when to water

[Guest]

Should the soil be watered whenever it gets dry, or does the plant only need water every few days?

 

[skelley888]

buy a moister meter from walmart $4.95 and warter when it says dry! can't go wrong!!

 

[dre86]

depends on some factors
- pot size
- plant size / age
- drainability (is this a word) of the soil
- humidity / type of light
- ...

so ya, this question doesn't have a definite answer.
Best thing to do is to feel if the upper few inches of the soil feel dry or wet.

 

[Erin Kerrik]

It's worse and easier to overwater than underwater - you can actually wait for the leaves to start wilting from lack of water no problem - that way you can get a feel for it (LIFTING THE POT to judge soil water content by weight seems to be what most do).

I just switched to 12/12 on my second grow and am only now beginning to get a natural feel when to water ... still stressing out over when to feed - I seem to have an inbuilt tendency to underfeed.

 

[WhiteWolfman]

Ok but when do you feed? When the dirt is good and wet first or do you just wet it with the guano teas/ogferts? I have always thought it works better to feed your plants once the roots are wet but i mainly do outdoors, any thoughts?

 

[Erin Kerrik]

I suppose you feed before your plants get deficiencies!

From what I can gather, the best advice to follow is your own experience ... different nutes, different size containers, different strains, etc.

I use Fox Farm Ocean Forest which has nice organic amendments in it and the bag says no need for fertilizers for the first 30 days ... which for me hasn't been accurate for my applications.

This grow, I started in rockwool, put the cubes in 1 gallon buckets a week later.

The next thing I did was transplant into 3 gallon buckets during week 4. Only gave a teeny bit of ferts as transplanting as I figured there was lots of fresh soil for the roots to grow into. Wrong ... got a N deficiency in a week - but only on the Grapefruit and C99 - the White Widows were happy.

Next time I know this: White Widow does great vegging in Ocean Forest with no additional nutes for at least 5 weeks. GF and C99s need nutes started almost immediately after exiting the seedling stage.

 

[Guest]

Thanks all

Thanks all

I've read to wait a few days between watering. Is that because most soil stays moist/wet for a few days, or should it be watered as soon as its dry, no matter how many days in between? I put my finger down about 1-2" and I can't tell if its moist or just cold, but it seems to be dry. Should I take a chance and water it a little - the seed finally sprouted above the soil and I don't want to kill it by over watering.

I've been looking for a moister meter, but had know idea thet were right under my nose at wally world, thanks.

quoting dre86:
depends on some factors
- pot size
- plant size / age
- drainability (is this a word) of the soil
- humidity / type of light


Pot size: 10.5"

Plant size/age: Lowryder#2, 1 week, just popped above the soil today

Drainability of soil: sierra organics; bag says it retains 9x its weight in water, but seemed to dry out quickly under 150w HPS

Humidity/Light: just replaced the 150w HPS w/ a 70w HPS cause I couldn't keep the heat down in my cab. Humidity has been around 40-50% with the 150w, not sure yet for the new one as I just installed it.

 

[HydroPonixs420]

sketch sketch sketch.... mositure meter sounds like a superb idea... I never tried one, so i might consider it when i get a chance to grow indoors. Usualy the dryness indicates if the plant needs be watered + you can tell a discoloration in the top layer of soil (in which this case it would be lighter and not as dark)

I dont know how u can say "I can't tell the moisture or temp" and then say "its dry". U have the right idea with putting ur finger in there. but if ur growing indoors, the soil shouldn't feel cold nor warm. It should feel "cool".


On rainy days if there is air circulation between outdoors and the indoors consider that you dont have to water as much beacuse the plants go a different watering process in which the plant becomes able extract water vapours through the air.
One the other hand this can be bad for the plant if its constantly going through this process. Consider the significance of the humidity control within the room which the plant is located. Growing isn't simply putting a plant in a room and watching it grow.

 

[dre86]

lol, I have a moisture meter as well. Reads out the moisture-% if you keep it next or against the soil. I noticed freshly watered plants read 55-60%, plants that need water read 15-20%.. You have to check at various spots in the soil though because it can be drier / more wet in places and so you get a basic idea..

edit: since they are in their first days I would not water at all !
What I do then is mist the soil using a hand sprayer with water..Good Luck

 

[stonedage]

i go by the weight of the pot, you will get aq feel for it if you lift it a bit after you water and then check when you think it is looking dry if it is way lighter, water. you can just do this to a few plants as the others shouldnt be far off. Its best to let them run complete wet almost dry cycles

 

[Guest]

You shouldnt start a plant off in a 10 inch pot,no wonder you're having trouble knowing when to water,I'd be lost too.An important aspect about watering is you must haqve the plant in the proper container for its size,otherwise your just guessing.When you are in the proper sized container,and water thoroughly until 100% saturation all the way through,you normally shouldnt have to water again for 4 days or so.The plant will let you know when it needs water when you're in the proper container.As the plant grows in the conatiner I find myself having to water every third day,then every other day.When I get to that point I know its time to transplant up a size then I'm back to every 4th day again.Start in a small 4 inch pot then transplant to 1 gallon then 3 gal to flower most indica's.Never start your seedling in a large conatiner

 

[Guest]

You can get down to specifics but it is quite simple. Cannabis is like any other plant like potted flowers and what not. The easiest thing to do is scratch a few inches into the soil and if it is nice and crusty it is time to water.

I give my babes a half gallon each, but they are in 3 gallon containers and are 2.5 feet. I water every 2-3 days depending on soil.

Your ferts should be used depending on how much the plant eats which can be determined by strain, but even strains vary with different genes. I fert mine during veg every other day and in flower probably every 4 days, because my plant is not a big eater.

Best advice I can give is the scratch method. If you are able, look at the bottom of the bucket through the drain holes, try and feel around in there (dont be an idiot and disturb roots but get a good feel), if it is moist your good, if not water. Don't have a time watering scheduale but water when your plants want it. I water until just a very little bit comes out the bottom, and I mean LITTLE. That way you ensure that parts of the soil have been watered all the way down.

 

[Dr Dog]

I also will water till I see some coming out the bottom. I tend to feed 2 out of three waterings. Thew third watering I soak them, so they will get any nutes that were left in the soil. I let the pots dry out before I proceed again, the only issue I have when I do this is the soil gets hard on the top and the water wants to just rush down the sides of the pot, so I always just "groom" the top of the soil so the water drains nicely through the whole plant.

Nobody here is going to be able to tell you what to do, it is an experience thing. Try things. You will learn better from practice than theory.

Good luck