Watering

[grumpyfoxtwo]

How often should you water? I have them in seven gal. smart pots with soil plenty of air flow and ventilation. Temp between 75 and 80 only in veg now just trying to get a understanding. Water every day? Every other? I have been watering on even days and feeding on odd so every day im doing something is that good or to much?

[Kingdiamond]

I water daily im in 3 gallon pots you learn after while to check it by the weight of the pots in a 7 gallon pot you probably need to feed or water every other day.

[MichiganMan]

Every other day...really? How much are you watering at a time? I would recommend to weigh your pots when its mostly dry to get a feel for how heavy it is and then water, water again when the pot feels light again. For mine if I can lift the pots up without putting any effort into it then its time to water. I grow in 5g and 7g smart pots and air pots. I used to water every 5 days but it has been a little warmer in my room and now am watering at 4.

 

I thought it was always better to underwater then over water. For your feeding schedule what kind of nutrients are you using as most have a recommended feeding schedule.

 

Doing too much is going to kill your plants...

[grumpyfoxtwo]

1/2 gal every day. Im using A.N. and i split it up by four from the bottle says to use. So just just straight water on one day and feed on the other. I dont want to screw up on over doing it on the water thats why im asking . They seem to be doing very well. Should i be letting them dry out a little before watering? Should i only feed once a week with the A.N. and then water once or twice during the same week ?

[AmishRnot4ganja]

I have always watered only when the plants require it - i.e. when the soil is dry to a depth of 1-2 inches (in a five gallon pot). My soil pulls away from the sides of the pot before I water. I then water until I get drainage from the bottom. I only water every 4-7 days depending on the humidity levels in the air. From all I have read, this is the correct way to water plants. My plants never wilt, but I think they come close. I keep a real close watch on them and only give them water when they need it. I also only give them nutes when they need it. I keep a close eye on the new growth, and when if starts looking a little too light, I give nutes in the amounts recommended by the manufacturer (General Hydroponics 3 part for me). This method has been working great for me. I am now at the point where I can get the shiny green leaves that I so admire on other people's plants.

[johndeeremuskies]

only water when needed. you can probaly go a week at least.I sometimes grow in 7 gallon smart pots.I am either growing in 7 gallon or 3 and one half gallon smart pots.If I soak a 3 gallon it will probaly go at least a week.IF you were not in smart pots and watering that much you will eventaully have a nat problem.Nats will become a big problem if you over water.watch your plant it will tell you if it is dry the leaves will hang down instead of standing proud,then water ,over watering is not good.

[anonymousgrower?]

I wish I could water once a week!

 

I water 64oz daily and need to bump it up a bit, it depends on what soil you use. I use pro mix

[The Digital Nomad]

I water almost every other day. I use Happy Frog which holds more moisture than Ocean Forest. I am using 1, 5, and 10 gallon pots.

 

Monster plants in 10 gallon pots grow to about 5.5 to 6 feet tall, the main stem is about the diameter of a Red Bull can, and you could not put your arms around all the budding branches. You would think a 10 gallon pot would sit nice for a week, or even a couple of days. I still have to water every other day. The soil is mixed perfect - you do want it to air out and dry easily, the more you water and feed it, the more the plant will use it.

 

Soil mixes that can hold moisture for 1 week makes me nervous - I have to wonder - is the soil aerated well? Roots do need air at some point, if its sitting in brackish water left in your pan - thats bad. Its a balance of air and moisture.

 

Whatever works!

 

-DN

[The Digital Nomad]

oh certainly the water consumption will increase as the plant gets bigger - ie flowering. in clones or veg I notice I can go a week with little water.

 

-DN

[anonymousgrower?]

I notice the less I water clones the better they do.

 

But even in veg once they reach 4ft I have to water like crazy after this cycle I am heading back to the drawing board "DWC or HYDRO"

 

As of now I can't go anywhere more the 18 hrs or the plants will wilt, room temp is 74 and humidity is 48%- ie Flower room

 

I might try bigger pots I only use 5 gal pots at the most but I have pulled 5+ out of 3 gal pots so I'm kind of stuck in the middle lol

[johndeeremuskies]

It surely depends on size of plant and potting mixture. I use my own compost wormcasting plus extras and about 50% perlite.And if it is thourougly wetted set in pan and soaked it will go some time before it needs water.Lots of people over water for something to do try and wait tell you see the plant showing it needs water then check weight of planter for reference.I will bet most growing in 7 gallon containers can go a few days before plant shows stress from lack of water.I would prefer to under water versus over watering same for ferts if you burn with ferts much you can never recover

[Kingdiamond]

Every other day...really? How much are you watering at a time? I would recommend to weigh your pots when its mostly dry to get a feel for how heavy it is and then water, water again when the pot feels light again. For mine if I can lift the pots up without putting any effort into it then its time to water. I grow in 5g and 7g smart pots and air pots. I used to water every 5 days but it has been a little warmer in my room and now am watering at 4.

 

I thought it was always better to underwater then over water. For your feeding schedule what kind of nutrients are you using as most have a recommended feeding schedule.

 

Doing too much is going to kill your plants...

Go look at my journals i grow very well and under my 1000 watt they droop if i fail to water every day.

 

 

Also smart pots to me dont seem to hold as much water as regular plastic containers maybe thats why i water so much .

 

My feeding schedule is alternate food and water using fox farms big bloom and tiger bloom

 

 

What may be good in your garden isnt in mine if i waited 5 days id be starting over.

[AmishRnot4ganja]

I water almost every other day. I use Happy Frog which holds more moisture than Ocean Forest. I am using 1, 5, and 10 gallon pots.

 

Monster plants in 10 gallon pots grow to about 5.5 to 6 feet tall, the main stem is about the diameter of a Red Bull can, and you could not put your arms around all the budding branches. You would think a 10 gallon pot would sit nice for a week, or even a couple of days. I still have to water every other day. The soil is mixed perfect - you do want it to air out and dry easily, the more you water and feed it, the more the plant will use it.

 

Soil mixes that can hold moisture for 1 week makes me nervous - I have to wonder - is the soil aerated well? Roots do need air at some point, if its sitting in brackish water left in your pan - thats bad. Its a balance of air and moisture.

 

Whatever works!

 

Eee-Yoww! A 5 foot plant with a stalk the size of a red bull can! I can see that my plants require less water because they are no where near that big. It makes sense that larger plants in the same size container would require more water.

 

-DN

[SW Mich Caregiver24]

stick your finger in the soil to your first bent joint and if the soil is dry in that region, it needs watering. Just remember, the soil on top can be dry, but an inch down is your determiner. Make sure the water gets completely drained so roots dont rot. I usually water every 3 days or so in 3 gal. pots.

[Budz-4-U]

I use ProMix-HP, and Fox Farm Nutes. 3 gallon pots. 22 oz of nutrient water, per pot, every other day.

 

I was waiting the 4 - 5 days, then slowly pouring the nute water in, until it ran out the bottom. But, if I forgot, they would would get drier than I liked. Stunted them a bit.

 

I found that by doing less, every other day, if I missed a day, no big deal.

 

Size of plant, temp, humidity, strain, soil, nutes...... lots of factors. Best thing is to experiment a little.

[tooldini]

I have been watering mine every other day they are in small smart pots 1 and 3 gallon, temps are normally high in the mid 80's+ I also feed them at the same time. I have been using seagreen also but everyother day. It does seem to help the yellowing of the plant leaves during flower and in the small pots.

[ToadInCan]

Hi Grumpy,

 

As you can see, there are many different ways to do this. The experienced growers have a huge advantage, and that's experience! You can probably take someone's advice, and copy their watering schedule to the letter, and enjoy great success. But just as these growers have developed their own methods, you will likely develop your own. It's important that you consider what's going on. The root system is devloping beneath the surface to support the plant that's growing above. If the roots find water readily available, they won't have a need to grow much root mass. You won't really see your root mass until after you harvest, and then it's not a bad idea to shake the soil off and get a look at what that side of the plant was doing. With 7 gallon smart pots you have a lot of room for roots, and the bigger the root structure... the bigger the plant structure above. I'm an advocate of letting them dry out between watering. This makes the roots go searching, and makes more roots. Keep the top inch or so of your mix loosened up, either with your fingers or some little tool. I also like to water just until I get some run-off, which has a lot to do with the soil or soil-less mix that you are using. Some will have things mixed in to retain water, and some won't hold much water at all. It's not a bad idea to let them dry out a bit between watering. You can heft the pot to get some idea what it feels like when it's dry, and again when it's wet. Over time you will develop a nack for it, and you'll also see indications in the plant that it wants more water, or maybe less. Another thing which I picked up here from the many knowledgable growers is a water/water/feed schedule. By the time the plant starts burning from too much fertilizer, the soil is already toxic. Then you're into flushing things, and you're loosing time. As was previously mentioned, the bigger the plant... the more water they will need. This doesn't necessarily mean more water each time, but it might mean watering more often. Take your time and learn as you grow. I'm sure that you'll get a feel for it. Good luck!

 

Toad