I have several outdoor cannabis plants in 5 gal pots. 5 are in fabric Smart Pots and the rest are in 5 gal plastic pots. What are your methods (Members of this forum) for watering your plants? I've always been told to wait for the pots to dry almost completely out and become feather light and then water to saturation and run off and then wait for them to dry out again, etc (The wet/dry cycle). I have encountered other growers who water more frequently with less water at a time, (Like 5% of the pot size, every other day) who grow some impressive plants and seem to be able to grow bigger plants than me in the same size pots. I'm just curious how others water their plants.
How do you water your outdoor cannabis plants in fabric and plastic pots?
- Thread starter jokerlola
- Start date
I'm in 7 gallon fabric pots, and I water them until there's the beginning of runoff when the pots are light. But as the plants get bigger, I do water them every day. By the time they're as big as they are now, they actually need it twice a day. By the time the afternoon comes around they're drooping if I don't water them in time.
Zephyrs
Well-Known Member
I do several plants in the backyard in 5 gallon pots every summer. The Best way I have found is to pick them up, get a feel for how much they weigh after a few days of letting them dry a bit. Pick them up again, remember the feel of the weight. Water 1 gallon. Pick up again and remember how much that weighs. Basically I go by feel with my outdoor planter's. You'll get the hang of it. And there's always the second knuckle dry on the finger method. But that isn't reliable when they have just been just transplanted as a start. It's all by Feel Really. And also knowing how much you're soil could be possibly compacted too much by overwatering a young plant in a large container. Hope that helps!
During veg - do proper wet / dry cycles - water when they're dry. You can determine so by weight, leaf wilt...
Once you're flowering - don't do a wet / dry cycle - instead water right before they dry out, keeping the soil moist.
One thing I noticed with fabric containers is that as a plant gets root bound the soil sometimes pulls away from the sides of the container. Then when you water it just pours through the sides... especially so when the soil is dry. To deal with that, I occasionally need to water them twice. The first time to get the soil wet, then again a few hours later or the next day. It's either that, or water extra slowly to avoid the excess runoff - or let them wick it up, but that's not really recommended.
Once you're flowering - don't do a wet / dry cycle - instead water right before they dry out, keeping the soil moist.
One thing I noticed with fabric containers is that as a plant gets root bound the soil sometimes pulls away from the sides of the container. Then when you water it just pours through the sides... especially so when the soil is dry. To deal with that, I occasionally need to water them twice. The first time to get the soil wet, then again a few hours later or the next day. It's either that, or water extra slowly to avoid the excess runoff - or let them wick it up, but that's not really recommended.
greenjeans
Well-Known Member
Mine are in laundry tubs - I use cedar spikes (chunks of cedar shingles) that I shove into the soil right to the bottom - once it seems like they aren't soaking wet or seem dry the top 4 inches I give them a good soak.
garybo
Well-Known Member
jokerlola, I was going to give my technique on watering but after seeing what @Melville Hobbes ,@Zephyrs and @Regrowth wrote, I'll just concur with them.
Stay safe growing
- Thread starter
- #7
So I've pretty much always watered the wet/dry cycle and especially with Smart Pots but with all pots I went by weight and watered only when feather light or when I notice a slight droop and the pots are light. I know some growers (like my cousin and his mentor) that believe in keeping the pots moist and water a little everyday or every other day (when plants are still relatively small and they grow some big, high yielding plants. I was curious if anyone else subscribes to this method or similar methods that is contrary to the wet/dry cycle.
Zephyrs
Well-Known Member
It kinda depends on the make up of your soil mix. I run a 50/50 coco coir/peat mix, highly enriched and amended. So the top dries Way faster then the middle or bottom of the pot. That's why I pick it up to see if she needs a drink.
- Thread starter
- #9
I should have specified soil not coco.
Zephyrs
Well-Known Member
I'm not either, it's a blended mix of coco coir, peat moss, and compost mix. With added macros and micro Bennies.
Sometimes, a thing is successful in spite of what a person does, not because of it.
cbdhemp808
Well-Known Member
Hi @jokerlola!
I'm growing in both 15 gal smart pots, and to a lesser extent, 6 gal black plastic nursery pots. I stick with the wet/dry cycle as best I can, checking pot weight by hand and also keying on droop. There are SOOOO many factors that effect this, so as another member said, you have to go by "feel". I can't recommend strongly enough using coco coir in your soil mix – it's great at helping the water fully permeate the pot, and also retains some moisture (i.e. the dry-out is less abrupt). With coir in the mix, I don't experience that "pulling away" from the side of the smart pot, as another member mentioned. FYI, you can check out my soil mix info via the link in my signature.
I really like the 15 gal smart pots, so they are my mainstay for producing flowers. I use the 6 gal when I have a clone mom that I'll go ahead and let flower out. (I have a perpetual grow, so I am always producing clones to preserve and perpetuate the genetics. I clone the clones.) The 6 gal pots tend to max out – i.e. become root bound – but I have been able to get a decent yield even from a 6 gal pot.
Happy growing!
I watered my outdoor plants like I watered my indoor ones; sometimes the frequency increased.
If they were in the ground, I tried to water evenly out to approximately the area covered by the plant. I don't know how necessary that was. I haven't done an outdoor cannabis grow in years.
If they were in the ground, I tried to water evenly out to approximately the area covered by the plant. I don't know how necessary that was. I haven't done an outdoor cannabis grow in years.
- Thread starter
- #14
I need to keep my plants portable for a couple of reasons. I need to be able to move them for the changing position of the sun in the space I grow and since growing is against my HOA, I need to be able to bring them inside if I'm asked any questions. So 5 gallons is currently my best size.Hi @jokerlola!
I'm growing in both 15 gal smart pots, and to a lesser extent, 6 gal black plastic nursery pots. I stick with the wet/dry cycle as best I can, checking pot weight by hand and also keying on droop. There are SOOOO many factors that effect this, so as another member said, you have to go by "feel". I can't recommend strongly enough using coco coir in your soil mix – it's great at helping the water fully permeate the pot, and also retains some moisture (i.e. the dry-out is less abrupt). With coir in the mix, I don't experience that "pulling away" from the side of the smart pot, as another member mentioned. FYI, you can check out my soil mix info via the link in my signature.
I really like the 15 gal smart pots, so they are my mainstay for producing flowers. I use the 6 gal when I have a clone mom that I'll go ahead and let flower out. (I have a perpetual grow, so I am always producing clones to preserve and perpetuate the genetics. I clone the clones.) The 6 gal pots tend to max out – i.e. become root bound – but I have been able to get a decent yield even from a 6 gal pot.
Happy growing!
One thing I found is that plants started from seed seem to grow slower for me that from cuttings. I started only growing from cuttings for my first 3 grows and I had fast growing plants that grew very big in the Smart Pots. I grew a couple of plants from seed along with some cuttings and the seed plants grew slower and smaller than the clones. I did grow on seed plant in the ground and that plant grew huge despite being started late and put into the ground late. This year I growing from 100% seed, outdoors in 5gal Smart Pots and all of my plants are still relatively small compared to how big clones the same age would be. I've always watered wet/dry. My plants right now seem to be using water up every 5-6 days. They sprouted on 5/1 and were outside by 6/1 so I think they should be bigger than they are. I clones the tops from 2 of them and those clones are of course small but appear to have a faster growth rate. Do clones often grow faster?
greenjeans
Well-Known Member
I am growing two autos in the ground under glass so they get no direct rain. Water table is high here so they are raised about a foot and I water sparingly only to activate any inputs as the soil is never dry. The four photos are in laundry tubs and are watered same as a pot - when the top 5 - 6'' shows dry I give them a good soak following, sort of, Emilyas tutorial.
cbdhemp808
Well-Known Member
My clones do seem to grow faster than seedlings.
MadMike2
Well-Known Member
Fabric certainly needs more frequent watering in the heat of summer than those in the ground. The important aspect is giving enough water when you do. Water can run off the top without enough time to hydrate the soil throughout the whole pot. You can water, let it saturate, go back in a few minutes as the soil hydrates, and water some more. Soaking the exterior of the fabric pot helps too. I love that little burst of scent when I water in the morning. 
cbdhemp808
Well-Known Member
When I water my 15 gal smart pots, I can pour 4-5 gallons of water from a 5 gal bucket slowly and continuously, and it all seeps in quickly. I attribute this to the amount of coco coir that I include in my soil mixture. There's about a 1-2" space between the soil and the top of the pot, and I can fill this gap with water. So, pouring a bucket full of water is fairly quick.
- Thread starter
- #19
I water fairly slowly giving them about 16 oz at a time. If I'm using nutes I will water until about 10% run-off stays in the tray and then I lift out the pots and put them back on the metal mesh chairs I sit them on. This year I am running Sohum Living Soil so I water just enough to get a slight run off but then absorb it back into the pot so I don't wash away the amended nutes in the soil. I don't water again until the pot feels feather lite. If the pot is feather lite but the plant is still standing at full attention, I will wait till I see a slight droop. I try to avoid any kind of wilting thoughFabric certainly needs more frequent watering in the heat of summer than those in the ground. The important aspect is giving enough water when you do. Water can run off the top without enough time to hydrate the soil throughout the whole pot. You can water, let it saturate, go back in a few minutes as the soil hydrates, and water some more. Soaking the exterior of the fabric pot helps too. I love that little burst of scent when I water in the morning.
