Watering amounts?

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by coughinganon, Jul 24, 2007.

  1. Hi, I just started my first grow, first time growing any plant at all. I've got a sprout germinated in perlite (with plant food in the bottom tray) and 3 freshly germinated seeds in soil (with perlite lining the bottom of the pots). What I'd like to know is how often and how much I should water both types of grow media. Thanks!
     
  2. Welcome to the city :)

    Water when the soil is dry about knuckle deep. The only fool proof way to tell if the pots are dry is by checking the pot weight.
     

  3. at this stage, don't feed! after you get 3 alternating internodes start on 1/4 strength. if you're growing in straight perlite (i wouldn't) then you're hydro. it's inert and holds nothing. water daily. in soil, it usually ends up being about every 3 days. but as mentioned, only water when it dries to about 1/2 to 1 inch down dry. what do you mean plant food in the bottom tray? you're not watering from the bottom are you? setting plants in a tray/tub of water and letting them whick it up isn't a good idea. you need to water from the top down. i've read of some people doing that, but not often. later on when you feed you need top down watering to aid in flushing. i always allow run-off to clean medium of salt build-ups.
     
  4. Yes all above is good. just remember these are seeds dont over water them eait till their dry. and when u water pour slowly, and water till water comes out the bottom.
     
  5. Well, while I actually do what you do to check dryness...A better way (more fool proof) would be to invest in a moisture meter. Takes all the guess work out of it. ;)
     
  6. A bum moisture meter can kill a plant in the care of an absent minded grower, your hands don't lie ;)
     
  7. Ok...Lol

    Didn't mean to start an argument. I ain't planning (and I don't know of anyone that does) on using a bum moisture meter. :D

    To each his own. :confused_2:

    Like I said, I judge by pot weight and knuckles as well. When starting out though, I remember thinking "how do I know what is the correct weight?".

    Another one I really liked was "start flushing two weeks before harvest"...How the heck you going to know when it's two weeks before harvest if you've never harvested before? Lol

    Sorry, going off topic. Hashaman's advice is good advice. :)
     
  8. I only put the plant food in the hydro one, Several drops in the bottom tray. The perlite works by the water going up to the plant, right? That's what I had in mind, especially since the perlite is inert. But I knocked over the hydro one today and a bunch of the perlite spilled out. I put it back in and put it under it's own light. It seems to be the only one that's started to grow so far. (it's already got 4 tiny little leaves. What should I do with the hydro one? I'm pretty lost on it. Should I keep giving it food?
     

  9. i wasn't aware that perlite was able to absorb moisture. even in hydro, you need to wait until the plant reaches a certain age to start feeding. i'd suggest watering from the top down, even in the perlite. i wouldn't grow in it at all. it's great for aeration in other mediums though. ever hear of coco? it's a great medium.
     
  10. And now my single sprout seems to be dying. I don't know whether it's because I knocked over the cup, I'm overfeeding it, or it's not getting enough light. I currently have a 60W (13W) CFL on it, a few inches away from the plant. Also, how often should I water hydro plants?
     
  11. Ok, a quick update. Under the 60W CFL, the hydro sprout seems to be standing back up. It's not dead after all. :hello:
     

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