Watering: how dry?

Greenlizard

Greenlizard

Well-Known Member
So as I am nearing the end of my first grow I notice the main issue I see with new growers is over watering or just really oddly made up watering schedules. The word "schedule" shouldn't even be associated with growing in soil when speaking about watering.
I was fortunate enough to find a great post by Emilya that teaches you how to properly water before I made any mistakes. Here is a link to her post: The Proper Way To Water A Potted Plant
I just wanted to take a moment to share a couple photos that shows just how resilient these plants are and how you should not be affraid to let them dry out.
These are some of my clones that will be put into flower once I harvest the mothers. I am going to be up-poting them soon as well.
As you can see they are very dry and wilted. I could have watered the day before but I wanted to let them really dry out just to show the best example.
The next photo was taken only 12 hours later. They perked pack up into full vigour.
Don't be shy to let them dry.
 

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I'm always amazed at how fast they perk up after a nice drink-
If you're patient (or pretty baked,or both) you can sit there and actually watch them come back to their previous healthy looking selves in a matter of 30 minutes or so.
 
I just read Emilya's watering tutorial last night. It helped me immensely on a mental level letting my little babies get good and dry. I measured runoff this morning! Learning!
 
Im trying my damndest to go by weight and visually, but I let them go really bone dry finally over the last 4 or 5 days and they weighed like nothing compared to what I was letting them dry to previously. Then I soaked the crap out of them till they drained out the bottom properly and I'm pretty sure I previously haven't been getting them re-heavy enough either. I think I'm learning over the last month of beyond seedling stage is let them get really dry and then let them have a proper drink. We'll see how I execute going forward lol :yahoo:
 
Edge05 said:
Wow thats crazy fast comeback! How long was the pot dry for at the bottom? I almosy succumbed to overwatering myself, but am on a cycle now. As I have been wondering, how long can the pot be dry; does plant size, pot size, etc all play a role or just watch the leaves?
Click to expand...
I look for the wilt in veg... I am looking for the bottom leaves to start to drop, and it is easy to see since most of the time my plants are lifting up strongly to the light, or praying as some call it. As soon as those first lower fans start to hit horizontal or even lower, I notice it. I can also smell it... the plants really start stinking at that point, saying water me... water me...
That lower leaf droop tells you that you have about 12 hours left. At some point there will not be enough water in the container to be able to maintain the water pressure in the stem that holds the plant upright and you proceed from droop to wilt. Wilting at the trunk is not exactly desirable. The plant will easily recover if you catch it in time, but aim for that first droop and that perfume pump at that point. That is the perfect time to water, and if you do it slowly enough, some of what you pour in will go directly into the plant.
 
Emilya said:
I look for the wilt in veg... I am looking for the bottom leaves to start to drop, and it is easy to see since most of the time my plants are lifting up strongly to the light, or praying as some call it. As soon as those first lower fans start to hit horizontal or even lower, I notice it. I can also smell it... the plants really start stinking at that point, saying water me... water me...
That lower leaf droop tells you that you have about 12 hours left. At some point there will not be enough water in the container to be able to maintain the water pressure in the stem that holds the plant upright and you proceed from droop to wilt. Wilting at the trunk is not exactly desirable. The plant will easily recover if you catch it in time, but aim for that first droop and that perfume pump at that point. That is the perfect time to water, and if you do it slowly enough, some of what you pour in will go directly into the plant.
Click to expand...
Thats some great info, thank you!
 
You actually save a little bit on nutes,too. (If you use them)
 
Greenlizard said:
So as I am nearing the end of my first grow I notice the main issue I see with new growers is over watering or just really oddly made up watering schedules. The word "schedule" shouldn't even be associated with growing in soil when speaking about watering.
I was fortunate enough to find a great post by Emilya that teaches you how to properly water before I made any mistakes. Here is a link to her post: The Proper Way To Water A Potted Plant
I just wanted to take a moment to share a couple photos that shows just how resilient these plants are and how you should not be affraid to let them dry out.
These are some of my clones that will be put into flower once I harvest the mothers. I am going to be up-poting them soon as well.
As you can see they are very dry and wilted. I could have watered the day before but I wanted to let them really dry out just to show the best example.
The next photo was taken only 12 hours later. They perked pack up into full vigour.
Don't be shy to let them dry.
Click to expand...
Hey, question: how do you fare in plastic pots instead of smartpots or something else? I just cant do black plastic, it gets over 100° in the summer here.
 
You could paint the black plastic white,if you're worried about cooking the roots.
Or just get some white 5 or 3 gallon buckets and use them.
 
carcass said:
You could paint the black plastic white,if you're worried about cooking the roots.
Or just get some white 5 or 3 gallon buckets and use them.
Click to expand...
Yeah, for sure, I know what I could do--I use smartpots--but my question is more interested in his results with the plastic. I always had struggled in plastic, regardless of their color, it was because the roots matted up on me and didnt get the oxygen they need. I didnt realize just how much of a disservice i was providing the plants until I got a smartpot from a friend to try a few years ago.
 
I let mine get really dry once. And one of them, the top 5 inches of every top drooped and actually fell over, and were like wet noodles.

I watered, and within 3 minutes, they were back to stiff and solid. I noticed no wilting or anything. They just seemed to fall over once they ran out of water.

It was really cool to see how fast they corrected after watering!

I picture all the stalk and stems like garden hose. With pressure they seem solid. And without, they flop around!
 
Johnny5thesim said:
I let mine get really dry once. And one of them, the top 5 inches of every top drooped and actually fell over, and were like wet noodles.

I watered, and within 3 minutes, they were back to stiff and solid. I noticed no wilting or anything. They just seemed to fall over once they ran out of water.

It was really cool to see how fast they corrected after watering!

I picture all the stalk and stems like garden hose. With pressure they seem solid. And without, they flop around!
Click to expand...
Thats funny, my tomatoes did that so many times my first year! Lololol they do look just like spaghetti lol. Like you said, though, give em some aqua and within a few minutes theyre right back to normal.

I learned in botany that the wilt is the plants very last line of defense. They're trying to limit exposure of leaf surface area to the Sun. So people do freak when they see a wilted plant, but the fascination that comes with the resurrection is all the more exciting to watch and experience.
 
J Obadiah said:
Hey, question: how do you fare in plastic pots instead of smartpots or something else? I just cant do black plastic, it gets over 100° in the summer here.
Click to expand...

Well to be honest I have never grown in anything other than plastic so I have nothing to compare to.
All I can tell you is that on my last harvest I got 400 grams in a 4x4 under 315 watts of light so I didn't have an issue with my pots.
 
Greenlizard said:
Well to be honest I have never grown in anything other than plastic so I have nothing to compare to.
All I can tell you is that on my last harvest I got 400 grams in a 4x4 under 315 watts of light so I didn't have an issue with my pots.
Click to expand...

thats awesome i wish i had space for a 4x4, hopefully later this year ill be in a new residence that has an extra room though
you using a 315 cmh? i am looking to go to cmh when i finally do have the extra room and bigger tent
 
Hdinkleman said:
thats awesome i wish i had space for a 4x4, hopefully later this year ill be in a new residence that has an extra room though
you using a 315 cmh? i am looking to go to cmh when i finally do have the extra room and bigger tent
Click to expand...
Yes. It's CMH. Very happy with it.
 

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