

You could also carefully lift the plant and dirt around it for a more close-up look. Once your roots look a little too compact, it’s time to transplant. Finally, your seedling should have sprouted 4-5 sets of healthy leaves before transplanting.