iam1creation
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Help! Self Watering Pots From Walmart
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iam1creation
New Member
Also, I use the MG all purpose plant food. What's your opinion on that?
I'm new here but I think your plant is over watered, is that saw dust in the pot??
or wood chips??
I used to put wood in my soil but it turns out it isn't good for cannabis!
Why don't you water it yourself?
It's easy, just water it once in like 2 days, you'll see how the plant reacts to being watered, it'll tell you when it needs water
Good luck with her
or wood chips??
I used to put wood in my soil but it turns out it isn't good for cannabis!
Why don't you water it yourself?
It's easy, just water it once in like 2 days, you'll see how the plant reacts to being watered, it'll tell you when it needs water
Good luck with her
Smetties
New Member
Ok first get rid of the MG all purpose plant food most people end up burning up there plants with that stuff. If you dont have anything else available to you then use it at very low strength. Also I use the self watering pots (not from walmart but still) and I just feed and water the dirt not the catch pan on the bottom. All the runoff will catch in the tray and the plant has that to use. Also my trays are usually dry by the next day after I water.
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iam1creation
New Member
I guess they are wood chips. Not sure. The soil is by hyponex. And I did start off watering them myself. That was my first time water g from the bottom when I posted this but the roots sucked up the water so damn fast it scared me. Will water from top from here on though. Smetties, that is all the nutes I have but I Wil look into getting something better in a few days. Thanks you all.
hey man, i wouldn't advise using self watering pots, they tend to keep the root mass to moist. i let my plants soil get dry about 1 inch down before i water. The consent watering and drying lets the root mass expand for food. And for miracle gro, i wouldn't recommend it, it is designed for house plants in general. I would get something specifically for cannabis
look very green but healthy to me. I'm using one of those self watering pots from wally world on one of my flux plants. Used miracle grow for 11 plants last year and they did ok, but I know a little better now,, I would lay off any food for awhile, mg, has plenty and it wont get them when you need but its too late now,, water only bro,, for a while, until they start to yellow up a bit. gotta run with what you have now bro. Keep it up, I'll tag along... don't forget to let them dry out.. good luck
vastok
Well-Known Member
Self Watering Pots From Walmart? ..Avoid at all cost, cannabis likes to play with its own excerbate ..it needs time between waterings, these pots, leave the roots permanently wet, also risking root rot too ...avoid
I suggest you go check out the SWICK threads... ya might learn something about watering needs. I have roots coming out of my smart pots, sitting in water/perlite, and I'm looking maybe three or four zips per plant. YMMV. Just a friendly suggestion. Good luck.
Finish your grow. The pot is fine. Not optimal, but fine.
You're using what's called a "Sub-Iirigation Planter" or SIP and marijuana LOVES them. They are all I use. Fill the pan with water twice weekly. Roots take what they want. Have noticeable improved growth and yield. My method uses about 1 gallon of perlite in a 6" deep 14" diameter pan. 5 gallon smart pot set on top. I grow organic & don't use fertilizers but there are ways to fertilize with a SIP that do not leave a chemical buildup in the perlite.
You're using what's called a "Sub-Iirigation Planter" or SIP and marijuana LOVES them. They are all I use. Fill the pan with water twice weekly. Roots take what they want. Have noticeable improved growth and yield. My method uses about 1 gallon of perlite in a 6" deep 14" diameter pan. 5 gallon smart pot set on top. I grow organic & don't use fertilizers but there are ways to fertilize with a SIP that do not leave a chemical buildup in the perlite.
jojo677
Well-Known Member
I don't understand how these SIP grows would be beneficials. You (probably) have a lot of minerals in your water, and they don't all get absorbed by the roots. As minerals are left behind, you get a salt-buildup in the water. How do you get rid of this with SIP? Do you regularly flush?
I don't think we are using the word "salt" in the same way. I'm no expert (or even a scientist) but I used the word "salts" to reference the chemical buildup left behind using chemical fertilizers. I don't use chemical fertilizers so it's not an issue to me. Further, perlite is cheap and the roots that grow through the smart pots work their way through the perlite and it all sticks together in one massive ball. I just scrape the bottom of the smart pot with a knife (unless the roots damaged the cloth too much, where I just toss the whole thing), toss the perlite, and start anew.
I do live in an area with VERY hard water, but hard water "salts" and chemical fertilizer salts are very different creatures. Calcium is the dominant mineral in my area water, and I've never had any problems with too much calcium in my grows. Further, if hard water lead to dangerous levels of chemical buildup, I wouldn't have a yard or trees as they receive the same water as my girls.
The primary advantage of a SIP is that as long as you keep the reservoir properly filled, you will never over or under water. I understand how a non-organic farmer using chemical fertilizers could have salt accumulation problems in the perlite reservoir, but that's not an issue to me.
I do live in an area with VERY hard water, but hard water "salts" and chemical fertilizer salts are very different creatures. Calcium is the dominant mineral in my area water, and I've never had any problems with too much calcium in my grows. Further, if hard water lead to dangerous levels of chemical buildup, I wouldn't have a yard or trees as they receive the same water as my girls.
The primary advantage of a SIP is that as long as you keep the reservoir properly filled, you will never over or under water. I understand how a non-organic farmer using chemical fertilizers could have salt accumulation problems in the perlite reservoir, but that's not an issue to me.
jojo677
Well-Known Member
I can agree with you there. I'm not sure which salts are harmful to root systems. I WAS referring to calcium salts (as they are the most common in drinking water), but if they give you no problems, I'll step down and plead ignorance. Thanks for the info!
I had continual salt-buildup or nutrient accumulation when trying hempy with hydroton clay pebbles. I thought it was the unused calcium salts in my water supply. Since converting the hempy style buckets to SIP's - Sub Irrigated, I no longer have salt-buildups or pH problems. I have a theory that it was evaporation on the surface of the media that caused those problems. But now that only 10% of the media comes into contact with nutrient solution by wicking/capillary-action all those problems are gone. And far less watering needed since there's nearly no media taking up space in the reservoir.
SquareHead
New Member
I do the same as Maximo. I have been growing my soil plants that way from the beginning. Only thing I do differently to mitigate any salt/chemical/nute build up is that I flush with pure R.O. water a couple of times in veg and a couple of times in flower. Then I take the flushed water that ends up in the saucer and throw it out, or use it on my other indoor plants (tomatoes, peppers, etc.)
morningwood
Well-Known Member
I use the earth box..just let the reservoir dry then water and or feed
Self watering pots can be made to work fine you just can't get optimal results. Those pots are made for a very different purpose and we don't grow plants long enough for those benefits. Again they can be made to work but you actually have to know a bit more about roots science and nutrition then doing it in a way that is more accepted...unless you just get lucky.
We are in and out of the grow in 4-6 months. No need for a self watering pot that doesn't allow for drainage in that kind of a life span. But they can (if used incorrectly) cause permanent damage and even death.
Not a big deal, just you are making things harder for yourself right out of the gate. I used them for a long time and wont ever use them again. They work best if you have a very aerated soil mix with lots of perlite. I only use them now to prop up good pots.
MG poting soil is the absolute wort thing for us. Again we are in and out of the soil too quickly for the benefits of MG soil.
The type of stuff you get at most stores for plants is what you want to grow for a long long time...like years. The things a plant wants that is going to be around for years is vastly different then something we want to grow for 4 months.
Not to say it can't be made to work. I made it work just fine too. But if you want the fastest most optimized growth rate with the highest level of control of the nutrients and soil conditions... you want something with decent drainage and a soil with good aeration and no time released nutes.
We are in and out of the grow in 4-6 months. No need for a self watering pot that doesn't allow for drainage in that kind of a life span. But they can (if used incorrectly) cause permanent damage and even death.
Not a big deal, just you are making things harder for yourself right out of the gate. I used them for a long time and wont ever use them again. They work best if you have a very aerated soil mix with lots of perlite. I only use them now to prop up good pots.
MG poting soil is the absolute wort thing for us. Again we are in and out of the soil too quickly for the benefits of MG soil.
The type of stuff you get at most stores for plants is what you want to grow for a long long time...like years. The things a plant wants that is going to be around for years is vastly different then something we want to grow for 4 months.
Not to say it can't be made to work. I made it work just fine too. But if you want the fastest most optimized growth rate with the highest level of control of the nutrients and soil conditions... you want something with decent drainage and a soil with good aeration and no time released nutes.
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