Is it better to under water than overwater

[joedaddy805]

I was wondering if its ok to let the leaves droop a lil before watering. Ive been waiting for the leaves to droop a lil before i water cause i don't want to over water them. But i don't know if that is bad to do cause it might stress the plant out a lil.

 

[TanR]

joedaddy805.

I think the short answer would probably be yes, it is better to underwater. Ideally though, we should be making not of how frequently our plants need water and supplying it just prior to the leaf wilt. I've let mine wilt a few times and have not noticed any long term harm that has come of it, and I've also noticed that toward the end of the grow cycle my girls use more water than when they were smaller plants, which obviously makes sense.

 

[JJ Bones]

People new to growing often treat watering as a mystical science when it's very simple. All you need to do is put your finger 1-2" into the soil and feel if its moist or dry. Also lifting the pots will help you know.

If it's moist, let it go, if its dry give it a good watering.

 

[joedaddy805]

With the rule about 2 inches down most of the roots are lower than that so wouldn't u want to check lower. i know my roots are about 5 inches deep. i try and go by weight but sometimes i still think I'm overwatering.

 

[JJ Bones]

You can if you'd like, all your doing is getting an estimate of the soil. If you want to be totally accurate there are moisture meters you can purchase at local stores like Home Depot.

How big are your pots and how often are you watering?

 

[joedaddy805]

they are 1/2 gal pots and i water about every 5 days

 

[Barrelhorses]

I just scrolled through your veg journal and your plants look fantastic. I like clay pots cause they dry out quicker and are hard to over water. On the plastic pots I keep a eye on the bottom also to see how wet or dry it is. Something that I picked up from a hydro post is you can use 1tbs of hydrogen perioxide to 1gal of water. Love your grow box, classic!

 

[CO Finest]

One of the best ways is to pick pot up for weight check.

 

[Icemud]

I grow in a scrog style fashion so picking up the pots doesn't work for me, however, I went and bought one of the EL-Cheepo garden 3 way meters (analog) for like 15$ and it has a setting for moisture. The probes/prongs are about 10" long so as I push it down into the soil I watch the moisture dial/guage and I have to say the thing is pretty accurate.

I've also done the finger into the soil thing and it works well too, but the meters for the price are definitely a nice little tool. Mine also has a PH reading, but I dont trust it at all, nor use it because I don't care about my soil PH, but the little moisture feature is nice.

Also, the picking up the pots method works very good, I do it all the way up until my plants are grown into the scrog, then its the El-cheepo meter.

 

[The303Stoner]

its best to have good drainage. most sativa Cannabis grows like crazy near tropical volcanoes have you ever seen a lava rock.

 

[CronicHempHog]

yea better to wait than overwater but if you know the dry weight of the pot and it feels like its there why wait till the leaves droop?

 

[Jimmycricket]

I was wondering if its ok to let the leaves droop a lil before watering. Ive been waiting for the leaves to droop a lil before i water cause i don't want to over water them. But i don't know if that is bad to do cause it might stress the plant out a lil.

Waiting till the plant SLIGHTLY droops from being dry is not a bad way to do it at all. If done right it does not cause stress and it in many cases seems to actually make the plants grow faster.

 

[KingJohnC]

You should lift up your pots when the soil is dry and when the soil is wet to get a feel for the weight. Place you finger 1-2 inches in the soil and feel how moist the soil is.

 

[Calyx Hunter]

Here's my philosophy:
When the soil is moist and full of nutrients the plant soaks it up for foliar growth. As the soil dries plant energy goes to the roots which actively search for water. Allowing the soil to mostly dry promotes strong root growth and prevents pests like mold and fungus gnats. You will also notice that after watering the dry soil the plants will jump over night.

 

[Lester Freeman]

The way I know when to water is when my plants start to slightly droop, that way I know that mostly the entire pot has been dried out. I also examine the first two inches with my fingers to feel for dryness or moisture, as well as use the moisture probe down below (even though calibration and erosion of the probes can cause mis-leading results about soil moisture down below, and many times the meter will say it is "wet" or moist" when in fact the plant needs water), so the best way for me to is to feel how they feel, when they start to droop a tad is when I give them the water. In fact, letting the pots dry out completely will aerate the roots, as well as it causes the plant to metabolize the nutrients they need in an effective and balanced manner, we see less deficiencies and plant problems when the water schedule is done correctly. I also believe that by letting them dry out correctly prior to watering and feeding helps increase crop yields and quality. But I only grow outdoors, so it's just my two cents.

Another good thing to do, as other posters mentioned, is to pick up the pot and compare the weight difference as if it had just been watered, but sometimes when plants get so big, it no longer is an option.

Cannabis fairs very well in hot and dry conditions, so it doesn't immediately die as soon as the water in the container runs out, in fact, the plant adapts to survive longer by performing cellular respiration (C6H12O6 (s) + 6 O2 (g) → 6 CO2 (g) + 6 H2O) in order to form water, which it can then turn around and use to do more photosynthesis (6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2) to store more cellulose and sugar. So it can just break down its own sugars and supply itself with the water and energy it needs for some limited amount of time until it gets its true feeding.

 

[joedaddy805]

thats what I've been doing is let the leaves droop just a lil then give them a drink. i just wanted to know if it hurts them by doing this cause I've been wanting to make sure i don't over water. i know the pot weight thing but i wanted to be sure that i was completely dried out before i watered so I've been letting the leaves droop before watering. but from the sounds of it i guess it won't hurt them. so i guess ill continue on the visual signs till i water them again. thanks everyone for the input.

Fell free to check out my two journals and let me know what you think. I'm still a newbie at this growing expedition.

 

[LKV]

The way I know when to water is when my plants start to slightly droop, that way I know that mostly the entire pot has been dried out. I also examine the first two inches with my fingers to feel for dryness or moisture, as well as use the moisture probe down below (even though calibration and erosion of the probes can cause mis-leading results about soil moisture down below, and many times the meter will say it is "wet" or moist" when in fact the plant needs water), so the best way for me to is to feel how they feel, when they start to droop a tad is when I give them the water. In fact, letting the pots dry out completely will aerate the roots, as well as it causes the plant to metabolize the nutrients they need in an effective and balanced manner, we see less deficiencies and plant problems when the water schedule is done correctly. I also believe that by letting them dry out correctly prior to watering and feeding helps increase crop yields and quality. But I only grow outdoors, so it's just my two cents.

Another good thing to do, as other posters mentioned, is to pick up the pot and compare the weight difference as if it had just been watered, but sometimes when plants get so big, it no longer is an option.

Cannabis fairs very well in hot and dry conditions, so it doesn't immediately die as soon as the water in the container runs out, in fact, the plant adapts to survive longer by performing cellular respiration (C6H12O6 (s) + 6 O2 (g) → 6 CO2 (g) + 6 H2O) in order to form water, which it can then turn around and use to do more photosynthesis (6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2) to store more cellulose and sugar. So it can just break down its own sugars and supply itself with the water and energy it needs for some limited amount of time until it gets its true feeding.

sounds like great advice Lester, One of my outdoor growing ladies drooping badly for the past 3 days, I don't think i'm overwatering but this is my first grow , Try to water them every 4th day or as needed, I went down about 4 " in the soil to see if the soil was wet, it was not but not dried out, as she seems to be getting worse today so I just gave her a good drink with nutes , The one thats really drooping is this one is in a 9 gallon terra-cotta pot