Don't let your soil plants dry out

[B. Friendly]

I agree in general but I DO water stress my girls early on, just to get their roots better established, ie make the roots look for water so they shoot to the edge and bottom of pot

But this is usually for only the first 2 weeks and never had a problem, just gotta stay on it cuz they can wilt easily so don't be excentric

 

[Sir_Nugget]

iono, I let my plants dry out, in fox farm no less, and they REALLY dont like being 'dry"... and it is very sad to see completely healthy plants go to complete shit due to bad advise like.. "ooooo let your plant dry out".. If every1 followed that, street prices would get higher, cuz thered be less dope

 

[TickleMyBalls]

this thread is misguided. should be don't let your plants wilt. soil NEEDS to dry out. the way to get a big thick root mass in soil is to water to the outside of pots early on, and let them dry out. roots grow because they are searching for water, if the water is constantly there they don't have to grow to get it. another handy fact.... the bigger the root system, the bigger the nugs! in soil, ALWAYS let your soil dry to the point that the top 2-3" is completely dry and anything under that is maybe a bit moist.

I have had failed crops in quality and yield when growing in a new space with soil, because I wasn't used to how quickly the plants would drink in a bigger area. so instead of cutting my mix with more perlite to balance it, I ended up with plants that would be soaking wet for 5 days and the roots were rotting. So always make sure you take into account the size of your space/air flow and amount of light when making your soil mix and when watering!

 

[Sir_Nugget]

ALWAYS let your soil dry to the point that the top 2-3" is completely dry

Ya, and let the top 2-3 inches of roots DIE... So u are basically telling someone to choke the life out of their valuable plant.

 

[lilman]

Ya, and let the top 2-3 inches of roots DIE... So u are basically telling someone to choke the life out of their valuable plant.

I water the same way..by the weight of the pot and i also use the finger test to check to see if the soil further down is still moist. Ive grown MJ in promix for a while watering this way and for me it works. Personally if I had root growth up near the top of the soil I would transplant into bigger pots asap. Ive always found roots grow down and side ways and only grow close to the surface when they have no room to go anywhere else. This is just what works for me and would never think of bashing you for what works good for you =)
And on that note Im gonna go smoke some of Dr Greenthumbs Iranian X chemdawg..cause im starting to be able to feel my feet again !!!!

Peace: Te Lilman.

 

[grapeman]

Pot is pretty much like any other plant. Tap roots should always have a bit of moisture while it is always a good practice to allow the top soil to dry out between watering.

You can use tools if you want, but it quickly becomes an art if you pay attention to your plants for a year or so.

Keeping the entire medium wet all the time is a mistake that lazy growers make all the time, and it is NOT good for any growing plant save for those plants found naturally growing next to river banks etc.

 

[MrBlue2]

please correct me if im wrong, but i was under the impression that you let soil dry out in order to allow proper gas replacement in the soil. overwatering creates a lack of oxygen in the soil which inhibits the roots ability to take up water and ultimately can kill them. which is why an overwatered plant will stay soggy for what seems like forever. to keep your roots growing fast they need oxygen, water, and nutrients in the proper amounts.

underwatering your plants will not help your plants grow bigger better roots either. watering to the outside of the pot or underwatering to try to get roots to search for water will only stretch your roots. its a lot like raising your lights to try to get bigger plants. your plants will stretch into lanky monsters and the end results will not be as good. in pots stretched roots will result in plants becoming root bound much quicker.

use fabric pots or a chemical root pruner in plastic pots and water properly and you will be creating the most optimal conditions to maximize you roots.

plants should never be allowed to dry out to the point that they wilt. its not the end of the world, but it is unnecessary stress and it will effect your yield.

hope this helps

 

[TickleMyBalls]

Ya, and let the top 2-3 inches of roots DIE... So u are basically telling someone to choke the life out of their valuable plant.

you shouldn't have roots at the top of you pots homie. you should be transplanting and covering the top of your roots with a couple inches of soil. the roots at the top should become hard like tree roots. do you think trees with exposed dry roots are getting the life choked out of them? no, because those aren't the roots that are feeding. with your logic, all of the giant redwoods should be dying, because their roots are exposed, if it doesn't rain for a few days they should be dead right?