Soo it's been steadily raining for 24 hours I know my plants are drowning and possibly growing mold. I definitely do not want this to happen, so my question is if I drill let's say 4-6 holes in each pot would that help let some what out ? And would it make it easier for a pest to get in ?
mMost pots come with holes in them, if not yes! your plants need drainage! as well as stated above, oxygen. not sure what size pots your in but if you were planing on transplanting them into bigger pots now might be the time. make sure your have enough soil so that the soil is level with the top of your pots, this will help and excess water to just run off instead of just sitting there! Keep your pots raised off the ground, I use tomato cages ( they have a circle rings in them and you can bend them to fit 6,8 and 12 in pots, this will help prevent insects from eating your crop ( though it won't prevent them (INSECTICIDES)) You will need a fence, chicken wire is best and cost 15$ for pest ( coons, rats, deer, cats, ect) Hope that helps Mr. Duke
def need drainage holes or they'll mold/rot also an airy soil mix will make excess water just go through. It als retains water when it doesn't rain.
Like everyone else in this thread has said, you need drainage holes. Next year, if you mix your own soil, i suggest using a decent amount of coco coir. It helps quite a bit with preventing overwatering.
Thank you everyone !!! Already got my holes...kinda scared to transplant b3cause they're getting large and i dont wanna ruin roots. I know the consequences of not transplanting but there are also consequences of transplanting. Anyone with a safe technique ?
there's no trouble in transplanting at all if your soil is airy. My advice is cut open your pot or break it if clay soil. Don't flip it over. If roots stick, scrape them gently off the pot and/or water gently on the soil to release roots gently. DOn't rip it all out.Transplant issues are a myth but you do need an airy soil mix and a cuttable/breakable pot or one small enough to flip over. Water well after.
sure man, also you should water lightly before the transplant (like 1/2 normal) so the root ball has some body to it and not too dry , crumbly. On the other hand don't transplant after having watered a lot (will crumble in your hand too). But an airy soil mix works well for an easy transplant (the roots will be so dvped that they will hold it all together. My transplant "routine" is go from 1/2 beer solo cup (1 week) to cup (1w) then to 2 liter rectangular pot. Then I use a cutter to release them and in the final pots, holes they go. Indoors is nice under 16 h from beg to out as it develops small bushy plants and you minimize risks for your plants and you not being out there watering them. If started outdoors, I would use directly solo cup for 2 weeks then, 2 l pot for another 3 or 4 weeks until you plant for good at 6w old. Pushing it more (2 months) with a 2 l pot will cause them to start flowering early even if they're non autoing. Careful with that... Put them in some 3 or 4 l pots if you need to wait. Note: If organic, top dress them at 40 days because the worm castings will be used up (20% ot total vol. is what I use). This year, I had some that flowered because of being root bound in a small pot. When they got to the final holes they were starting to flower. Then stopped because they finally got more space. So they're losing time and yield. But that's cool they're extras. So make sure you don't leave them too long unless you want some early buds... and if your plants seem to not be growing that's a possibility of what's going on. With autos place them asap in final 5 l pot or (small) hole.