Bigalmoby said:

The amount of water will increase with the plant size but the most important part is to let the dirt dry back almost all the way then water

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Bobcat.Branch said:

It's not the amount of water, it is the frequency that can drown your plants. You can, in theory, put 20 gallons through your pot. As long as you allow it to dry back properly, then 20 gallons more!

Obviously, that's not ideal... So, water them to saturation, and to about 10-15% runoff. Then pick up the pot and feel how heavy it is. Let them dry until the day or time comes that you pick it up and it feels very lightweight. Repeat the watering process.

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GhostRR said:

I've been confused about some things regarding this.

1. I hear that when you have microbes in the soil letting it dry to much can kill the beneficial stuff in there. Conversely, staying wet too long can hurt or kill roots and deplete o2?

2. Doesn't soil get hydrophobic after to much drying?

3. (More for seedlings) don't roots die if there's no water? I read they stretch to look for water but is there a time frame that roots can last while looking for water b4 they die ?

Just trying to learn more. Might be over thinking it though.

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GhostRR said:

I've been confused about some things regarding this.

1. I hear that when you have microbes in the soil letting it dry to much can kill the beneficial stuff in there. Conversely, staying wet too long can hurt or kill roots and deplete o2?

2. Doesn't soil get hydrophobic after to much drying?

3. (More for seedlings) don't roots die if there's no water? I read they stretch to look for water but is there a time frame that roots can last while looking for water b4 they die ?

Just trying to learn more. Might be over thinking it though.

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ArtfulCodger said:

Ocean Forest and Happy Frog are both hypoxic at field capacity. That's a fancy way of saying that when we water them to saturation, the roots don't get enough air. That's why they need the long dry-back. That's also why they tend to droop for a day or two when we water them. When I run either OF or HF, I water to saturation, and then let them dry back until the pots are very light. Correct watering in those soils usually takes between a quarter and a third of the media volume. The dry-back period depends on the relationship between the plant size and the pot size. As plants get bigger, they'll dry back faster. If you're unsure about how long a good dryback is, water to saturation, and then let the plants dry back until you see straight down droop in the lowers. Water immediately. Next time, water a day or two earlier.

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ArtfulCodger said:

Ocean Forest and Happy Frog are both hypoxic at field capacity. That's a fancy way of saying that when we water them to saturation, the roots don't get enough air. That's why they need the long dry-back. That's also why they tend to droop for a day or two when we water them. When I run either OF or HF, I water to saturation, and then let them dry back until the pots are very light. Correct watering in those soils usually takes between a quarter and a third of the media volume. The dry-back period depends on the relationship between the plant size and the pot size. As plants get bigger, they'll dry back faster. If you're unsure about how long a good dryback is, water to saturation, and then let the plants dry back until you see straight down droop in the lowers. Water immediately. Next time, water a day or two earlier.

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RoadKillSkunkHunt said:

It's also why I add a bit of extra perlite to the soil. It makes it better draining and less hypoxic.

The problem with waiting for the plant to droop is a new grower could possibly wait a bit too long in the attempt to "get everything just right." I know experienced growers should be able to judge when a plant needs water but I don't expect that from someone just starting out. The simplest strategy involves a moisture meter to help the new grower sort it all out. Otherwise, if you wait too long, the plant starts dropping leaves to conserve water. I'd rather not see that stress reaction in my plants.

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GhostRR said:

But I guess I've beent more worried about killing microbes and thus trying to keep wet rather than the advised let her dry more.

I'll let her dry and droopy a bit more from now on.

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ArtfulCodger said:

Yeah, the "dry back to droop" thing isn't something to do often, and never if you can't/won't be checking every day. I don't have data, but my impression is that over-watering is a much more common issue for new growers than under-watering, especially in heavily amended soils that hold onto water hard. For me, pot weight is the best/easiest way to water soil correctly, but there are lots of ways to grow.

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RoadKillSkunkHunt said:

I have 9 plants getting towards the end of flower. I'm on the home stretch. My plants are in 3 gallon fabric pots. They get about a gallon, 4 liters to be exact, and I have been watering them every other day. This is the tool that without exception or error, tells me when to water. It's very inexpensive and if you have any questions about watering, you should purchase one for yourself.

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I'm not a rookie grower. My first run was in 1991. It's very difficult to "over-water" cannabis in the sense of giving too much water on watering day. It's very easy to water too often. The real definition of over-watering when it comes to cannabis is watering too frequently. If you have any questions at all, use a meter. In fact, even if you don't have questions, use the moisture meter. I do and I have been growing for over 30 yrs.

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