How much water on organic soil grow?

[mad librettist]

man, I don't know. I never like to see my plants droop... I figure under that kind of stress they are more susceptible to invasion and disease.

 

[carbonskeleton]

man, I don't know. I never like to see my plants droop... I figure under that kind of stress they are more susceptible to invasion and disease.

This is true, they are more susceptible and are capable of doing more damage.

A little stress is supposedly good for THC content but you get diminish returns and it lowers yield.

 

[guest2012y]

This is true, they are more susceptible.

A little stress is supposedly good for THC content but you get diminish returns and it lowers yield.

I have seen this happen. Stressed out plant just loaded with sticky goodness to the point it looked like some kind of alien jewel. Then right next to it the same strain perfectly healthy and not shining quite as bright on the "jewel" description. They smoke good,potent for the little things that they are.

 

[mad librettist]

good point, but in any case it should not be done in veg. root bound plants seem to be as you described as well, at least with the plant I am getting to know.

 

[Shiherlis]

hey great advice. I'll add that if you take a tray that fits your containers, and add about 2 inches of pebbles, you have a humidity tray. Don't put so much water that it covers the rocks, and you will need to water less often. Also helps keep humidity up in the winter.

that is interesting. so the tray of rocks goes under the container?

 

[mad librettist]

yup. It's a really old-fashioned approach, but it's really very good.

 

[NUG-JUG]

When I say i let them droop i don't mean to the point where they're collapsed. Just a little droopage. If the pot's light, and i can't feel much moisture, then I still water even if the plant isn't too sad looking..

 

[mad librettist]

yeah I know what you meant, but I'm saying it's better not to do that as far as I can tell. But hey, I'm the kind of guy who mists his soil to simulate dew.

Is your soil starting to pull away from the pot?

 

[NUG-JUG]

mad librettist you're right about the stress caused by a lack of water could be doing more harm than good. I'm a beginner grower trying not to overdo anything so I might be abusing my babies a little with-holding water.

Also my soil does pull away from the pot around the time they get thirsty. Is this also something to avoid or just another helpful sign to water?

 

[mad librettist]

no, soil shrinkage is something to be avoided. Maybe if you have a nasty nasty gnat invasion you might let it go that far, but it's not good. If your soil has shrunken, you want to water it by putting it in a tray of water for a good amount of time so it can puff up. It will stay moist longer. That's with peat or soil at least. Coco I don't know.

Personally, I like my soil to have a wet/dry cycle that is within the bounds of moist. If it was not a bitch to open my cab I would water every day, just a little bit. I always aim to have no runoff.

But that may not be the right thing for you or your setup. I just can't say for sure.

 

[NUG-JUG]

Interesting ml. I was under the impression that the dry cycle had to be real dry. I use a peat based medium of Sunshine 4. Also I don't have trays under my pots which allows a lot of runoff to escape. Thanks for the advice!

 

[mad librettist]

you still don't want them sitting in water all the time though. They will rot. I do that with carnivorous plants, but they are special. If you want to keep them over water it can't be filled until it touches.

 

[kingofqueen]

Am I the only one that noticed that the guy that posted this said he was in FFOF but didnt list any amendments? My first grow is in straight FFOF and it takes 5 days to dry out even 3 weeks into flowering ! I found it to be compacting bad also !