dont water till the top 2 inches is prettty dry. My watering technique: I have a tupperware container just big enough to fit the pots in, this catches any extra water your bound to have. Pour a few cups of water in, wait it out for about 5 mninutes so it soaks up and drips out, then take the excess water and re-water. If your using proper soil and pots with proper drainage holes, all excess water should just drip out. my 2 cents.. thc101
You want them to dry out a bit, that causes the plant's root system to grow in search of water. You also want the soil to dry out a bit between waterings to prevent root rot. Exactly how often that is depends somewhat on your containers and how old your plants are. Once the plants are established and in bigger pots they probably will need water every 4-7 days depending on particulars. When the plants are very young, though, in the first few weeks, and if they are in small pots like 3-4", they will need watering more frequently, perhaps every other day or every 3rd day. The smaller pots have more exposed surface area to volume of soil so they will dry out more quickly than the big pots. When you do water it's better to water thoroughly and then not at all in between waterings. A big newbie mistake is to give them just a little water every day thinking that is the "safe" way to not under- or overwater. That's actually the opposite and instead will not stimulate the roots to grow and could promote root rot. And you want a big, healthy root system because that is needed to support a big plant. You may find it helpful to spring for an inexpensive moisture meter, just a probe you stick in the soil with a needle that points to "dry", "moist" and "wet" or something like that. Can be had at any home improvement store or garden store for a few bucks.
When you do water it's better to water thoroughly and then not at all in between waterings. A big newbie mistake is to give them just a little water every day thinking that is the "safe" way to not under- or overwater. pardon me saying so, but i dont agree. i water a little every day, then fert water every couple of days. for the every day watering i mist the plants and then pour a little as close to the stem as possible. my plants definatley dont seem to mind. check out the thread "advice please" in the grow journals to check it out for yourself. very good and informative post though. p.s sorry to be a nitpick. LOL.
Well, I disagree with you blaze. I think it is best to water the plant thoroughly (like toasty said), watering the entire surface of the soil, until plenty drips out the bottom. Having water drip out the bottom is very important because it means that you gave the plant enough water to flush out excess salts. Watering the soil every day and keeping it continuously moist is a good way to invite mold. It also does not give the plants a chance to dry out and have the roots search for more water. Anyway, I don't think there is a wrong way to do it just as long as your plants are doing well.
Blaze, thanks for the respectful tone of your reply and disagreement. Folks can have different viewpoints while respecting each other, a notion that sometimes is missed in online communications and on this forum in particular... Allow me to clarify. There is no one way to water the plant, as long as it gets the water it needs without being over-watered. The goal is not about a schedule it's about healthy, thriving plants. Doing a little every day could work just fine for accomplishing that, as you have done. What I meant to say is that it is a lot harder to get the right amount of water with a schedule of a little a day because it is harder to gauge if you are over- or underdoing it, especially for a newbie. By waiting until the soil is dry (and even until the plant looks thirsty) you are not being guided by a clock or calendar, you are more likely to be watering only when it's needed -- and conversely, not watering when it's not needed. This approach takes a lot of the guesswork out because you are not trying to figure out when to water, the soil and plant are telling you when. By watering every day the soil probably is continually moist and therefore isn't giving this kind of a "signal", making it harder for some (me included) to know with this approach if too much or too little water is going in. But if you are able to put in the right amount on a daily schedule then you've figured out something that I haven't. So whatever works for you is cool by me. I still think the best advice for a newbie is to let the soil and the plant tell you because it's easier to determine, but if someone has a different approach that keeps the plant goin' then there is nothing wrong with that and they should stick to it. I appreciate your offering an alternate viewpoint -- we all learn more from a diversity of opinions and experiences. Thanks.
Agreed, plants need periods with dry soil as well as they need to drink, just like light and dark. Dry allows the roots to grow with inturn makes your plants drink more and grow faster and bigger, and wet lets it drink. Also somthing to keep in mind... it is better to water during your dark periods. Droplets of water are like magnifying glassed under high intensity lights and they may burn fan leaves. hope this helps. peace