Okay I was gonna water her tonight but I think I'm going to try to hold off another day . My situation is I am a newbie, this is my first grow. I have read that number one mistake new growers make is overwatering. The last 2 waterings I was getting about 1/2 cup runoff maybe a little more. But just like the last watering i stuck my index finger knuckle deep. Soil is rather dry. Bucket is always heavy so I can't gauge it using the wait of the bucket to indecate when i should water. Shouldn't I need to water with at least 3 gallons every water with 5 gallons?
Ffhf? Sorry I'm not understanding this abbreviation. So are these 5gallon buckets you are watering 1/2 gallon liquid . My brother said he was told that when the soil is pulled 1/2 inch away from the the bucket from drying out I should water the bucket like every 10 days. So me having a 1/2 cup if runoff, after just feeding 1 gallon to all this soil is normal? And thanks in advance, and I'm sorry for not being up to speed, but I'm learning.
Always water to 30% runoff to prevent nutrient buildup, and to avoid dry pockets in the soil. IF your pot is always heavy, it is likely because it hasn't dried out yet....a dry pot of soil is MUCH lighter than a freshly watered pot. Dont use the finger in the soil method, as it is unreliable and can damage roots. Use a bathroom scale to weigh a wet and dry pot, this will tell you when to water. You can also keep a pot full of dry soil in your room to compare your planted pots to.....as their weight gets almost as light as the dry pot of soil, you know that it's time to water. I use 5 gallon pots, and in veg I need to water every 5-7 days. When in the heavy growth weeks of flowering, I am watering every 3-5 days depending on the strain and the temps in my room.....this should give you a general idea.
Going to do the scale thing, good looking thanks for the knowledge. Everyday I'm learning something new!
Overwatering has to do with how often you water not how much at one time..you can flood it with tons of water as long as it has good drainage and you dont water till its dry