Watering Strategies
- Thread starter boobs
- Start date
what? never did I mention water bottles.
You are absolutely right, it wasn't you.
Sorry, stoner mistake.
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bajangreen
Mulch helps a lot too. I also find the plants will suck up moisture through its leaves rapidly so foliar watering can in some instances be more effective that root watering ie. when the plants are wilting. I love the idea of the water bottle, i will try it soon, i think i will drill one single hole and let it drip slowly for a long time, then again it may clog so i might do 2 or so. Listening to how much you guys water i will have to up my game, i never water the plants past seedling stage, maybe that's a mistake. I will begin watering my 10 gall pots, i have 8 or so? but i can only pack in 5gals of water a time. so i am forced to take the more often with less water route.
Question for Organic Buds can you explain what you mean by using pvc and not water bottles.
Question for Organic Buds can you explain what you mean by using pvc and not water bottles.
bajangreen - Plastic bottles seem like they would cave in eventually and then loose it's ability to hold water. This is all theory because I have never used this method. So I was thinking a 12" pvc pipe with a cap would work better than a water bottle.
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bajangreen
ahhhhhh i see. the bottles will cave. at first i thought you meant like 10 feet of pvc pipe. lol length ways of course. thanks for clearing that up.
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bajangreen
boobs can you give me a estimate of how much water you give a plant through out its whole life time? and how much it would yield? Well it may be a guessing game but i would like to know how much water it would take to make a pound or so.
They wont cave guys. I use a motts apple juice bottle. Its about 5" tall with a wide top on it. Its rigid plastic.
This method of watering increases efficenecy greatly over pouring water on top of the ground. When i plant in the spring, i plant my bottle and plant at the same time, about 1' apart. Beneath the bottle, i put 1 gallon of good absorbant, clay bearing soil and water crystals so that when i pour water in my bottle, it fills the area of clay/crystals and acutally provides an underground resevoir that will release the water over 1 week or more if temps arent to high.
Along with Backcountry and some other old timers, we researched our way through. A very close buddy wrote this up. Its enlightening
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=106606&highlight=guerilla+water+collar
If you read the thread through, youll see our thinking evolved over time.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=106606&highlight=guerilla+water+collar
If you read the thread through, youll see our thinking evolved over time.
no point in guessing, I'm sure this would vary greatly depending on climate and many other factors.
By the end of this year I'll be able to give a close guess as to what each of my plants drank though.
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bajangreen
ok i am watching, no pic of the girls?
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bajangreen
i know some one that uses solar energy to slowly drip water his plants. He puts a jar of water about 5ins next to a plant, then put a translucent container over that with the bottom open(kinda like a green house). it works by evaporating the water in the first bowl witch then cools and condenses on the inside of the bigger container and falls to the earth moistening the soil close to the roots. hope you understand.
i recently started watering my 10 plants in 10gall pots, they drink 5 galls (for all of them) ever 2 days, the plants are loving it and growing @ 2in a day. before i never watered and they hardly grew. watering makes a big difference. i got some questions for you guys.
do you keep the whole pot wet? do you let them dry out at all? do you squeeze the pot to loosen the soil before you water? do you mulch? do you water all at once or do you wait till the first set of water sokes into the media? i just found out how much a difference watering makes to a plant. and want to know the best way to do it. i have 10 plants but i am limited to 5 gallons a day so i have to make the best use of that.
i recently started watering my 10 plants in 10gall pots, they drink 5 galls (for all of them) ever 2 days, the plants are loving it and growing @ 2in a day. before i never watered and they hardly grew. watering makes a big difference. i got some questions for you guys.
do you keep the whole pot wet? do you let them dry out at all? do you squeeze the pot to loosen the soil before you water? do you mulch? do you water all at once or do you wait till the first set of water sokes into the media? i just found out how much a difference watering makes to a plant. and want to know the best way to do it. i have 10 plants but i am limited to 5 gallons a day so i have to make the best use of that.
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SeaMaiden
I think I do, but I'd love to see a picture. That's a pretty cool idea, I've been doing something rather different and more direct in my lettuce planters. I've been taking empty bottles or jugs, poke a small hole into the cap, like with a pushpin or tack, fill it with water and flip it upside down. It works alright, except containers like milk jugs collapse and/or fall over, and the glass bottles I've been using almost always fall over and I've crushed a few lettuces that were on their way to harvestable size.
With containerized plants, I am a HUGE fan of bottom-watering. This is simply the method by which you set the pot into a tray or saucer, and fill up that, which allows the soil to wick moisture up. If you're concerned with keeping microbes living in these soils at all, you must remember to not allow them to completely dry out. Bottom-watering allows this. Of course, I like your friend's trick, would love to see a photo and/or video of the method in action. It does require heat to work, whereas my trick only requires gravity.
Gives me something on which to ponder, as though I don't have enough.
Sinkyone
Member
A few things I've learned:
Regular smaller watering encourage faster growth. As another person pointed out, most of the magic in soil happens in that top 6" or so. If this dries out you lose much of your soil food web, and therefore, much of the nutrient cycling. In addition, when you do really heavy waterings you flood the pore space in the soil, which decrease aeration. When the plants roots do not breath they do not grow very well. Also a good mulch is crucial - it will help ensure that top layer does not dry out and it will create a nice environment for the soil wood web.
Also if you have enough water, water out beyond the canopy of the plant. Cannabis will grow roots well beyond the edge of the canopy if given the chance. More roots = more nutrient absorption = bigger, faster growing plants. Plus keeping the whole area wet encourages the soil food web. If you are doing that sort of approach, it is important to remember that you are growing more than plants. You are growing a whole range of other organisms that work in synergy with the plant. These organisms need water, just like the plant does.
For whatever system or style I am using I always use a timer. Regular consistent waterings are important, and hand watering is too inconsistent most of the time, and much too slow. I don't have time to spend hours and hours watering when a $50 part can do it for me. I use T-tape for beds, 1/4 inch .5 gph drip lines for pots. So far the T-tape has been more consistent and more resistant to clogging, but you can only go in a straight line with it, and the fittings tend to leak a lot.
It is also really important to make sure your emitters are giving you even coverage. I have found 12" spacing to be much too far apart - 6"-8" spacing is needed. Those pictures they always have on drip lines that show a nice 45 degree cone of water going down thu the soil form the emitter are a bunch of crap. Water goes straight down for the most part, especially in heavier soils. Having your emitters spaced too far apart will create dry bands in your soil, which will retard root growth. Even, consistent, regular waterings make all the difference in my experience.
Regular smaller watering encourage faster growth. As another person pointed out, most of the magic in soil happens in that top 6" or so. If this dries out you lose much of your soil food web, and therefore, much of the nutrient cycling. In addition, when you do really heavy waterings you flood the pore space in the soil, which decrease aeration. When the plants roots do not breath they do not grow very well. Also a good mulch is crucial - it will help ensure that top layer does not dry out and it will create a nice environment for the soil wood web.
Also if you have enough water, water out beyond the canopy of the plant. Cannabis will grow roots well beyond the edge of the canopy if given the chance. More roots = more nutrient absorption = bigger, faster growing plants. Plus keeping the whole area wet encourages the soil food web. If you are doing that sort of approach, it is important to remember that you are growing more than plants. You are growing a whole range of other organisms that work in synergy with the plant. These organisms need water, just like the plant does.
For whatever system or style I am using I always use a timer. Regular consistent waterings are important, and hand watering is too inconsistent most of the time, and much too slow. I don't have time to spend hours and hours watering when a $50 part can do it for me. I use T-tape for beds, 1/4 inch .5 gph drip lines for pots. So far the T-tape has been more consistent and more resistant to clogging, but you can only go in a straight line with it, and the fittings tend to leak a lot.
It is also really important to make sure your emitters are giving you even coverage. I have found 12" spacing to be much too far apart - 6"-8" spacing is needed. Those pictures they always have on drip lines that show a nice 45 degree cone of water going down thu the soil form the emitter are a bunch of crap. Water goes straight down for the most part, especially in heavier soils. Having your emitters spaced too far apart will create dry bands in your soil, which will retard root growth. Even, consistent, regular waterings make all the difference in my experience.
GoldCountryGuy
Member
^ TY very much for an excellent post in my partners thread. Best post I read all day.
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mr.shiva
No shit sinkyone, you wrapped a nice bow around that nutshell of info.
Yeah I never see the red plastic haws watering cans from England anymore where did they go? Damn I hate the watercan's they have now BTW metal watering can's are bad the metal mixes with different fert and screws it all up. Which is why I don't use them.. Plus they are pretty heavy. headband 707
Yeah I never see the red plastic haws watering cans from England anymore where did they go? Damn I hate the watercan's they have now BTW metal watering can's are bad the metal mixes with different fert and screws it all up. Which is why I don't use them.. Plus they are pretty heavy. headband 707
They're out there. I got a green plastic Haws that is very gentle and has a nice long spout. It was about 30 bucks.
hello again, I thought I'd try to stir something up here... 
here's some different points of view I found from around the net:
"...Letting your soil or any other media dry out is the leading cause of toxic salt build up. Beyond that it ruins the CEC of your media and throws the pH within the media way off. There is no such thing as overwatering. That word is a misnomer. There is only under-oxygenation. If overwatering were a real factor then DWC wouldn't work so well.
In fact if you think your plants are droopy from too much water then water some more. Watering drags fresh air into the media along with all the dissolved oxygen already in the water from your air stones in the res. Remember, you're not "adding" water to the media as much as you are exchanging water..."
and here is a conflicting point of view:
"Watering every day .. damn.. not right...
Root Rot happens from overwatering - that's a fact. Bud Rot also happens from overwatering. The cells in your buds cant evaporate that much water so they burst at some point of time, the water spills out and serves as a perfect culture medium for Botryotinia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia this little bugger here. The same principle applies to root rot, just that its a different fungus there... actually a variety of fungi....
Cannabis never likes a swampy/soggy environment. Watering everyday will do that for your medium. Don't do it just because some dude on the internet told you to - hell don't even believe me is my advice. Do your own research, its worth the effort. "
So, what do you guys think?
here's some different points of view I found from around the net:
"...Letting your soil or any other media dry out is the leading cause of toxic salt build up. Beyond that it ruins the CEC of your media and throws the pH within the media way off. There is no such thing as overwatering. That word is a misnomer. There is only under-oxygenation. If overwatering were a real factor then DWC wouldn't work so well.
In fact if you think your plants are droopy from too much water then water some more. Watering drags fresh air into the media along with all the dissolved oxygen already in the water from your air stones in the res. Remember, you're not "adding" water to the media as much as you are exchanging water..."
and here is a conflicting point of view:
"Watering every day .. damn.. not right...
Root Rot happens from overwatering - that's a fact. Bud Rot also happens from overwatering. The cells in your buds cant evaporate that much water so they burst at some point of time, the water spills out and serves as a perfect culture medium for Botryotinia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia this little bugger here. The same principle applies to root rot, just that its a different fungus there... actually a variety of fungi....
Cannabis never likes a swampy/soggy environment. Watering everyday will do that for your medium. Don't do it just because some dude on the internet told you to - hell don't even believe me is my advice. Do your own research, its worth the effort. "
So, what do you guys think?
Sinkyone
Member
I'd say both posters are correct, it all depends on your style of grow, and your media. If you are using say coco, or a really well drained medium in pots, it is pretty damn hard to over water because the excess water will just drain away. However if you are growing in-ground, especially if the soil is heavy, you can absolutely over water plants, even to the point of death. If you are going to water every day, you need to be sure you are not flooding your soil. They key part to remember is smaller, regular waterings, not large regular waterings.
The first poster is also correct in that under-oxygenation cause most of the damage to the plant when they get over-watered. If the roots can not breathe, the plant dies. HOWEVER this does not mean that having high O2 levels means you are all good. Even if you medium is well aerated, if it gets too wet, you do run the risk of stem rot. Stem rot is a real nasty thing to have happen and can kill even a large, well established plant quite quickly. It is important to remember that outside, most people are not running DWC, they are growing either in soil or soil-less media like coco, etc. Thus, over-watering is definitely a concern.
There is no blanket answer to what is the 'best' way to water. It very much depends on your garden, your environment, and many other factors. Use your judgement.
The first poster is also correct in that under-oxygenation cause most of the damage to the plant when they get over-watered. If the roots can not breathe, the plant dies. HOWEVER this does not mean that having high O2 levels means you are all good. Even if you medium is well aerated, if it gets too wet, you do run the risk of stem rot. Stem rot is a real nasty thing to have happen and can kill even a large, well established plant quite quickly. It is important to remember that outside, most people are not running DWC, they are growing either in soil or soil-less media like coco, etc. Thus, over-watering is definitely a concern.
There is no blanket answer to what is the 'best' way to water. It very much depends on your garden, your environment, and many other factors. Use your judgement.
