Okay heres the problem..i had 3 plants growing in a pc growbox..all 3 came out of the soil and looked great..i was to understand water once a week..but the soil dries up really quick i mean in like a day or 2 tops. so i have been giving it about a quater of a cup every 2 days..it doesnt sound like enough but it soaks the soil and i dont want to overwater..but didnt water 2 of the 3 plants for 3 days and they are now dead..i dont want to kill my last one..could someone please tell the proper amount and how often(i have been waiting till the soil is dry about an inch deep) of water to feed my baby? the setup for the pc growbox: my baby is in a solo cup(beer cup) and i think the drainage is proper 1 65w (200w equiv) cfl 6500k 3900 lumens daylight bulb 1 26w (100w equiv) cfl ?k about 2000 lumens daylight bulb intake:4" pc fan 85cfm (very powerful)(aftermarket) exhaust:1 3 1/2" pc fan & 1 3" pc fan (fans running on 12v DC, i love it just upgraded from 5v DC) on the walls: sun reflector for dashboard of car my friend gave me some of his soil from his father's garden..he grows some amzaing fruits pretty sure all organic no chemicals or nutes please help guys!
you should water every 3-4 days usually. during each watering make sure you water until there is 30% run-off and most people test that run-off's ph to see if the ph is right. if your soil dries too quickly try putting some medium sized rocks to cover the top of the soil
sorry but what do u mean untill there is 30% run-off? i will accept criticism and where can i get ph testers? i will try that rock idea thanks
get a simple ph tester at like pet store but you can get a nice one at a hydro store. 30% runoff to me means that if i give them a gallon of water then i want 30% of that gallon to come out the bottom. 30% of a gallon is about 1 quart.
gotcha..good lookin out on that...but do u no how much water i should give it if its in a red solo cup(beer cup) like a gatorade bottle(1.25 pt) half a bottle, 1/4 bottle?
hey bro, sorry to hear some of them died here is what i do when i water any of my plants, no matter what size, starter 8oz cup or finishing 3.6g pot i water and try to make it pour over the entire surface of the soil, so to prevent a big sinkhole and to try and make it watered as even as possible I then wait like 15 seconds, and do it again, and keep doing this until the water begins to run out of the bottom drainage holes, then I stop I only water when the pot / cup feels very light and I can put my finger to the knuckle into the soil and not feel any moisture I hope I have helped, ive always used this method and never really have watering issues... btw it sounded like something other than watering killed the first plants.. not sure what tho but your watering method didn't sound that messed up Also, leave your water out with the top open / uncovered for 24 hours this will let the chlorine leave the water if you are using tap, and also lets it come to room temperature which is easier on the plants. Good luck!
why the 30% runoff? I've been seeing that posted around here as advice a lot. Can someone please clarify the reasoning behind this if possible? (other than to test the runoff.) Thanks.
thanks alot this was very helpful...i think i got the idea now..its bagseed 2 from some nyc desiel n 1 from some wack kush..n i have 1 desiel left really want to this one to make it...i think it mite have been too hot in there with the fans only runnin on 5v instead of 12v but i fixed that today...only one quedtion though...back to the gatorade bottle...no more than half should do the trick for my solo cups right? o yea the water i have been using is cooler than room temp, but not close to refrigerater cold, bottled water
Do not water by a calendar -- there is no rule that applies to every plant, and even what works for a given plant at one stage of its life probably won't continue to be the case for that plant later on. Water when the plant needs it, which is to say when the soil dries out a bit. That could be every other day or every 10 days, just depends on your plant, your soil, your container, your conditions. Sinister describes a good way to water, which is basically not to dump it all in at once but to water slowly, maybe even give it a little and then wait a few minutes for it to soak in before giving more. You want to saturate the soil. You want runoff for two reasons: first, runoff means that the soil can't hold any more water -- until you get runoff you have more watering to do. Second, the runoff is the best test of pH because it has filtered through the soil. I don't necessarily believe in the 30% number, but you basically do want more than the first few drops to come through. But 10%, 20%, 40% would all be fine as well.