Hey I’m enjoying this thread and couldn’t help but notice that you grow in coco w/ GG. I’m in the middle of my second grow using FF 70/30 coco, GG, and a few other dry organics. I honestly never thought I’d be able to grow plants as healthy and vibrant as these have been but I know they pale in comparison to some.
Last run I moved from 1 gal to 5 gal and finished out 3 nice plants. My space was a little tight (it’s a 2’x6’x8’ closet) with all 3, so this time I’m only growing 2.
I thought I wanted to use bigger pots, so I transplanted the first plant into a 7 gal plastic “air pot “, which I think is the name. They have the pointy sides with holes in every little point……anyway, the circumference is the same w/ the 5 and 7, which means the 7 has a lot of space below. Once I got the first plant moved I chickened out on the 2nd plant and used a 5gal.
The one aspect of this grow that I cannot figure out with 100% certainty is the watering. The last run I treated things more like a soil grow. I’d let the pot get fairly dry first. Then I would painstakingly water super slow. I’d use a spray bottle and get the top saturated, then very slowly water the outer edges. I’d wait at least 15-20 min between passes.
Once I was satisfied with the outer 1-2” I would then water the bulk of the surface, stopping about a 1.5”-2” from the base of the stem. All in all it would take me damn near 2 hours to do it…..which sucked but I’d be doing other things at the same time.
I could get over 1.5 gal of water in that 5 gal pot before there was any sign of runoff.
At the first sign of runoff, I’d stop.
I’d usually end up watering in this manner every third day.
Now I have this one plant in the 7 gal and it’s gonna take forever to dry out compared to the 5’s.
So I’m rethinking the whole watering plan.
Can you give any advice or suggestions?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t you want the medium to stay moist 100% of the time?
Perhaps I should be watering more frequently but with less amounts….trying to keep a consistent level of moisture.
I know in soil, too much moisture deprives oxygen and the roots don’t thrive.
My current mix is 70/30 plus I added a bit of rice hulls. The likelihood of drowning the roots seems like far less of a risk.
I want to fill out that 7 gal pot and I know roots don’t chase dry medium……but shouldn’t a consistent moist medium allow the roots to grow into the bigger pot?
Sorry for such a long post…..I’d just love to know the optimal time to water and to what extent.
The pic is my 2 girls yesterday. They’ve been vegging for about 7 weeks and I’ve really trained the hell out of one of them. The other I didn’t open up as much, but have lollipopped. I think I’ll flip to 12/12 in the next few days.
Thanks for any comments, I appreciate it.
View attachment 1316639