Hey everyone, this weekend will be 4 weeks of my soil cooking so at the beginning of next week I will be transplanting what I just started and also starting a couple new seeds in the cooked soil. I know that while the soil is cooking you want to keep it moist so the microbes do not go dormant, however, my question is when I am actually growing in this soil how do I know when and how much water to give my plants? It would only make sense that if you want the soil to stay moist that I should not wait until it is dry on top to water, so I figure the best way to determine that would be based on how much the containers weigh. When I do water am I suppose to water until there is some sort of a run off? Should I just water until I think it is heavy enough? I figure that every plant is different and will take in water at a different rate so it is not as simple to say water every so many days which is usually what seems to be done when using bottled nutrients.
Do you think that this type of a self watering container would be effective? It seems like this would take away any worries I have had about watering my plants if I go with this method. How To Make A Self-Watering Container & Planter | Urban Organic Gardener
Check this thread out... http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-...annbs-self-wicking-smartpot-ghetto-setup.html "No worries" watering! I've been using this real simple SIP (sub-irrigated planter) design for the past three weeks now with excellent results. Faster growth, roots happy, microbes happy! I live where it's really dry and can't keep humidity levels within an acceptable range even with a humidifier because I vent fresh air in from outside. This has helped to fix that problem! I can actually see the difference in how my plants look. And I've been able to move my lights back closer to the top of the plants. I don't know if you use SmartPots, but I think that SOME kind of SIP set-up (like the one in post #4) is the answer to your dilemna. For sure. Hope this helps. Good luck! waktoo
Oops! Forgot this one. Good links and info here as well... http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1154867-sip-fundamentals.html
I do not use smart pots, I use 5 gallon buckets. I like how in the first link you showed me he does not use the pipe down the soil like in the link I provided. Since I am tight on money I am going to try and make the self watering container in the link I gave but without the pipe going down, this should work as I will just lift the bucket out to fill the water up it just seems like it will take a little more time and probably more patience but hey if it works I will be ok with that.
kahgknow, just a bit from experience. Put the pipe in. Trust me your not going to want to be lifting a 3ft monster to water your plant. Easier just to pour water down the pipe.
Sticky, so it sounds like your saying it is possible to do without the pipe? That is good to hear. I am not too concerned about lifting the plants up, last grow I had to do the same thing. We did some training around the pots last time, my girlfriend had one that I could barely get my arms around and I had to move it every time we watered, plus I also rotated the plants every day so it is not a big concern to be lifting the plants up. My only question about the setup now is the guy says he changes his water like once a week, does this mean that I only empty and change it once a week or do I add water more than that but empty out the dirty water once a week?
Yes, anything is possible. Just labor intensive. If its going to work for you great. When these SIPs get cranking you'll probably be watering everyday. Just the thought of lifting a plant everyday to water makes my back hurt. Look at guerilla45 or eddro SIP monsters I woulndt want to lift those period. Especially that mota G45's got.
Just for the record, this works with hard pots as well with 2 criteria: -they must have drainage holes on the bottom -the pots have to be pressed down onto the medium so that the soil (via the drainage holes) has contact with the medium I've run solo cups, 1 gal nursery pots and a 14" pot this way with excellent results.