help with watering, starting to droop.

[fredcdobbs]

well i would think that was the problem but my bag was filled with tons of perlite so much so you can see it everywhere in the soil im pretty sure its enough perlite. on top of the fact i have smart pots to make it even more aerated, i dont think the soil could get soggy if it wanted to in the smart pots.

you said a smart thing about the smartpots..they dry out fast..one more thing i feel hasnt been talked about enough is the amount of roots in the pots.i've got #3 smartpots in flower that i water every night and i mean every friggin night.reason is because it's 3 gallon of nothin but roots..i think it'd be very difficult to over water in these containers..if yer plants are healthy givem some fkn water..

 

[ProfGerbik]

you said a smart thing about the smartpots..they dry out fast..one more thing i feel hasnt been talked about enough is the amount of roots in the pots.i've got #3 smartpots in flower that i water every night and i mean every friggin night.reason is because it's 3 gallon of nothin but roots..i think it'd be very difficult to over water in these containers..if yer plants are healthy givem some fkn water..

yea that is exactly what i was told about smart pots, they dry out fast so as your plant grows, you have to gradually increase the amount of water you give it.

i also learned a very easy way to tell when your plant is thirsty, easier than lifting pots, easier than buying a moisture meter and easier than sticking my finger in the bottom of the soil. just rub a leaf in between your fingers

i did that tonite, although i already knew it needed water but after so many people telling me i was over watering i just rubbed a leaf to feel if it was dry and make sure.. i noticed how dry the leaves felt versus when it is doing fine and watered enough the leaves feel like they have water in them of course and they also feel cool because the water is in them also, to me its proven to be the best sign is just by feeling the texture of your plants leaves.

i could be stupid and it will bite me in the ass one day but it seems like a good way to tell.

 

[fredcdobbs]

yea that is exactly what i was told about smart pots, they dry out fast so as your plant grows, you have to gradually increase the amount of water you give it.

i also learned a very easy way to tell when your plant is thirsty, easier than lifting pots, easier than buying a moisture meter and easier than sticking my finger in the bottom of the soil. just rub a leaf in between your fingers

i did that tonite, although i already knew it needed water but after so many people telling me i was over watering i just rubbed a leaf to feel if it was dry and make sure.. i noticed how dry the leaves felt versus when it is doing fine and watered enough the leaves feel like they have water in them of course and they also feel cool because the water is in them also, to me its proven to be the best sign is just by feeling the texture of your plants leaves.

i could be stupid and it will bite me in the ass one day but it seems like a good way to tell.

prof,eventually you'll be able to tell whether they need water or not just by lookin. somewhere along the line thats what happened to me.of course like everybody else it took a few years.

 

[yesum]

The runoff thing is for synthetic nutes and the salts that build up. I do not water till run off and all is well with organic grow. I also do not wait till the soil is bone dry, just dry on top and pot is kinda light.

 

[intotheunknown]

i grow in a (somewhat) similar soil.
im not sure if you mentioned if you were in veg or flower??
assuming youre only using water at this point?

either way the trick to watering with this type of soil is to not let it get too dry and not too wet. you consistently more so want to keep it moist.

too dry and they will droop. as you have explained letting you know theyre thirsty.

a good way to water is to slowly add smaller amounts of water at a time. letting it absorb fully into the soil. when you start to get just a little runoff you know its good and watered.

pick it up after that and feel how heavy it is. when its time to water is when its not too heavy and not too light. (moist)

you can also poke your finger down into it and check it that way.

usually around 2-3 days depending on your environment and how far along they are.

 

[Norkali]

LOL- I remember when I posted a very similar thread a couple of years ago - what it tells me is that you are very attentive to your plants and are trying to do the very best you can for them, which is all good.

The droop is annoying yes, (I always want my plants' leaves pointing up too damnit!) but like you said, I noticed that they do it when it is close to lights off, no biggie, just bedtime.

 

[BlazingSaddles]

Yo Prof i use 5 gallons alot also.

Heres my 2 cents...

1 gallon water through a 5 gallon with 10-20% runoff in organic is waaaaaay to much water IME bro. 4 days between waterings sounds ok in a 5 gallon though.. Depending on where the girls are at i water them anywhere between 1.7L - 2.1L every 3-4 days. In gallons this is probably about 60% of how much u are using. I occasionally get a bit of runoff but not everytime and certainly not 10-20%! Then again you are using Co2 so maybe 1 gallon is ok.. try decreasing that amount by a bit though and see what happens..

Also i know its already been mentioned but finding out the empty and full weights of your containers is crucial to understanding how much to water. I can literally pick up any 5 gallon container in my room and see exactly where its at based on the weight. A rough guide is once its watered you should still be able to lift the container with ease although it will feel solid to pick up. If its a dead weight like concrete then you are overwatering. If its too

Hope any of that helps

Blazing

 

[ProfGerbik]

the question is are you using 5 gallon smart pots though, its a huge difference.

i was under watering -_- as said a couple times, i had the suspicion right off the bat especially when i talked to more people about it.

i watered it a day earlier than i normally would since its so much bigger now and now its back to normal, i dont know how many times i said i have smart pots, which dry so much faster than regular pots which it seems everyone thinks im using.

you are technically supposed to use 1 quart of water per gallon of soil, so far its proven to be very correct because other than not watering enough my plants have been loving it.

 

[ProfGerbik]

i dont use the full gallon to be more precise, i usually always have a little left over. i stop once i see runoff then wait to see how much runoff i see if i should water more.

 

[ProfGerbik]

LOL- I remember when I posted a very similar thread a couple of years ago - what it tells me is that you are very attentive to your plants and are trying to do the very best you can for them, which is all good.

The droop is annoying yes, (I always want my plants' leaves pointing up too damnit!) but like you said, I noticed that they do it when it is close to lights off, no biggie, just bedtime.

heh thanks i appreciate this comment quite a bit right now because im currently being told im a complete idiot just for asking this and growing in hydro all my life.

its funny you posted this at this time. i was trying to explain how thats just how i am, like you a perfectionist. even if i know what the problem is or even know what im doing, i love to get everyones point on it so i can never make the same mistakes again or have the most reliable and useful information at hand to get those perfect results we all want. this is something i really love to do, not more so smoking or vaping it, i truly just enjoy growing plants. if i had the space or land id be growing all sorts of things.

 

[Son_of_a_Batch]

can confirm my pants to the phantom drooping just before bed. I have noticed that this time I fucked up the size of perlite in my mix and when i opened the bags it was tiny grains of perlite like 2/3mm. Tried it anyway and have the droopies plants i have ever seen. I have put it down to the soil holding too much water.

I did use air pots previously but gave up on them as the results were poor and they cost £'s compared to p for the bags I use. I agree though that these require more water and did not like my tropf blumat drippers.

Hope you get sorted mate!

 

[Son_of_a_Batch]

can confirm my pants to the phantom drooping just before bed. I have noticed that this time I fucked up the size of perlite in my mix and when i opened the bags it was tiny grains of perlite like 2/3mm. Tried it anyway and have the droopies plants i have ever seen. I have put it down to the soil holding too much water.

I did use air pots previously but gave up on them as the results were poor and they cost £'s compared to p for the bags I use. I agree though that these require more water and did not like my tropf blumat drippers.

Hope you get sorted mate!

 

[Yes_I_Am]

i water every 2 days and every 1 late flower. i use lots of pearlite

 

[CaniConnoisseur]

I dunoo wtf this shop owner guy is talking about... your leaves should not be droopn if the plant is healthy & happy. If there is any moisture in your pots and the leaves are droopy is prob over watering. What size pots did you up plant from? At 3 weeks you should probably be in a 1 gal pot...