The Proper Way To Water A Seedling In A Large Final Container

[Emilya Green]

when i nute i only pour an area about 3 inches around plant then fill in trench with dirt is that good then watering whole pot every 2 days with a gal of water is that good only feeding once a week

Sorry Don, but it sounds like you are drastically overwatering. There are also very good reasons when using nutes to use a water/feed/water/feed alternation all through the grow and to give the nutes to the entire container and let the roots find it. As they say however, there are a 1000 ways to skin a cat, and whatever works for you can not be denied. I simply humbly submit that there is in fact, one very best way to get that cat skinned.

 

[DonBisso1]

Sorry Don, but it sounds like you are drastically overwatering. There are also very good reasons when using nutes to use a water/feed/water/feed alternation all through the grow and to give the nutes to the entire container and let the roots find it. As they say however, there are a 1000 ways to skin a cat, and whatever works for you can not be denied. I simply humbly submit that there is in fact, one very best way to get that cat skinned.

will switch to water/feed/water/feed method when pot are light ( usually 2-3 days in my area) and will feed whole bag from now on i have another 5 weeks of veg left on these girls according to the grower i got them from ( june 21st )

 

[Nine Toed Hippie]

Awesome thread E! Getting ready for my first grow. Can’t wait to use these techniques. Thanks for the knowledge.

NTH

 

[Emilya Green]

Awesome thread E! Getting ready for my first grow. Can’t wait to use these techniques. Thanks for the knowledge.

NTH

You are very welcome NTH... good luck in your grow!

 

[COLATL]

Hi, Emilya. I was wondering what could be the amount of water in order to get "3x the height of the plant" for my plants....I have them in a 4 gallon pot

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi, Emilya. I was wondering what could be the amount of water in order to get "3x the height of the plant" for my plants....I have them in a 4 gallon pot

3x the diameter of the plant. Each of your plants shown here could handle a full saturating watering of their individual containers, and then you can see how many days it takes each one to drain that water... they will all be different.

 

[goosebuds420]

If my seedling is showing signs of nutrient deficiency (yellowing at end of leaves) but I still need to water it with the spray bottle to try promote better root growth after initially overwatering it, how should I go about giving it a decent amount of nutrients?

Today I gave it roughly 300ml of water that had nutrients mixed in at the rate of 5ml/l and I've been spraying the top soil with PH'd water two times a day to keep it moist.

Is this a good strategy? Ill be giving plain Ph water every other feeding but want to know if I'm overdoing it at 300ml, I wait until the top soil drys out before giving it a dose that large each time.

 

[Emilya Green]

If my seedling is showing signs of nutrient deficiency (yellowing at end of leaves) but I still need to water it with the spray bottle to try promote better root growth after initially overwatering it, how should I go about giving it a decent amount of nutrients?

Today I gave it roughly 300ml of water that had nutrients mixed in at the rate of 5ml/l and I've been spraying the top soil with PH'd water two times a day to keep it moist.

Is this a good strategy? Ill be giving plain Ph water every other feeding but want to know if I'm overdoing it at 300ml, I wait until the top soil drys out before giving it a dose that large each time.

Hi @goosebuds420 and welcome to the forum!
I would like to answer your questions, but there are too many unknowns here for me to be able to do so. First, is that soil or coco? My watering methods only apply to soil, coco is a completely different thing. I am trying to figure out why you need nutrients this early. Second, not knowing what nutrients you are using, I have no idea what 5ml/l is or how much would be appropriate.

Plants this size should not need spraying and by now you probably should be watering with the watering can based on the diameter of the plant, and not twice a day, again, if you are in soil. You say you initially overwatered... please describe how that happened, and then why you believe that watering every time the top soil dries out is not overwatering. At this point I find myself too confused to be able to give you the good answer you deserve... please give me some more details and I will try again.

 

[goosebuds420]

Hi @goosebuds420 and welcome to the forum!
I would like to answer your questions, but there are too many unknowns here for me to be able to do so. First, is that soil or coco? My watering methods only apply to soil, coco is a completely different thing. I am trying to figure out why you need nutrients this early. Second, not knowing what nutrients you are using, I have no idea what 5ml/l is or how much would be appropriate.

Plants this size should not need spraying and by now you probably should be watering with the watering can based on the diameter of the plant, and not twice a day, again, if you are in soil. You say you initially overwatered... please describe how that happened, and then why you believe that watering every time the top soil dries out is not overwatering. At this point I find myself too confused to be able to give you the good answer you deserve... please give me some more details and I will try again.

Soil 70% Perlite 30%.
5 Gallon Fabric Pot
Grow Nutes - 12N-2P-13K-7S with 1.3% calcium.
Water PH - 6.2-6.8.
Temperature - 20-25c consistently.
RH - 60-70% consistently.

The over watering happened since I was using a watering can from the very beginning and not a spray bottle, so I'm lead to believe I was making the roots swim and not challenging them by watering them with a watering can every day as growth became very slow. By 5ml/L I mean I'm mixing 5ml of nutes per 4L, forgot to add in the 4 there previously.

I don't think waiting till the top soil dries out is overwatering, I just want to confirm that the strategy I'm going with now is a better option and not going to cause more problems.

Thanks for your assistance though, let me know if you need any further information!

 

[Grower2020]

In the beginning, you may even want to start your seed directly in the final container, simply by putting it one inch deep, pointy end down. It is surprising to some how often this works, even though mother nature does it all the time. If you go this route, lightly mist the area around the seed several times a day with 5-10 good squirts, attempting to only wet down as far as that seed. Continue this until the seedling hits the surface.

Keep using the spray bottle twice a day, now attempting to give enough water to soak in to roughly 3x the plant's height, and in a circle out to 3x the plant's diameter, by at least doubling the amount of squirts you gave to the seedling. Do not soak the entire container right away.... your new seedling cant handle that much water and if the seedling starts to wander or swim in the wet soil, you are giving too much.

Water like this, with these relatively small amounts a couple of times a day, always attempting to get a good part of that water out away from the trunk of the plant, by trying to make the outside edges of that circle 3x the diameter of the plant, the wettest places in the container.... you are attempting to entice the top roots to grow out in that direction.

After the plant has gotten a couple of leaves and gotten taller, it will no longer swim around in the soil if given a lot of water, and it is time to get a bit more aggressive than the spray bottle can do... it is time to move to the watering can and a couple of cups of water at first, slowly soaking the entire top surface of the container. We aren't trying to saturate the container yet, but we do want enough water to soak into the entire surface at least 3x the height of the plant, and we want some of that water to head straight down the middle, where the roots are trying to reach the bottom. This is when it is handy to have been an outside vegetable gardener, so that you know how to test the top of the soil to see if it is moist. When you can no longer feel moisture a day or two later, water like this again.

When the plant's 3x diameter reaches the outside edges of the container, water the entire container slowly, to saturation (runoff) for the first time. It will take a week or more for the plant to use all of that water on this first round, but you don't want the plant to sit idle all of that time either, or it will stagnate. It is time to change the watering pattern again.

Every 3 days or so do a partial watering of the top of the surface, again with only enough water to soak in to the first 3 or 4 inches of soil. Two specialized sets of roots are now forming, the top spreader roots designed to choke off other plants and quickly gather up rain, and the bottom tap and feeder roots. You are attempting to water only the top spreader roots, while the bottom tap/feeder roots continue to work on the water sitting in the bottom of the container for as long as it takes to clear that first full watering.

You may have to do this secondary top watering 2 or 3 times while you wait for the container to dry out all the way to the bottom. Force the plant to grow the necessary roots to do this job by being patient, and the plant will eventually use all of that water. Once the lift method, a dip stick or a moisture meter tells you that is is finally dry down to the last inch of container, it is time to water completely again and repeat the process, while every 3 days watering the top, until the bottom finally syncs up with the top.

Every time you go through one of these cycles, the roots will get stronger and the time between complete waterings will diminish. Eventually the top and the bottom will sync up and you will not have to do the secondary watering any more, you will just be watering the whole container every 3 days or so, as the wet/dry cycle stabilizes at around 3 days.

It is important to cycle the plant like this all through veg so as to force the plants to develop a solid root ball... the roots do not grow to fill that container unless you challenge them. Once you get into bloom, it is time to change your watering strategy.

From then on your goal is not building roots, it is time to really start using the roots that you have carefully built. Your goal at the end of stretch should be to start pumping as much water/nutes into the plant as it can take. I typically will force a plant that is perfectly happy with a 3 day wet/dry cycle into an every other day watering all during bloom... and with the roots you have forced the plant to grow in Veg, they will be able to take just about as much water as they did in 3 days, if you have done this correctly.

Good Luck and Good Grows!
Emilya

Have you got one of these watering instructions written for coco at all ?

 

[Emilya Green]

Have you got one of these watering instructions written for coco at all ?

No, sorry. I have never run coco. There are plenty of good guides out there for coco however and I am sure that with a little bit of searching you will find what you need here at 420 Magazine.

 

[GSCuz]

Another grow completed using this method. Wedding Cheesecake Auto, got her going in her final 5gal pot using the methods in this thread... So did it work? 6 Oz dried and trimmed and a great Carrot below

 

[Emilya Green]

Another grow completed using this method. Wedding Cheesecake Auto, got her going in her final 5gal pot using the methods in this thread... So did it work? 6 Oz dried and trimmed and a great Carrot below

Awesome roots @GSCuz! Thank you for showing us what this method can create! 6oz dry!!! Great job!

 

[Growdad420]

Soil 70% Perlite 30%.
5 Gallon Fabric Pot
Grow Nutes - 12N-2P-13K-7S with 1.3% calcium.
Water PH - 6.2-6.8.
Temperature - 20-25c consistently.
RH - 60-70% consistently.

The over watering happened since I was using a watering can from the very beginning and not a spray bottle, so I'm lead to believe I was making the roots swim and not challenging them by watering them with a watering can every day as growth became very slow. By 5ml/L I mean I'm mixing 5ml of nutes per 4L, forgot to add in the 4 there previously.

I don't think waiting till the top soil dries out is overwatering, I just want to confirm that the strategy I'm going with now is a better option and not going to cause more problems.

Thanks for your assistance though, let me know if you need any further information!

Just my two cents, you should maintain a PH of 6.2-6.3 no more no less. Allowing your PH to get up to 6.8 will cause nute lockout, and then your plant will not take in the nutrients.

As far as the watering, you say you let it dry out before giving it a big dose of nutrients. Are you measuring the PH? You also say you spray it twice a day for the feeders. The feeders may be getting too much water to EMs point.
If you don't get the PH down to 6.2 consistently then the plant will suffer nute deficiencies. The plants at this stage typically last 3 days before water is needed.

I hope you are able to recover this plant and bring it back to a healthy stage.

 

[Emilya Green]

I don't think waiting till the top soil dries out is overwatering, I just want to confirm that the strategy I'm going with now is a better option and not going to cause more problems.

The state of the top soil has nothing to do with the state of the soil at the bottom of the container, which is where the tap/feed roots are. After watering, gravity rapidly drops the water table below the top 3-4 inches as the plant begins to use the water, not to mention the little bit that is lost by evaporation. If you are only watching the top and watering when you feel it is dry, you are definitely overwatering and drowning your roots at the bottom of the container. Sorry Goose, but it sounds like despite reading my warnings you are still overwatering by watering too often.

 

[Emilya Green]

Just my two cents, you should maintain a PH of 6.2-6.3 no more no less. Allowing your PH to get up to 6.8 will cause nute lockout, and then your plant will not take in the nutrients.

As far as the watering, you say you let it dry out before giving it a big dose of nutrients. Are you measuring the PH? You also say you spray it twice a day for the feeders. The feeders may be getting too much water to EMs point.
If you don't get the PH down to 6.2 consistently then the plant will suffer nute deficiencies. The plants at this stage typically last 3 days before water is needed.

I hope you are able to recover this plant and bring it back to a healthy stage.

Many advisors on the internet tell their victims to adjust to 6.5 pH, right in the middle of the range. Even 6.5 is too high to adjust your pH to. Then, because of upward drift, you totally miss out on the nutrients that are the most mobile between 6.3-6.5. PH is described as a range you should try to hit, not just one number... but if you have to shoot for a number, aim for the low end, so the upward drift built into the soil will allow you to use the ENTIRE range of 6.2-6.8, allowing each nutrient to be most mobile where it naturally occurs and allowing your plants full access to them all.

 

[Growdad420]

Many advisors on the internet tell their victims to adjust to 6.5 pH, right in the middle of the range. Even 6.5 is too high to adjust your pH to. Then, because of upward drift, you totally miss out on the nutrients that are the most mobile between 6.3-6.5. PH is described as a range you should try to hit, not just one number... but if you have to shoot for a number, aim for the low end, so the upward drift built into the soil will allow you to use the ENTIRE range of 6.2-6.8, allowing each nutrient to be most mobile where it naturally occurs and allowing your plants full access to them all.

I tried both the 6.2 and the 6.5. Nothing but problems when I adjusted to 6.5. So I always shoot for 6.2 with your watering method and nothing but success. 6.2 has been my standard go to for PH, this with FFOC, works perfectly everytime.

 

[GSCuz]

I tried both the 6.2 and the 6.5. Nothing but problems when I adjusted to 6.5. So I always shoot for 6.2 with your watering method and nothing but success. 6.2 has been my standard go to for PH, this with FFOC, works perfectly everytime.

Interesting comments on the pH. I grow Autos and many of the online resources talk about 6-7 as the complete range ... My last two plants (in soil) I pH'd up to 6.8 strict and both have turned out wonderfully. Both had no issues during the grow and have produced 6 & 8oZ respectively. I use the BioCanna line of organic nutes so maybe that plays a role.

 

[Growdad420]

Interesting comments on the pH. I grow Autos and many of the online resources talk about 6-7 as the complete range ... My last two plants (in soil) I pH'd up to 6.8 strict and both have turned out wonderfully. Both had no issues during the grow and have produced 6 & 8oZ respectively. I use the BioCanna line of organic nutes so maybe that plays a role.

It may. I am a fan of FFOC. I'm too high most days, so I try to keep my grow simple as possible. Kudos to all those who venture out and try new things!

 

[Emilya Green]

Interesting comments on the pH. I grow Autos and many of the online resources talk about 6-7 as the complete range ... My last two plants (in soil) I pH'd up to 6.8 strict and both have turned out wonderfully. Both had no issues during the grow and have produced 6 & 8oZ respectively. I use the BioCanna line of organic nutes so maybe that plays a role.

That plays a big role! You are growing organically and the plants and the microbes don't care about the ph as long as it's withinareasonablerange. The only reason we PH adjust is for synthetically made nutrients that are locked up in their EDTA bonds until they reach a certain ph range. You probably have absolutely no need to adjust or even measure your ph.