Watering Cycle

I'm no expert but according to all these books I have, watering will be dependent on a number of variables. Grow room temp, relative humidity, air flow, grow medium texture, grow medium drainage etc. I am curious to see what more experienced growers say. I was thinking of using a meter to gauge how moist the soil is deep inside the pot rather than on the surface or one inch below.

 

so here's how i know if i need to water: i stick my finger in the soil about an inch(on the side of the pot of course so there's no root damage) and if your finger feels wet, wait another day to water. if you pull out a completely dry finger, it's time to water. just feel for yourself. you can never overwater this way.

 

I have a question similar to this one, but regarding amount. I've heard multiple times about 1" rule, but how MUCH water should one be giving the girls when it's watering time? I've been erring on the side of less water, as I figure I can always put more in later if it dries out faster, but as my girls get bigger I'm worried about the lower roots getting too dry. Is there any rule of thumb regarding this?

 

You want the soil to get fairly dried out between waterings, it encourages root development (they grow longer and stronger in search of water), and also the roots need oxygen, so over-watering can suffocate the roots. There is no schedule of watering every x days, it's when your plant/soil need it. Once you get experience you will be able to tell just by picking up the pot and knowing how light it feels when it needs water.

As for amount of water, give it agua slowly (don't flood the soil) and continue until it runs out the bottom. Careful with this rule of thumb, though, because as the soil settles it can pull away from the side of the pot, allowing water to run straight to the bottom and out the drainage holes. That would not be a signal that the plant has enough water. Basically you want to saturate the soil then leave it alone to dry out. One of the biggest newbie mistakes is watering a little bit constantly, figuring that will keep you from hurting your plant very much. Just the opposite though.

 

im still on my first grow and ive been watering usually every 3 days sometimes 4 and 1 time 5 days had passed, the finger rule is a pretty good one, about an inch below, but like toasty said you will just have to get used to it, untill then i would try the finger method. and depending on the size of your pot and how big your plant is depends on how much water it will take, i usually saturate the soil after its been dried out every 3 days, and like toasty said watering slowly so to make sure you saturate alot of the soil.

when i water my plant i usually wait till i see run off then ill wait for 10-15 minutes or so and if all the runoff has been sucked up i will water again till i see runoff.

 

can i use distilled water to water my plants(along with my nutrients of course)?

 

Distilled water is the best kind to use. If you have a dehumidifier, the water that it collects is considered distilled, although not safe to drink.