Avoid Overwatering

[ConstantGreen]

Lifting the pot works well when they're seedlings, but I don't think it's practical once they're a foot high. They will always be heavier than the control pot because of the root mass and plant itself. You're basically estimating at that point and might as well be sticking your fingers in it. Plus it's not that easy to lift the pot midway through a scrog or sog setup.

 

[OldMedUser]

I lift my 4gal pots in the ScroG I have going now no problem. A foot high plant doesn't weigh much.

Just have to lift it free of the floor not chest high or anything.

Whatever works for folks is what they should do. I just relate what has worked for me all these years of growing that wonderful plant.

L8r

 

[OldMedUser]

KK, you might want to top that big sativa to keep her height down a bit. They tend to go up to twice their height when they stretch at the beginning of flower.

Good looking group you got growing there!

L8r

 

[quemedica]

Hi people,

I hope I am posting this in the correct sub-forum...

After reading so many posts about over watering, root rot and gnats on this and other sites dedicated to indoor growing of weed, flowers, vegetables, etc. I felt compelled to write this post.

I can not get why so many people recycle this same old piece of incorrect misinformation - "stick your finger in the soil up to the 2nd/ 3rd knuckle and if it dry it's time to water" That one sentence has probably killed more plants than Monsanto and Round Up.

Here's the reality - If you grow anything whatsoever indoors, in a container of 3 gallons or more, and you follow this advice you will kill these plants from over water, root rot and gnats EVERY SINGLE FRIKIN TIME.

That may work if your growing basil in a 16 OZ cup. As far as a large plant in a large container goes -
The top few inches of soil can be dryer than the sand in the Empty Quarter during a wind storm down to your 3rd knuckle and still be totally saturated in the bottom 6 or 8 inches of medium.

For example, I have grown tomatoes and cucumbers in four , five, six and seven gallon pots and I can stick a moisture meter down 8 inches and get a zero reading when the bottom of the container is still completely saturated.

Why people keep posting this none sense is a mystery to me.

OK then - How do you know when to water:

Number one - get a frikin moisture meter . They cost a whopping six or seven bucks. You can also put a testing hole closer to the bottom to check that area if you need to when your first getting the hang of things.
Number two - This is something you must get familiar with even if your to much of a cheap ass to get a meter. . . . Fill a like size container with the same medium that it totally dry and don't water till you plants are closely approaching that same light weight.

To put this in perspective - I can take a 1 month plant from a 3 liter container and transplant it to a five or six gallon container and it may take up to a solid 4, 5 or even 6 weeks before it needs more water. In other cases, it may only take one or two weeks. It depends on the plant type, humidity, growth rate, temps, water holding capacity of medium and other factors. This is why you need to employ the two steps above. There IS NO FORMULA to accurately guess the time between watering without checking the medium.

I hope this can help someone new to container gardening.

PEACE !

This one post wonder and great piece of advice should not be a sticky, noobs usually don't read stickies

 

[Stretch1970]

I am first time grower and after reading shed loads of posts on what medium to grow in I decided on 100% coco in 5 gal grow pouch. Whilst readingl, many posts said that you can not over water in coco, I was just wondering what people's opinions are.

 

[OldMedUser]

You can overwater anything Stretch1970

Overwatering doesn't mean putting in too much water one time. The excess water will run out and all is well. It means that you add more water too often, never allowing the media to dry out and allow air into the rootball eventually drowning the roots which then rot and can kill the plant.

I don't use coco but everything I've seen and read about it points to it working like peat moss and needing about 25% coarse perlite in it for much better drainage. It tends to pack down and make it hard for roots to grow thru it and as it is acidic like peat it needs some dolomite or other pH balancing materials in it to maintain a healthy pH.

I use ProMix HP right out of the bale and they make many products using peat or coco and some with a combination of both. Great stuff!

L8r

 

[Stretch1970]

Thank you very much for clearing up my confusion, I am not sure this is the right place to ask so please accept my apologies. My plants are 5 weeks in to veg in 5 gal grow pouch, they all have roots growing out the bottom and sides of pouches I am not sure if they need transplanting in to larger pots, I have just flipped to 12/12 would that make a difference if I need to transplant?

Many thanks.

 

[OldMedUser]

You shouldn't need to transplant at all in 5gal bags with plants the size you likely have. The whole idea of those and AirPots is that the roots get air-pruned as they poke out. Roots are like branches as when the growing tip gets cut off, or dies from exposure to the air like your root tips are, they branch out further back. With a regular plastic pot the roots just coil around the bottom and sides of the root ball and don't have near the amount of fine feeder roots that pruned roots have. That's why I cut off the bottom of my rootballs when I transplant so I get rid of all those long stringy roots. Cut down the sides too if there are long ones there.

Everybody always freaks about damaging the roots but it really does more good than harm and the plants respond with more vigorous growth.

I think it would be a major hassle trying to repot your plants from those bags but I've never used them mostly for that reason. The biggest pots I use in the grow room is 4gal.

L8r

 

[Stretch1970]

Oldmeduser, thank you for all your help I am learning so much so fast feels like head going to explode. Just need to try and find answer to a few leaf issue's.

Again thank you for your help and sharing your knowledge.

Right wish me luck off again to try and cram a bit more information into an already over flowing brain.

 

[KodiakKid]

Hi everyone. It has been awhile since this rookie visited this thread, asked some questions, and got great assistance. When I first posted here I had small plants I'd just transplanted into 8 gallon pots. Watering small plants in big pots is a challenge always. I got a lot of great advice, but it was all over the board. Now that I have several more weeks under my belt, I have a much clearer understanding of watering large pots. The best advice I got was to watch your plants and learn to know when they want water. Not when they really need it like when they are wilting. But before that. Their leaves will just start to droop a little. Just a little. The first time I saw that from one I watered her. Fifteen minutes later her leaves lifted back up very noticeably. From then on I knew when to water them.

 

[KodiakKid]

Since I have neglected this thread for so long, I thought I should post a photo of how the girls in containers are doing. I'm proud of my girls, but here I am near mid September and they are not flowering yet. I've been bringing them in and out 12/12 for a week now to force flower. Please come over to check out my journal and see how this drama plays out.

 

[KodiakKid]

OldMedUser, sorry for the late reply. I decided to let the Sativa in the ground just grow. Security isn't really an issue. She's pushing 8 feet now. But none of my girls have flowered yet. Pre flowers about 5 weeks ago. My time is getting too tight. Take a look at my journal if you have a minute. Thanks.