How You Water And Quantity

[Simpleton]

I thought I'd start a thread regarding the ways we water (application methods) and the quantities we use. I am sure there are some that flood and let go dry and some that water sparingly so I think it would be informative to give each other idea's and perspectives regarding the all important blood of life.

I have found that watering moderately and continuously seems to work for me.

What do you do?

 

[Guest]

let things get as dry as possible without wilting, then water thoroughly & deep but not a flood

 

[rasta]

i usually wait till the bags are really lite then i water....i usually just water untill it starts to run off then i do one last cup for good luck. ive also noticed wen i had my nice watering pail when i applied it with that the top soil wouldnt get all clumpy and whatnot.

 

[fortragni]

I grow in a 5 gallon and a 3 gallon grow bag. the plants are similar in size, under a 250WHPS. my mix is 50%cocoCoir/25%perlite/25% Light Warrior.. at this stage of their life, 6th week of flowering, i uusally water about a half gallon, each plant, every other day. i use a simple 1/2gallon milk container. the plants are about 1.5 feet high and the same wide. they are NL

 

[minds_I]

Hello all,

I use the lift method for determining if they need water.

Both in veg and in flower, I give them measured amounts of water/food.

The difference in flower is that I do not use pots that drain. I am all organic so I do not fear salt buildup.

Anyway, I flower in 3 gallon pots and feed/water only 1 quart at a time about 3-4 days apart. This is the method that I have worked on now for 2 and half years and seems to work for me.

Edit:
I veg in pots with holes and have them in saucers so that they can re-absorb the liquid. A couple hours is all it takes to soak back up into the pot.
Edit:

Now with my mom plants, thats a different story. I drench my mom plants and keep them fairly moist just slow growth down. I use low light and cooler temps to slow growth on my moms.

Good luck

minds_I

 

[BurnOne]

I water slowly before the medium dries too much. Anything that runs out the bottom of the pot is wasted.
Burn1

 

[twiztidbudsmoke]

nice

nice

I follow most of everyones usual method for soil watering, I also grow in growbags, first I wait until the plants are dry but not wilting, then I spray down the entire first level of dry soil, some soils will allow your water to run right through it without picking up much so the first saturation with a spraybottle is key, I continue to water until it is vigerously running through the bottoms of the pots

 

[Breezy420]

I water slowly before the medium dries too much. Anything that runs out the bottom of the pot is wasted.
Burn1

Runoff is a good thing.

 

[BurnOne]

Runoff is a good thing.

How so?
Burn1

 

[twiztidbudsmoke]

runoff is a sign youve fully saturated your soil

 

[Simpleton]

runoff is a sign youve fully saturated your soil

Not necessarily.

The water could be finding a path around a dry section of soil. This usually happens when the medium dries out too far. Then you notice when you water that it seems to coming out of drainage holes too quickly. That's because it is.

In that instance, runoff is a good thing provided there is something to catch it ( a saucer) so that the dry medium can reabsorb moisture from the catch basin. I have noticed that a medium that is never allowed to dry to that point always re accepts water and you will find no dry spots after harvest and inspection of the rootball.

That is why I frequently use moderate moisture to ensure the "perfect" moisture level, if there is such a thing. The perfect moisture level to me is that point the soil is at 1 day or less before dry.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[wickedpete66]

Not necessarily.

The water could be finding a path around a dry section of soil. This usually happens when the medium dries out too far. Then you notice when you water that it seems to coming out of drainage holes too quickly. That's because it is.

In that instance, runoff is a good thing provided there is something to catch it ( a saucer) so that the dry medium can reabsorb moisture from the catch basin. I have noticed that a medium that is never allowed to dry to that point always re accepts water and you will find no dry spots after harvest and inspection of the rootball.

That is why I frequently use moderate moisture to ensure the "perfect" moisture level, if there is such a thing. The perfect moisture level to me is that point the soil is at 1 day or less before dry.

Just my 2 cents.

simpleton hit the nail in the head. the idea of growing organic is so you get all the beneficial micro organisms in the soil. if you let the pot dry out you will kill them and not be able to get them back. I use a 1 gallon mist sprayer it waters evenly and you dont get those water tunnels like you do when you just pour, also only water enough for 2-3 days. you dont eat to hold you for 4-5 days and neither do plants. one last thing if you feed using liguid ferts get an ec meter so you know how strong your solution is and you wont have a salt build up problem either. which means flushing isn't necessary

 

[jaykush]

i water by hand and looks.

simpleton!!! got that shit down! happens a lot when the soil is left to dry too much.

 

[twiztidbudsmoke]

Quote:
Originally Posted by twiztidbudsmoke
runoff is a sign youve fully saturated your soil



Not necessarily.

The water could be finding a path around a dry section of soil. This usually happens when the medium dries out too far. Then you notice when you water that it seems to coming out of drainage holes too quickly. That's because it is.

I agree and dissagree. yes if you simply pour the water on the soil it will run past the dry spots toward the bottom of the pot, but if you used my method of first spraying with a mister and then watering than it is a sign your soil is fully/mostly saturated wich is similar to petes mist sprayer method wich is the only way to ensure full even saturation in soil without totally soaking it. Also I disagree with your saucer method I believe a thourough watering with proper drainage whether it absorbs into all the soil or not is better than having your roots sitting in a saucer with fertilizers causing nute burn, in that case no runoff would not be good unless your water had little to no nutrients wich makes no sense. I find it hard to believe the plant will suck the water back up into the soil and evenly distributing the fertilizers not causing nute burn

 

[vinivici]

i use a watering pail, with a grated spout. water lightly at first, let the water absorb then repeat till i get slight run off. i usually wait 30 seconds to a min in between. i've also tried the constant moisture method, IE watering small amount 3-4 times a day i didnt find any difference. soil color is also a good indicator.

 

[minds_I]

......I find it hard to believe the plant will suck the water back up into the soil and evenly distributing the fertilizers not causing nute burn

Hello all,

It is the capillary action created by the pourous soil that draws up water just like a wick.

I used to bottom water and had no problems, now I don't even use pots that drain in flower anymore.

Using 3 gallon pots I water every 3-4 days or so with one liter of fluid.

I do not have issues. But I attribute that to the use of organics.

Do these look deprived?




But, there are about as many different ways to grow...no one way is the best.

BUt I think the hardest thing any new grower has to overcome is the need to "over love" our plants with water and food. Once I began to leave them alone my results imprived dramitcally.

minds_I

 

[Simpleton]

It is the capillary action created by the pourous soil that draws up water just like a wick.

This is true. But I do believe that nutrients cannot be replenished throughout the root zone by this method. It is a good way to remoisturize a dry soil but I think the nutrients, i'm assuming we are talking about liquid nutes, will be filtered by soil particles, causing a build up in these micro filters. The plants will therefore get the bulk of their nutrition in this area. This of course couldn't happen in a well balanced and nutritious organic soil as nutrients are widely distributed in the initial soil mix.

I used to bottom water and had no problems, now I don't even use pots that drain in flower anymore.

This next time around will be my first time utilizing containers that do not drain. I think I may have enough experience to give this a go and just keep my medium on the dryer side. I will be using 45 gallon containers so lifting to check for weight is not an option. Wish me luck.

I do not have issues. But I attribute that to the use of organics.

I am leaning more and more towards this attitude. I am beginning to realize that I've been going about things all wrong and continually throwing away a very valuable and highly productive resource.

There are many different ways to grow...no one way is the best.

This is absolutely true. If it weren't there wouldn't be the enormous amount of fertilizer manufacturers promising you the biggest, most bountiful harvest ever. I think, through trail and error, we are the most valuable key to the "bountiful harvests" than anything we could purchase at a grow shop. We lend our experimentation to this plant and each other and benefit the community by teaching. We will be called pioneers one day.

But I think the hardest thing any new grower has to overcome is the need to "over love" our plants with water and food. Once I began to leave them alone my results improved dramatically.

I've never heard better advice.

 

[twiztidbudsmoke]

Quote:
Originally Posted by twiztidbudsmoke
......I find it hard to believe the plant will suck the water back up into the soil and evenly distributing the fertilizers not causing nute burn




Hello all,

It is the capillary action created by the pourous soil that draws up water just like a wick.

I used to bottom water and had no problems, now I don't even use pots that drain in flower anymore.

Using 3 gallon pots I water every 3-4 days or so with one liter of fluid.

I do not have issues. But I attribute that to the use of organics.

Do these look deprived?

definately not deprived. If you find a better way to water in your experiences growing than grow on if it works good for you what im trying to stop is a noob from reading that a saucer is ok to put under your plants, with lack of experience it can be dangerous to your plants, same with pots with no drainage

so I water slowly until all 4 gallons are gone or I see water coming out in the saucers under the pots. This morning I only used approximately 6 pints(3 liters) on each before they were done. I suck off the runoff with a turkey baster.

I like the turkey baster method, it keeps you from making a mess and keeps all the ferts out of the saucer, therefore using it correctly. I agree with everything oblidio49 said

I think, through trail and error, we are the most valuable key to the "bountiful harvests" than anything we could purchase at a grow shop. We lend our experimentation to this plant and each other and benefit the community by teaching. We will be called pioneers one day.

couldnt be more true

 

[BurnOne]

If the roots stay saturated with water it will cause root rot. Don't use saucers under your pots if the water in them touches the roots. Thats why we use perlite in the soil mix for drainage.
Burn1

 

[Suby]

A good watering schedule is always made easier by a soil mix with approx. 30% perlite, this one step will make things easier right off the start.

I like the lift method myself, if the plant is overly dry then water lightly once then again about 15min later, you'll find it soaks in better the second time around.

Once you see the topsoil of the pot is dry then it's time to hit it with more water.

I've done the feeding from the bottom thing and it works fine, most of my nutreints are already in the soil so I don't sweat it.

Suby
Good advice all,