I suck at watering

[Tedmarx38]

Friends, I’ve tried numerous approaches to the water/dry cycle and have failed. Constantly. I am a bad machine.

If I wanted to water ever other day or so, how much would I use per plant?

Specifics:
Three auto northern lights in five gallon fabric, in commercially prepared soil.
Temp about 80, humidity 40%, SF 2000 led in a 2x4x5 tent.

Cheers all.

 

[HappyHazmat88]

Hello lol alot of struggle with this... I have this in my tent as a reminder....it has helped alot and if I had to say it..saved my grow following this.

Edit: I am also a soil grower

 

[Phytoplankton]

You're in soil, so the soil/plant should determine the watering schedule, not you. Emilya has a great tutorial for watering plants. I use the knuckle test, I stick my finger in the soil and when I get to the 2nd knuckle if it's dry, I water until I get about 10-20% runoff. Water completely, then let it dry before watering again.

 

[Azimuth]

If I wanted to water ever other day or so, how much would I use per plant?

Yeah, that's your problem, wanting to be on a schedule rather than having the plants tell you. Don't feel bad, you've got a lot of company.

I, for one, am a very accomplished over waterer. It is a very hard thing to learn since we feel like we're starving the plant or going to lose the roots of they dry out.

For this grow, you're going to have to somehow learn to let them dry out. The roots only build when the soil dries out and they have to go looking for water.

For future grows, maybe have a look at other methods instead of soil. Coco grows get watered every day or two, as do perlite hempy grows.

Maybe finding a method and substrate that matches your tendencies would be easier and more successful than trying to fight it every single time.

 

[Emilya Green]

You can only water as frequently as your roots can handle it because it is imperative to let the roots dry out all the way to the bottom between waterings, if you want the plant to grow new roots that are seeking out the very last water in the container. Each time you force the plant to go dry between waterings, the stronger your roots get. The stronger the roots get, the faster your plant can drain the water, so the time between waterings will diminish. When the plant can drain all of the water the soil can hold in 24-36 hours, it is time to uppot and start teasing the water again so as to fill that next container with roots.

Typically a container of soil should hold enough water for 2-4 days worth of action, and you have done well if by the end of veg and the first 2 weeks of stretch in bloom, you are at a 2-3 day wet/dry cycle. Watering every day or every other day is rarely what you end up with though, and forcing that much water on the plant will not help her if you end up drowning the roots.

Bottom line is that you can't decide this for your plant. It is important for you to establish your wet/dry cycle period and then stick with it, or several things can go wrong. It is far better to give less water than the plant wants than to water too often and develop lazy roots that never had to go searching for water.

You're in soil, so the soil/plant should determine the watering schedule, not you. Emilya has a great tutorial for watering plants. I use the knuckle test, I stick my finger in the soil and when I get to the 2nd knuckle if it's dry, I water until I get about 10-20% runoff. Water completely, then let it dry before watering again.

The knuckle test tells you nothing that you need to know while in veg, but it can be used effectively in bloom, when you want to push water. Sticking your knuckles in the top of the container only tells you what the soil is like up there in the top of the container, and doesn't inform you at all what is happening in the lower half of the container, where there could still be a lake of water sitting in there. Knuckle waterers are almost always overwaterers, because they water too often. Use a dip stick, the lift the pot method or a moisture meter to assure that the water table has fallen down into the last inch or two of the container... do not be a knuckle waterer.

 

[Tedmarx38]

Thanks all. Good tips all around. Here’s the problem: I water til run off and then let them dry … as in I can slide my fingers and part of my hand almost to the bottom along the sack’s side before finding moisture….and then water til runoff yet they immediately take on a droopy look that wreaks of overwatering. I’m using about a gallon per five gallon pot.

Part of the problem I suppose is that because overwatering rots roots and prevents nutrients and moisture absorption, it looks just like under watering as I’m sure you all know. I’m using very clean spring water with the only additive being ph adjustment to 6.5, as the source is alkaline (8.3 or so).

I’m gathering there’s no solution then that involves daily or semi daily watering with a smaller amount.

 

[marcus611a]

You can only water as frequently as your roots can handle it because it is imperative to let the roots dry out all the way to the bottom between waterings, if you want the plant to grow new roots that are seeking out the very last water in the container. Each time you force the plant to go dry between waterings, the stronger your roots get. The stronger the roots get, the faster your plant can drain the water, so the time between waterings will diminish. When the plant can drain all of the water the soil can hold in 24-36 hours, it is time to uppot and start teasing the water again so as to fill that next container with roots.

Typically a container of soil should hold enough water for 2-4 days worth of action, and you have done well if by the end of veg and the first 2 weeks of stretch in bloom, you are at a 2-3 day wet/dry cycle. Watering every day or every other day is rarely what you end up with though, and forcing that much water on the plant will not help her if you end up drowning the roots.

Bottom line is that you can't decide this for your plant. It is important for you to establish your wet/dry cycle period and then stick with it, or several things can go wrong. It is far better to give less water than the plant wants than to water too often and develop lazy roots that never had to go searching for water.

The knuckle test tells you nothing that you need to know while in veg, but it can be used effectively in bloom, when you want to push water. Sticking your knuckles in the top of the container only tells you what the soil is like up there in the top of the container, and doesn't inform you at all what is happening in the lower half of the container, where there could still be a lake of water sitting in there. Knuckle waterers are almost always overwaterers, because they water too often. Use a dip stick, the lift the pot method or a moisture meter to assure that the water table has fallen down into the last inch or two of the container... do not be a knuckle waterer.

I agree knuckle test is definitely no go...

 

[Azimuth]

I think @Nunyabiz 's method involves very small amounts of water everyday (like 5% of the container volume if memory serves), but he uses a living soil with cover crops and active soil with lots of bugs.

He could inform on that method better than I.

 

[013]

Hi I‘m 013 but previously was a serial overwaterer….

The problem with overwatering is lack of oxygen to the root zone…. roots cannot breathe in a continuously wet soil. When soil in top of container is dry - the soil in bottom is still very much wet.

ditto Emilya…. lift the pot / weigh the pot… take same size container and fill with same soil mix but do not add water. Either lift the pot or use digital scale to establish how much the soil weighs when dry…. use that number as your comparison weight, the plant weighs nothing the difference is the water weight.

the water 5% everyday dealio is for living organic soil… for most soil types watering every day is a major no-no. Roots that are supplied everything that they need become lazy and never learn to search for water…

I’d imagine there are very few places on Gods green earth where the plants get watered every or every other day….. more water does not equate to more growth… more water means greater chance of botyritis, pm, root rot and increased pest pressure

the wet dry cycle is important for most soil types, In veg cycle weed plants simply do not need watering every day, every other day, or on a regular schedule.. once you get to flower cycle you can keep the soil more well watered.

Instead of forcing plants to adapt to your watering schedule, suggest adjusting your water program to fit the needs of the plant.

 

[skirk]

Were I to use the knuckle method, I wouldn't know the middle and bottom contain enough moisture and could water too often, keeping the roots in saturated medium, thus depriving them of oxygen. If they can't breathe they can't perform their essential functions and plant health is negatively affected. To say nothing about wet medium attracting unwanted pests and mold. When my 5gal airpots or fabric pots, get light, I double check with moisture meter and when needed I water to the first drop of runoff. In my light and fluffy mix and grow environment this is usually 3-4 days and I typically get the runoff at a quart and a half or so using 16oz. squeeze bottle and taking my time. I go to this extent because I too was terrible at watering.
Remember this - "you can't overwater" a well draining pot. The problems come in when you do it to often.
If I hold your head underwater for 5minutes, the water doesn't kill you, the lack of oxygen does. Same with roots in saturated medium.

 

[Nunyabiz]

It sounds to me like you would be better served by growing in coco.
If you need to stick to smaller pots (under 15 gal) and you are going to bottle feed then coco is far easier to deal with.
Just water every single day with mostly 1/4 strength nutrients designed for coco. You basically can't overwater coco in fabric pots and the roots get good oxygen and fast growth.

I grow in Living Organic Soil in 20-25 gallon fabric pots.
My soil holds lots of oxygen, has cover crop roots in it, worm holes all over, at least 30-35% aeration in the form of pumice, biochar and rice hulls and I oxygenate my water to put as much dissolved oxygen as possible into the root zone.
I water usually everyday at 5% of soil volume which is 1 gallon of water per 20 gallon pot, little less than that first week, sometimes a little more than that during the stretch. I keep my soil moist at all times never allowing it to dry out at all.

My roots receive a lot of dissolved oxygen and there's tons of nooks and crannies in the pumice, biochar and worm holes.

Technically overwatering is never the problem, the problem is the chosen mediums inability to hold dissolved oxygen and drain properly.
For me personally, if I can't water pretty much everyday then I need to change my grow medium to one that can properly aerate the roots so they can get plenty of oxygen.
Letting roots dry out is simply not acceptable for the way I like to grow.
For me thats LOS in 20+ gallon fabric pots, if I were to grow in smaller pots I would choose coco.

 

[Emilya Green]

and since you have already started in soil, the trick is to not water so often. Advising you to move to coco or change to a living soil is not helpful to you now, maybe next grow. All you need to do now is let your plants dry out between waterings.

 

[Icemud]

Simplest way to know if they need water...(in soil) Watch the leaves.

If the leaves look perky and standing with good posture you don't need to water. When the leaves start to droop/sag, the plants need water.

If the leaves are perky and not sagging, don't feed them.

Once you start to do this, you will see some strains require more frequent feedings, where other strains may not use much water at all. For instance my GDP, hates being watered too much or too frequently and it only takes 1 mistake to pretty much screw it up for the entire cycle, where other strains like my GG4 use a LOT more water than the GDP and require almost double as frequent as feedings and volume as my GDP...

So easiest way to know when to water... watch the plants and let them tell you and after a few weeks you will learn what the plants needs are and start "timing" the feedings.

If you really want to make sure... Then do the "lift the pot" method... A dry pot of soil will weigh virtually nothing more than the pot+plant weight as the soil really doesn't weigh much... A wet pot will be much much heavier with water saturated soil..... So you can always watch the leaves, and then to make sure, lift up your pot and feel if its heavy or not.. If it doesn't feel like dry soil, then most likely you don't need to feed it.

 

[HopHead]

Looks can be deceiving. Surface soil can be dry so you think it's time to water. Maybe the soil lower down in the pot is soggy. Leaves may be drooping so you think she needs watering. Maybe the leaves are drooping because she's overwatered. The solution is to pick up the pot before watering. If you do this then you will develop a sense of how dry or wet the soil is. If you're unsure after picking up the pot, remember, It's better to underwater than to overwater cannabis.

 

[CultivationArt]

The weight of the pot is my best way of telling. Essp when your at 5gal and up.
If you have to question the obvious. Wait another day. Always wait another day rather than just saying f it and giving it water. Let. Her. Dry. Very important

 

[Fenderbender]

@Tedmarx38 How did you fill the pots? as I advise to do it according to Bill284's method.. which is starting with a layer of perlite activating it with a spraybottle and then layer lasagne soil & perlite alternating till you fill the pot, the best ratio you might need to ask him.
You'll get better drainage and the pot is more quickly and more evenly dry as before this I always had watering nightmares as well as it would remain soggy down below or in the centre and plants get droopy.
In veg watering is very infrequent and the frequency increases when the plants get larger and a lot more during flower.
I don't know why you would want to water small amounts every day as it's way easier watering once a week or every couple of days and just letting them grow.

If you want a steadfast watering ritual throughout the grow you kinda always need the correct root to pot ratio and uppot several times.

 

[Azimuth]

This is a dormant thread, but lately a bunch of us have switched over to SIPs (sub irrigated planters). Water daily (or even more often) to your heart's content. Check out #SIP Club

 

[greenjeans]

do not be a knuckle waterer.

Yeah!! You wannabe a knucklehead????
I use a cedar stick, whittled and sanded sharp and smooth that I shove down into the soil almost to the bottom and leave it for 15 min or more and if it comes out pretty much dry - time for a drink,
and sometimes the plant gets water as well!!!

 

[Azimuth]

Kinda like a college drinking game, just at a much slower pace.