Questions about vacationing

[cpla]

I'm currently a month and a half into veg. I have a scrog in a grow tent going and it's looking fantastic. This is my second scrog grow and I love it. Anyway, I got about 60% of the scrog filled out. I'm going on vacation for a week. The old lady doesn't feel comfortable with doing anything to them because she's the opposite of a green thumb. She touches plants and they die. For this reason, I've decided to leave them in veg till I get back on the 8th.

I'm using 5 gallon smart pots so the longest I've ever waited to water them was 3 days. I'm gonna be gone for 7. So my question is 2 parts. Am I right for wanting to wait to start flowering till I get back? And, what kinda damage will I do waiting a week to water? I growing in straight ocean forrest. No cutting with perlite or anything like that. Just soil in a smart pot.

 

[Richard Richardson]

When I go away for a week, I saturate their soil mix then fill my tent's drip tray up to a few inches deep with straight water. Being very careful not to get anything electrical wet.

I turn the oscillating tower fan down from 3 to 2, to reduce excess evaporation.

After a week, all the drip tray water is gone & the soil has either just dried out or is still moist, depending on ambient temperatures.

This works both in veg and flower

In lieu of a drip tray, an uninflated, scrunched-up air-mattress also works well.

 

[cpla]

When I go away for a week, I saturate their soil mix then fill my tent's drip tray up to a few inches deep with straight water. Being very careful not to get anything electrical wet.

I turn the oscillating tower fan down from 3 to 2, to reduce excess evaporation.

After a week, all the drip tray water is gone & the soil has either just dried out or is still moist, depending on ambient temperatures.

This works both in veg and flower

In lieu of a drip tray, an uninflated, scrunched-up air-mattress also works well.

Leaving today. I'm gonna try to borderline over water and the old lady is gonna supervise my daughter in watering if necessary. I showed her my hydrogemeter and told ber if it gets below 60 they need water. Fingers crossed! I'll update in a week when I get back! Thanks for the help @RICHARD!

 

[Richard Richardson]

If the soil dries out a bit while they are still in veg, that is not so bad. Also, plucking some fanleaves before you go will reduce their water consumption for the first few days, which may reduce the need for any family intervention!

Sent from my LG-H320 using 420

 

[cpla]

I actually did just that. I didn't realize it would reduce water usage, I just needed to prune a little. White Rhino is quite a bushy strain so I thought I'd take a few fan leaves to allow those bud sights some light. So happy I made that call now. Humidity was at 76 when I left. I think it'll stabilize after I'm gone. I'm using smart pots and they seem to hold moisture well. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Richard Richardson]

Removing the fan leaves reduces transpiration, the evaporation of water from the leaf. When water vapor evaporates from the stomata underneath the leaves, this causes negative pressure in the plant and draws water into the roots.

Fan leaves have the biggest surface area, hence more stomata than anywhere else, so removing these removes a lot of the transpiration capability and slows down the water uptake accordingly.

only a small amount of water taken up by the roots is used for growth and metabolism. The remaining 97—99.5% is lost by transpiration and guttation..... As a water molecule evaporates from the surface of the leaf, it pulls on the adjacent water molecule, creating a continuous flow of water through the plant.

Transpiration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[cpla]

Fook me.... I've been gone two days and the old lady called. Our house flooded. She unplugged the lights and put the plants by the sliding glass window. I don't know how much light they're getting or the humidity levels now. 5 days till I'm home and can fix it. I'm thinking worst case scenario, they'll start flowering before I wanted them to start flowering. I'm freaking pissed. Everything has been jacked since I left. This was just the icing on the cake

 

[Richard Richardson]

The flooding is a bummer, but at least there was someone at home!

Sent from my LG-H320 using 420

 

[cpla]

Yeah. She said the neighbors got about 5 inches in their house. Had it not been for her, 15 towels, and our 200 dollar rug then we'd be in the same boat. Luckily she was able to stop it from getting too bad. The land lord is coming to check out the damage so she took the tent down so he wouldn't see. I don't think it's a problem but I don't tell people I'm growing. Our business stays our business. I understand why she did it, I'm just mad that it happened while I'm visiting the kids. It's always something I guess

 

[WillysMom]

That is bad luck....and what you worry about when you leave for vacation. I'm sorry, and I hope your plants survive...they are tough. Don't let it ruin your trip

 

[cpla]

Update: my step daughter called and asked if she could water them. I fought back the laughter and got her to setup my plants, net, thermometer, and hydrogemeter. Temps were at 74 and humidity was at 92%!!!! I had her open the tent and let it air out until it gets down to 60 and no watering obviously. She's only 7 so she said "most of them are standing up" and that made me happy. If she can tell they're standing up at her age, they must be doing ok.

 

[improvise]

I saw these and thought that's the very thing for when i go on vacation. they are bit fiddly to fill up but work great!. a good watering before i go and insert these job done.

. regards