Watering --

[bterzz]

Ok i have a question. Right now some of my pots are heavier then others, and lights just turned off.

I noticed some of them are very light ( need water ) but I didnt want to water right when the lights went off.

When should I be watering?? Before lights come on?? When lights come on... Before lights go off?? Does it matter??

 

[SweetnSourMad]

I like to water as soon as lights come on. Actually gotta run and do that now! Make sure the pots are bone dry in between watering, as overwatering is the biggest mistake growers make. See how heavy they are dry, then when fully wet, use the tipping method to feel how much water they have. Good luck, keep it simple.

 

[bterzz]

Thanks brotha. I have been doing things right then (well kinda, had a over-water issue awhile back but now I got my watering sorted out)

Thanks man

 

[jtk707]

Bone dry sounds scary to me any ways i was wandering do you water a few plants when they need it ? how big r ur pots

 

[bterzz]

My pots are 3 gallon I believe. They're pretty big.
I water some if they're very very light and the others are still kinda heavy.

 

[libby]

Don't worry about Llghts on/off, water when your pots get Llght, plants drlnk at dlfferent levels, they don't necessarlLy all welght the same

 

[crankndapot]

i always water lights on cuz its always too fuckin dark to water when lights are off. lol . and i dont want no light leak or nothin either.
i think its best when lights come on though and i wait til its bone dry too

 

[its420]

You are doing fine when testing by weight, there is no better way. I water in the morning, i try and do it 2 hours after lights on as plants are 'searching' at that point, but its not required. I would caution about watering at night or even late in their day, promotes excess humidity and the plants actually do 'rest' at night. They prefer to feed in the morning. Good luck
PEACE
420

 

[facelift]

You can keep the pots weight even by using a measuring cup and giving everyone the same amount of water. Even if they are out of balance now, after a few days, the pots will weight the same after a few days.

Bone dry sound too far to me. I find that my leaves start yellowing if they plants are not watered enough and once that happens, it can take a week to get things back on track. Minus a few leaves of course.

 

[BeeBee]

Ummm--doesn't it rain at night sometimes? Really, come on!

Myself, I think this whole overwatering thing is a bit of a myth. I know several successful growers who grow in difficult to get to locations, such as an attic that is only accessible through a teen-age child's bedroom (and the kid doesn't know what's going on).

This friend has 40 plants in one-gallon pots, which he places in two custom-made flat-bottom plastic trays, under 2 600 watt HPS. He has a float-controlled system that maintains a depth of 3/8 inch of water in the tray at all times. He has an 8 day veg cycle, and an 8 week flower cycle. He uses bagged potting soil from the local garden center.
His pots are always fully saturated! For some kick-ass, old-school Northern Lights--turn on the water!

Does that mean you can't harm pot by overwatering. No. I'm sure you can kill seedlings, and harm long-in-the-pot sativas and mothers. Also, there are probably soil mixes that don't work as well as his does when saturated.

PS--another friend does the same with Purple Erkle, and Light Warrior soil from Fox Farm.
Lookout!--killer weed!
Common thread, though, in all honesty--short flower cycle, small pots, sea-of-green, short total time in the pot, 75 watts per square foot of 600 watt HPS.

 

[FRANKENBLUNT420]

i agree with facelift, if you water them evenly then you shouldnt have to much of a problem with over/underwatering UNLESS you are dealing with more than one strain in the same grow space, then that changes the game altogether!!

i like to water an hour b4 my lights come on. i want those nutes to start those reactions and breakdowns in the root zone in time enough so that the plants can take them right up as soon as the lights hit 'em.

 

[FRANKENBLUNT420]

i always water lights on cuz its always too fuckin dark to water when lights are off. lol . and i dont want no light leak or nothin either.
i think its best when lights come on though and i wait til its bone dry too

GET TEH GREEN LIGHT IN YOUR GROW SPACE BABY!!!! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!! I GUARANTEE IT!!

 

[sparkjumper]

The only time watering any specific time is in order is at harvest.I like to fully hydrate my plants the day before,it makes for a nice slow drying period.If you harvest more dehydrated plants it'll dry quicker and may not be as smooth.If you can stay at 50% RH or lower during drying I definately like the slow dry/cure

 

[JazzJazz]

Water when it best suits you but, after 2 hours of lights on, to me works best. You may have to water each plant differently as you cannot keep putting the same amount of water into each pot regardless of uptake and weight of pot. Feel the weight of each pot and water accordingly.Don't wait until it dry's out to the point of leaf drooping as this is to late and will stress your plant and slow down growth IMHO. A good healthy rootzone will keep things fairly simple for you but don't ruin it by over/under watering.

Peace,
Jazz

 

[moses224]

Water when it best suits you but, after 2 hours of lights on, to me works best. You may have to water each plant differently as you cannot keep putting the same amount of water into each pot regardless of uptake and weight of pot. Feel the weight of each pot and water accordingly.Don't wait until it dry's out to the point of leaf drooping as this is to late and will stress your plant and slow down growth IMHO. A good healthy rootzone will keep things fairly simple for you but don't ruin it by over/under watering.

Peace,
Jazz

well said....it really boils down to what works best for each of us. I personally like early morning so i can check co2, lights, etc and go plant to plant to look for deficiencies...but thats me. if i where to give advice i would say don't let them dry out, try to keep watering "uniform" or same for each pot and do it when it works best for you.....good vibes all

 

[purpledomgoddes]

plants' water uptake from roots is actually non-linear, w/ lowest uptake just prior to dawn/lights on, after stomata being closed for night(dark).
stomata opening/closing indirectly rate @ which plants transpire water.
water uptake by roots is influenced by vapor pressure deficit (rh), actual leaf temp, ambient air temp, avg 24 temp, diff (difference between day/night temps), etc.
no single variable absolutely controls water uptake. w/ lower rh (higher vpd), plants will uptake more water in attempt to balance internal+external water vapor pressures. they uptake+transpire water to surround their canopy w/ ^rh (lower vpd), to create comfort-zone micro-climate.
as long as minimal water is supplied, they will find it. plants grow on the side of rock-faced mountains. plants bore through solid stone to find water.
in soil/coco, watering every 3-5-7 days permits plants' roots to seek+utilize all h20 available. also, rate @ which plants transpire water in far greater than they assimilate+metabolize nutrients. >ppms in nutes if <water provided would seem to take into account for h20 transpiration+evaporation.
if watering every day/every other day, reduce ppm's/ec of solution, so plants don't have to filter out nutes they don't need that often.
if hydro, supply of ~1" of water/solution in pot/bottom of channel/tub/keeping h20 available, etc, w/ decreased nutes until plant is huge and can process that much ppm/ec.
in low rh, a 3 sq ft plant can transpire 1 gal per day. same plant w/ high rh can transpire ~ a cup.
temps+rh are variables in watering.

hope this helps.

 

[BeeBee]

I'd like to add to purpledomgoddes, that PPM should be reduced when temperatures are high, and increased a little when they are low.
Plants use water to cool themselves, so in really hot temperatures, plants will use a lot more water, even though they don't grow much more than in somewhat cooler temperatures. In order to provide the plants with the correct amount of fertilizer, it is important to reduce the fertilizer as much as 50 percent when temperatures are high.
In high-intensity indoor growing, it is normal for the top of the plant to be more fertilized than the bottom of the plant. I usually plan to burn a couple of the top leaves, in order to ensure that most of the plant is getting all the nutrients it can use.

 

[magiccannabus]

I added coco coir as 1/3 of my total soil mix, and I have literally been unable to over-water them. I really don't think any soil grower should be without coco coir. I like that I can water 5 times a day, or just once every 5 days, they're fine either way.

 

[moonymonkey]

one way to check the weight method,wen plant is suppose to b dry on ur scale,check how far down in soil is wet b using ur finger..this way u can tweek the watering an make sure its on to start with..if ur soil has really dried out,bfore using,ur gonna have to watch the plant,cuz its dry out alot sooner,the a dry pot of the same soil,u weighed before starting...there are many ways,to water plants..peace

 

[Weedman Herb]

Does anyone think calculating how much liquid a container and medium can actually hold is a good idea? It might help Eliminate some problems I see fairly often around here ...