amount of water per watering?

i feel i do a good job of watering my plants but i swear i read once that there is an amount of water that you are supposed to add per volume. is there a formula for figuring out how much water to add every time or is it just trial and error?

bubba

Indoors
Seedling Stage: It is best to water twice a day, to begin with, but focus on frequency over volume.
Vegetative Stage: Daily watering works best if you’re using small pots. If you have large containers, switch to watering every two days.
Flowering Stage: Water every 2-3 days.

Overall, it is a ‘safe bet’ to water your plants a little. Ideally, you’ll reach the point where you soak the pot with a little bit of runoff. While the water should remain on the surface briefly, it needs to drain into the growing medium relatively quickly. Next, you have to monitor your plants carefully and look for signs of underwatering or overwatering.

As for when to water your plant next, experts agree. They say that when you use soil, you should water the plants once the first couple of inches of soil feels dry. Another telltale sign is if the container feels exceptionally light. Are you adding nutrients to the water regularly? If so, add enough water to get up to 20% runoff that drains out of the container’s bottom. This process prevents a build-up in your soil.

I grow in HP Promix in 3gal cloth pots, indoors. Pots are only slightly smaller than a 5gal pot (in volume). I Water, Dry, Dry, Feed, W, D, D W.

I use a moisture meter at the root zone to check and use pot weight as well. It takes time to develop (guessing pot weight). I do not water to run off. I gradually work my way up to 1.5l per pot. The plant will tell you if you are not watering enough. e.g (time to water pot weight, shows up 1 day earlier etc...) If a pot weighs more than the others = not drinking that much, I'll drop her down to 1.25l and that usually brings her back in line.

If i run off, my pots take 6-7 days to dry out (both weight and moisture meter) That is why I don't water to runoff. I only water in this fashion during the flush. Seven days without watering = the pot is saturated = not good. Should I show signs of over feeding, I skip a feeding day and that usually solves the problem. If I have a major nute burn issue, I'll flush the pot. That hasn't happened in a long time. That being said, some girls will show signs of nute burn while others don't.

As I grow 2 strains at a time, it is usually attributed to the strain itself. Even if it is only one girl of that strain. They both get the same treatment.

Of course, this has everything to do with your environment and growing conditions. My goal is to hit the "dry" line on the meter, or slightly below it. It doesn't take long to get the feel for it.

My watering method.

In three gallon containers of soil i add one liter of water every two days once the plants have gone into veg.

JohnR171R said:

My watering method.

In three gallon containers of soil i add one liter of water every two days once the plants have gone into veg.

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Nothing wrong with that

OP, I wouldn't worry about that too much other than you want some runoff so that you don't have any salt buildup.

With respect to watering, for me it was far more important to let the plant completely dry out between waterings and the only way that I have been able to do this is by lifting the pots and sensing the weight.

I read that a lot of people are watering every 2-3 days but they must have some incredibly light mixes compared to mine. I can go up to a week between waterings for my girls and they love it.

greenspace said:

With respect to watering, for me it was far more important to let the plant completely dry out between waterings and the only way that I have been able to do this is by lifting the pots and sensing the weight.

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I would back up this statement. I killed plants in my very first grow by not letting them dry out enough. Often times i get just a little bit of leaf droop before i water but you don't want that to get out of hand because it stresses the plant. I have seen plants that were so dry they looked like they were dead but when watered they popped right back to life and looked lush and healthy.

The 2 things I've learned that determine how often I need to water is:
Temperature and plant size vs pot size.
I grow NLD outdoors. This time of year I water every morning, if I don't, the plants will be wilting by noon. Temperatures are above 98F/37C. I start my plants in April and this time of year have them in 5 gallon pots to minimize stretch. Once I pot them up into larger pots, they will only require watering every 3 days or so. Once they go into flower and the temperatures cool down, I will only need to water once a week.
I also water until run-off. Let plants tell me when they need water/nutes, lift pots (if small enough pots) but try not to stress them by letting them wilt.
Best of luck.
Peace, God bless

Once they’re established In the container, I give them 10% of soil volume- I do 20L buckets , so 2L every 2-3 days