Proper watering

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Indoors' started by Zoltan_4:19, Nov 22, 2010.

  1. So Its my 3rd closet grow and I'm still tring to get the "watering" perfect. I'm running a 600w-hps with 8, 3gallon pots. I'm still unsure as to how much water they need during each watering. Becuase the more water also mean more nutes to mix?.. I know when to water, jus not how much. When they are thirsty I usualy give them aprox 2 gallons divided up x8 (aprox 1L each) every 3-4 days.

    1)when I water, should each 3 gallon pot get enough water so it just starts to drip out the bottom a bit?

    2)how much water do you Guys use PER one 3gallon pot?

    3)what's the diffrence between over watering, and flushing?

    ..I know factors such as stage of growth and heat play a role in how often and how much to water, jus looking for a ball park guestimate so let's jus say begining of bloom cycle
     
  2. #2 yoctown, Nov 22, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2010
    Water over the top surface as evenly as possible and you only want a little run off. Water when it is dry (easiest way to tell is to pick up the pot and judge the weight as you do it more you will become better). Over watering isn't to big of a deal but is messy. Watering to often is a problem and can cause root rot. Flushing it is just straight water and when I flush I make sure there is lots of extra water run off.
     
  3. So I'm not giving them enough water? If every 3G pot needs enough water to just barely drip out the bottom after, I prob need alot more water (and nutes) then I'm currently using.
     
  4. I have 5 galon pots and I water a gallon and 1/3 every 3 or 4 days it kind of vary depending on humidity but the amount I water is usually just enough to run water out of the bottom I could probably get away with watering a gallon but my girls seem to like it and the difference between overwatering and flushing is flushing is done in one night in a couple of minutes really ur just putting 3 times the amount of water as the size of ur pots ie 5 gallon pots 15 gallons of water for u it would be 9 gallons each but overwatering is over a longer period of time like keeping the soil wet for a week straight and that's done by watering every night or every other night basically not letting the soil dry before watering again hope this helps u understand
     
  5. 1) When you water, you want substantial runoff, not just until it starts to drip a little bit. Some people say you should target 30% runoff (meaning runoff that is 30% of what you put in). I don't think it needs to be that much, but you want to know your soil is saturated and water is pushing out the bottom because the soil can't hold any more. If you only get a few drips then there still could be dry spots within the soil.

    2) There is no amount of water that is "right" for a 3-gallon pot -- whatever amount it takes until you get proper runoff. And that amount can (probably will) change during the course of a grow.

    3) Flushing is a rinsing or cleansing of the soil by running a ton of water through it, carrying away the excess nutes, salt build-up, and other waste byproducts. After a flushing you allow the soil to dry out and don't water again until it does. Overwatering, on the other hand, does not occur with a single watering occasion but rather occurs from watering too frequently. MJ likes to be watered thoroughly until the soil is saturated and then not watered at all until the soil dries out a bit. So, cycle between wet and dry basically. Overwatering happens when you don't let the soil dry out and keep it constantly moist, which retards root development, suffocates the beneficial microbes in the soil, and can cause root rot.
     
  6. Thanks guys. exactly what I was looking for. So basically I had been under watering my plants.. And probably building up the salts in my previous grows, I jus switched them over to 12/12 I think I'm going to have to be hualing alot more water back and forth to my closet now.. But, it's for a good cause :)
     
  7. But you may be watering less often. To know when to water, an easy test is poke your finger into the soil to the first knuckle, if you feel moisture don't water, when it feels dry you do. You can also get a moisture probe at Home Depot etc. Eventually you can get used to feeling the weight of the pot, it gets lighter as it dries out and you will come to recognize the right weight that represents time to water.
     

Share This Page