Watering Strategies

[boobs]

Looking around I've noticed that there are many different approaches and nothing close to a consensus on this subject. I think it'd be very beneficial for all of us to discuss some different techniques here.

Maybe to get things started we could talk about pros and cons of drip systems vs. watering by hand, how often and how much do you water, what are some indicators you look for in determining when, and what factors affect your decisions regarding these choices?

I'm also interested in hearing different strategies to avoid over-watering while keeping oxygen levels optimal as well as what you think the ideal saturation levels are in different areas of the pot.

So yeah, let's hear some of your philosophies on this super important aspect of growing.



(I'd really like to have a sticky on the topic)

 

[TribalSeeds]

Oops. I didnt see what forum this was in

 

[GanjaRebelSeeds]

Looking around I've noticed that there are many different approaches and nothing close to a consensus on this subject. I think it'd be very beneficial for all of us to discuss some different techniques here.

Maybe to get things started we could talk about pros and cons of drip systems vs. watering by hand, how often and how much do you water, what are some indicators you look for in determining when, and what factors affect your decisions regarding these choices?

I'm also interested in hearing different strategies to avoid over-watering while keeping oxygen levels optimal as well as what you think the ideal saturation levels are in different areas of the pot.

So yeah, let's hear some of your philosophies on this super important aspect of growing.



(I'd really like to have a sticky on the subject)

To me it's all about experience and instinct/intuition. Obviously the goal is to use the perfect amount of water for the plants. The factors are changes in temp/weather,growth rate of plants/roots,seasonal needs/growth cycle(veg,flower,or transition),strains/vigor,etc. Sometimes it's ok to dump on them,other times it pays to be very conservative. My goal is usually to use as little water as possible without giving the plants less than they need.
I use drip but I also hand water in teas,nutes,and plain water ever 7-10 days to make sure there are no dry spots from uneven drip saturation.
Most people I know use 1 gph drip lines. I use 0.5 gph. It makes things a little more complex but allows me to be a bit more conservative and make my water last as long as possible.
Sometimes plants need water ever day,sometimes every 3 or 4 days. Last year I made adjustment to how much water I was using every few days or so. It was perplexing to decide what the right amount was. I went with my gut and it paid off,just common sense and intuition based on experience and knowledge of plants.
I know people who made mistakes and under watered at crucial times in early flowering and there crops were stunted and not as strong. They had big problems with mold in the fall,I attributed it to weaker immune systems in the plants that had used so much energy rebounding from almost drying out during 90+ degree days in early September.
This year with different changing weather and different sized plants and strains it's a whole new ball game. So far so good.
Good luck.

 

[northstate]

Nice topic boobs as it its a hot 4th of july. GRS gave a great summary of what works for him and I am pretty similar in paying attention to changing weather and I grow in a dry part of far N.Cal so I use drip hose @ 0.5gph 12" spacing also and wind about 20-28 feet of length in a spiral around the smarty or mound. For me having a pretty moist soil when the hot temps come is crucial to growing big plants but they do need to dry out a little between drinks. Gravity fed from a 500gal gives me pressure and I use EJ catalyst for a mild ph down, mix a really complete organic soil with lava rock and perlite to maintain structure.
15-25 gal every couple days until it gets warmer and then add ten to that pretty much. Try to soak by hand once every 10 days or so and water in a light ACT. Follow your intuition and go with it, experience is gained by pushing you comfort level ever so slightly and taking many external factors to form new skill.

 

[OrganicBuds]

I agree with everything GanjaRebelSeeds said but I would also like to add watching weather reports always helps. If the weather report shows hot weather you better think of making that brew sooner than later. Hope everybody is enjoying the 4th.

 

[headband 707]

Rule of thumb ALWAYS,,, "You can never come back from overwatering a plant.. You can always come back from underwatering".. as long as you don't go too crazy and too many dayz. Always let your plants dry before you water them every plant needs air and it needs to dry before it gets it's next watering. Plants do better needing water not being wet all the time. Being wet all the time brings bugs aswell.If your plant is sick don't feed it etc. stay safe headband 707

 

[Buddah Watcha]

Find a swampy area or a marsh, plants on ground with good organic amended soil and forgeeeeeeettah'bout it I only check plants to put some slug bait and/or top dress some guanos...

I do ocassionally take some EWC tea and give them a few shots to each plant since its a pain in the ass to carry a lot of water to guerrilla grows... Maybe a 1/4 gal per plant or hole...

Every time I go see the plants they seem happy with the right amount if h20...

I guess you guys using smartpots

 

[Oregonism]

Find a swampy area or a marsh, plants on ground with good organic amended soil and forgeeeeeeettah'bout it I only check plants to put some slug bait and/or top dress some guanos...

I do ocassionally take some EWC tea and give them a few shots to each plant since its a pain in the ass to carry a lot of water to guerrilla grows... Maybe a 1/4 gal per plant or hole...

Every time I go see the plants they seem happy with the right amount if h20...

I guess you guys using smartpots

Yep, riparian areas are the place to be and if you plan it right no watering ever, just plant. I found the best little nettle patch with a little surface stream basically just this little forest flood plain that is too flat to be a pond. Nobody fudges with it, the nettle is 7 feet high in places.

For other spots, I checked NRCS WebSoilSurvey, if you have a background in soil, these survey maps and descriptions are butter for finding the best soil to plant in and water availability[water table], drainage, residence time etc. [if your stateside, that is]

 

[moondawg]

Watering? Me, BackCountry and others have practically made this issue a lifelong study. Ive spent the past 20 years experimenting and trying different things. Here are some things that ive learned during that time.

The amount of water needed for any cannabis p lant is the combined result of 4 major factors:Temperature, rainfall ,soil composition and plant size.

Temps: Evaporation occurs at a far slower rate at 80 degrees farenheit than at 105 degrees. Wind and humidity come into play. Evaporation rates are less with high humidity. Wind increases drying and evaporation.

Rainfall: Optimum for cannabis is 1" per week and if temps are normal, rainfall in the amoung of 1/2" per week will support cannabis without supplemental watering. If temps reach high levels, then supplemental moisture would have to be provided at 1/2" per week but 1" per week is sufficeint at all temps.

Soil composition: Highly orgainic soils and "soiless" mixes based with peat or coco hair loose moisture to evaporation at a far greater rate than native based soils which tend to have 40% or higher clay content which retains moisture well. If a grower has 2 identical plants side by side and one planted in highly organic or soiless bagged soil and the other in adjusted native soil, the plant in organic soil will require nearly twice as much water as the plants in native clay containing soils.

Strain selection: for the most part,strain is irrelevant with the exception of plant size: large, heavy yieilding plants require large amounts of water, period. A 4' kush plant will require far less water than a 9' hybrid.

Some important things ive learned?

1. Water poured on top of the ground is very ineffective and the plant recieves approximately 1/3 of that water. 1/3 is lost to evaportation due to the water being near the soil surface and 1/3 is lost to dissipation to surrounding soils.

-Growers should bury a small plastic bottle full of holes within 1' of a plant and pour water in that bottle which releases the moisture underground where the roots are. This increases effectiveness by as much as 50%



One fact that ive discovered over the years is that if a cannabis plant is deprived of moisture to the extent that it wilts reapeatedly over an extended period, the ability of the plant to mature properly is seriously damaged and it may never flower, or just as bad, flowere so slowly that the plants barely qualify for harvest.

Im in terrible drought at the moment and i cant water enough.

 

[SeaMaiden]

I have a friend who's using very closely spaced lengths of drip tape to keep his beds evenly moist. I questioned him about this, I'm a timed dripper gal and it seemed wasteful to me to make the soil beds moist so far away from the plants. He then explained that IF the soil is of a good moisture level, the plants will send their roots as far as they can in search of food, as far as the moisture levels will allow.

So! While I currently have my drip lines set around the bases of my girls, I'm going to experiment with changing how it's set up so that I get the entire bed watered.

Timers only for me, I've got too much other stuff that DAILY needs my watering attention. The more I can get onto timed drippers, the better.

 

[anonymousgrow]

indoors in soil, I always just lifted the planter and when it was light i watered it. Outdoors in these 200 gallon planters I wasn't giving them nearly enough water. the top inch or two would get wet and puddled up a bit but after i dug the soil up a bit a few hours later i saw that the water only made it about 4-5 inches down and it was dry below that. Now we soak the hell out of them, prob like 15-25 gallons per watering and just wait till the top inch or so is dry then do it again.

I am assuming that with the cloth planter there is a moist area in the middle of the planter that doesn't dry all the way out and the sides and top are drying a big from evaporation, but as the plants get bigger they will be sucking up a lot of it too.

I really like the idea of watering the plants in the soil, after this season we are hoping to build a permanent location for outdoor and if so I am going to run metal water lines with tiny holes drilled in them a foot under the soil and combine that with top watering. I wonder how much that would help out?

 

[SeaMaiden]

I can see that clogging very, very quickly. How will you prevent plants from sending roots all through it? If anything, perhaps plastic would be better (but still won't prevent roots from invading).

Also, especially indoors, try a couple of bottom waterings. Capillary action in action.

 

[Mantas]

Not entirely helpful, but any method other than the watering can, is a worthwhile strategy to consider, then again I guess even the watering can has its place.

 

[anonymousgrow]

I can see that clogging very, very quickly. How will you prevent plants from sending roots all through it? If anything, perhaps plastic would be better (but still won't prevent roots from invading).

Also, especially indoors, try a couple of bottom waterings. Capillary action in action.

touche' I agree with you. What if one were to get one of those porous soft soaker hoses and bury that running throughout the planter.

I have done very simple bottom waterings by watering the drip tray instead of the top but its my understanding that there are products out there to assist with this. I have never looked into it though.

 

[boobs]

edit

 

[mr.shiva]

I have coils of 1/2 inch drip line in each hole. Pressure tank, fertilizer injector, feeds the lines. Looks like my watering technique is very similar. I keep my eye on the weather & adjust as needed. When I fert I run the injector for the first 30 mins & then run water the last 30 to try and keep emiter tubing clean, although I have filters, figure flushing the lines is good for longevity.

 

[OrganicBuds]

Wow you guys are nuts, 30 gal of water per 200 gal pot? That seems like a huge amount to me. I live in the bay area and moisture is high and temps are low here, plus no altitude to thin the air out.

I am growing large plants in mounds and I only mix up 40 gal at a time for my watering. I water by watering can, as I only have 12 plants with two scripts. That 40 gal of water gets all my plants, and the mounds that continues between the plants. That is over 10 yards of soil total that I water with only 40 gal. On top of that, I feel I have been over watering my plants over the last couple weeks because the weather has been so mild. I now only water twice a week, 80 gal total for 12 plants, and their mounds.

 

[boobs]

edit

 

[OrganicBuds]

I know that isn't what you were saying, but others have said they water 30 gals a hole also.

As for the benefits of watering more often with less water as oppose to more water less often are big IMO, but I think we are looking a the situation differently.

When I water I am more concerned with keeping bio-life alive. The most bio active area in your soil is the top 4 inches. If you let this dry out it kills, or makes the bio life become dormant. As we know, in order to feed our organic plants, we have to have this bio life active and diverse. This is why I choose to water more often with less amounts.

However, your method of watering in water bottles to ensure your water is penetrating deep is huge! I am for sure implementing this next year, maybe with pvc instead. Adding the water bottle also allows more air to reach the roots, so it's a win win from my point of view.

Have you considered your bio life when watering? How do you combat this? Or does your soil stay moist on the top layer?

 

[bajangreen]

I usually spray my 60 babies with 5gal (water + mirical grow)a week they are in 8in by 12in bags coco+peat+water polymers. mostly foliar, if the media surface is dry i will spray that as well.