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Is it OK to water every day ???

T

theweedman420

Member
I'm in 5 gal pots plants are not to big flowering in week or 2. I been watering with only half gal if that plants get half gallon every day in fox farm soil I water water then feed so every 3 days I feed then I give a day of dry so on 4th day they go all day with no water then water water feed dry again.. Plants seam to love it.. I'm getting no run off this way but as of now if I water till I get run off bucket stays wet for 7 to 10 days
 
Boyd Crowder

Boyd Crowder

Teem MiCr0B35
i would say no more than .5 gallon a day (%10 of pot size) and a full water to runoff every 3-4 days youll be fine
until the plants start catchi8ng up that medium

you will need more drainage in that sol and with just enough you CANT overwater really

i prefer organics because the soil is designed to allow water to saturate but not drown the roots
its impossible to overwater with a well designed organic soil mix

you are halfway there with your bagmix soil, may as well read more on organics
 
mk6

mk6

Active member
really depends on your medium... coco an soil are different lol how much and what else is in there... I watered my coco 4times a day, but back when I used stuff like foxfarm - cough... Id wait 3 days coz it it took so long for them to suck it up... I switched to coco an added perlite70/30 cuz you can feed them as much as you like. but best to check-m every day see if/how much lighter they are some plants suck it up fasters then others just make sure you dont over water them.
 
T

theweedman420

Member
mk6 said:
really depends on your medium... coco an soil are different lol how much and what else is in there... I watered my coco 4times a day, but back when I used stuff like foxfarm - cough... Id wait 3 days coz it it took so long for them to suck it up... I switched to coco an added perlite70/30 cuz you can feed them as much as you like. but best to check-m every day see if/how much lighter they are some plants suck it up fasters then others just make sure you dont over water them.
Click to expand...
nothing just the soil first time I ever grown in ffof without adding shit to it... I see why now never again with out adding perlite to the soil
 
aridbud

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Depends on growth cycle. When in bud stage, I find I water daily. Too, depends on medium. Indeed, perlite helps aerate roots. Never grow without it.
 
T

theweedman420

Member
Yea it helps but I do water a lot in flower so hopefully less watering less in flower this time.. I can't water till I get run off yet or plants show signs of over watering then when in need of water the Leafs kind of look like over-watering because the stem and all do not hang down only belief I think due to root still being in a little bit of water at the bottom of pot after being overwatered not sure so kind of confused me when they needed water oh well next time I will make sure to pot up and add perlite to soil
 
D

DocTim420

The Doctor is OUT and has moved on...
Investigate your water and air porosity percentages of your grow medium. In right conditions, you should expect about at least a 10% runoff (64 oz watering = 6.4 oz of run off in saucer).
 
C

c00k1eFunk

Member
i have one question too,
if i water my organic mix until i have 10% runoff, i would have to let them sit for 3-4days min. what abouut watering without runoff but every 2 days, wouldn´t it benefit from more air exchange?
Was growing in coco in the very beginning and i watered 3times a day for more air exchange.. just curious.. have 5gal smarties ID with led.. no heat in my room, its always 19-23°C in there... using LED.
I am afraid, i would have my roots more wet than my pants like if i water til runoff every time, but i have not much exp. ID so will have to try it out..

edit:with younger plants it may take even more than 3-4days to dry for me.. is 2+days of oversaturated pot any good? or am i overthinking it and my mix would not hold more water than is good for my plants? was really paying much attention not to overwater in my last 3 soil grows... maybe with no reason?
 
C

c00k1eFunk

Member
after thinking for a short while..
It depends what suits us more. Somebody will water once every 3-4 days and somebody will water every day with less water, as long as the amount of moisture is good in the biggest part of the soil its good!
There is no need of runoff in organic soil smartpots. for what?
 
D

DocTim420

The Doctor is OUT and has moved on...
Let me direct you to something that really helped me when I began customizing my grow medium:

Physical Properties

An ideal medium should drain rapidly following irrigation and contain 10% (by volume) or more air space after draining (Table 2). Oxygen stress conditions are likely to develop at values lower than 10%. At the same time, on a volume basis, the medium should contain at least 50% water and available water should be at least 30%. Wet weight (or volume weight) is another important physical property, particularly when large plant containers are being handled in a nursery setting. Although it varies considerably, depending on the components used in the mix, a value between 70 and 90 lb./cu. ft. is usually acceptable.
Click to expand...

Part I: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs812/
Part II: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS881

Part II explains how to calculate your porosity #s. IMO, the air porosity in your grow medium might be too tight--hence you see little runoff.
 
S

St. Phatty

Active member
I have talked to experienced growers who are big advocates of the alternate day watering approach, even in hotter climates like Mendo inland (plants in the ground with decent mulch protecting the roots).

If you use enough water to make the whole thing bubble - and it has good drainage - as the water exits the bottom it will pull new air & oxygen into the root mass.

That's GOOD as long as it doesn't end up with soggy roots. Which is related to soil mix & drainage.

I like to water every day on big plants that are getting lots of sun.
 
C

c00k1eFunk

Member
DocTim420 said:
Let me direct you to something that really helped me when I began customizing my grow medium:



Part I: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/fs812/
Part II: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS881

Part II explains how to calculate your porosity #s. IMO, the air porosity in your grow medium might be too tight--hence you see little runoff.
Click to expand...

thank you Doc!
I didnt say, i water in only 4-8litres/day per 8pots, 7x 5gal and one 1x7gal. thats 1/8th-1/4th gallon per pot per day, no way there can be runoff.
I tried to maintain a constant level of moisture this way, but i see now that the air at the bottom of the pots wouldnt exchange this way and my roots could grow mostly on top of the soil rather than deep down...
I saw extreme dense root growth on the upper half ot the smartpot very many roots in the upper 2 inch, sometimes hard to get the water inside at late flower.

I think I get it now! Water till the first runoff is there and wait until the pot dies no matter if its one or two days more to dry...
thanks

good advise with the porosity #s. will read it carefully! My soil is getting better every time and it only has to do with the porousity. my first organic living soil mix was so heavy i literally couldnt move a soaked pot alone (5-7gal) Growth was good but not carefree and with budrot!
since i have more cocos/perlite/rye in my mix and peatmoss allmix base, i am very happy now. but the most important thing was to let my ready mix sit in the pots for at least 3-4weeks while watering in Beneficial bacteria teas. everything can break down and cool down, fungi and bacteria multiply and ready to fly!

have a nice sunday!
 
C

c00k1eFunk

Member
St. Phatty said:
I have talked to experienced growers who are big advocates of the alternate day watering approach, even in hotter climates like Mendo inland (plants in the ground with decent mulch protecting the roots).

If you use enough water to make the whole thing bubble - and it has good drainage - as the water exits the bottom it will pull new air & oxygen into the root mass.

That's GOOD as long as it doesn't end up with soggy roots. Which is related to soil mix & drainage.

I like to water every day on big plants that are getting lots of sun.
Click to expand...

great post. its easier for me to think in OD language and you explained it just wonderful to me. Water is pulling fresh oxygen and we want that stuff deep down! the consistency of the soil makes the trick and since i had my first attempts with lousy fantasysoil from my head^^i was under the impression if i water too much my soil wild end like the swampy one in the begining, not realizing that i have a totaly different soil now:)
 
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