Small pots and water/feed regime

[funkdoctorspock]

Hi folks,
Just been thinking. Again
So, small pots are my thing as they really speed up veg period and thus overall cycle.
But they obv limit the size of harvest.
I generally water 400ml daily with feed in 3.6 litre fabric pots having potted up for a good solid root ball.
I was wondering about increasing potency of the feed to drive them harder.
Any thoughts on this?
Spock

 

[ArtfulCodger]

I think it will depend a lot on media and watering. Nutes, light, and water need to balance. Increasing the feed concentration while keeping the watering frequency the same can work up to a point, but it risks over-feeding the higher you go. You might look into more frequent watering in coco or rockwool. Here's a plant I grew in a 4x4 in a 2 gallon pot of 100% coco, with a dripper running around the clock, regulated by a Blumat carrot.

 

[Grownsince95]

Hi folks,
Just been thinking. Again
So, small pots are my thing as they really speed up veg period and thus overall cycle.
But they obv limit the size of harvest.
I generally water 400ml daily with feed in 3.6 litre fabric pots having potted up for a good solid root ball.
I was wondering about increasing potency of the feed to drive them harder.
Any thoughts on this?
Spock

Adding more fertilizer will in no way push them harder. Light and temperature push them harder. There's a point at ambient CO2 where you can't push them anymore but you can add more CO2. It's like nature's Gatorade.

If you're going to feed heavy in small pots it's important to keep the vpd on the lower end of what is suggested. It's all about how much water is forced through the plant via evaporation and the plants will be drinking more in the small pots.

 

[funkdoctorspock]

I think it will depend a lot on media and watering. Nutes, light, and water need to balance. Increasing the feed concentration while keeping the watering frequency the same can work up to a point, but it risks over-feeding the higher you go. You might look into more frequent watering in coco or rockwool. Here's a plant I grew in a 4x4 in a 2 gallon pot of 100% coco, with a dripper running around the clock, regulated by a Blumat carrot.

View attachment 2468255

That looks like a great setup. You must have had the drip frequency dialled. How much water would it drink in 24 hrs? Never used coco but i'm curious. So many benefits

 

[Grownsince95]

This is a 3 by 3 with a 1 gallon fabric pot. Fed 16 x 8oz per day with about 16 oz of runoff.

 

[ArtfulCodger]

That looks like a great setup. You must have had the drip frequency dialled. How much water would it drink in 24 hrs? Never used coco but i'm curious. So many benefits

With Blumats, drip frequency is demand driven, not dialed in. The ceramic carrot is basically a moisture meter...once you get the media to your desired saturation level, the Blumat maintains it by dripping faster or slower. Water demand per plant varies with plant size and health. By the end of flower, a plant like the one in the picture might be drinking more than a gallon a day.

 

[funkdoctorspock]

Adding more fertilizer will in no way push them harder. Light and temperature push them harder. There's a point at ambient CO2 where you can't push them anymore but you can add more CO2. It's like nature's Gatorade.

If you're going to feed heavy in small pots it's important to keep the vpd on the lower end of what is suggested. It's all about how much water is forced through the plant via evaporation and the plants will be drinking more in the small pots.

Good points. Vpd is on point here and i haven't had any feed burn so far. I may creep up a little in feed strength but good point about co2! Nearing half way point so erring on cautious seems wise

 

[funkdoctorspock]

With Blumats, drip frequency is demand driven, not dialed in. The ceramic carrot is basically a moisture meter...once you get the media to your desired saturation level, the Blumat maintains it by dripping faster or slower. Water demand per plant varies with plant size and health. By the end of flower, a plant like the one in the picture might be drinking more than a gallon a day.

I had no idea such carrots existed. What a system! I'll have a dig around ceramic carrots and learn. Thaanks

 

[funkdoctorspock]

This is a 3 by 3 with a 1 gallon fabric pot. Fed 16 x 8oz per day with about 16 oz of runoff.

View attachment 2468297

Btw may i enquire what kind of yield would you expect with this particular pic? Also are you going seed or clone? How long is whole project? That's an aspirational setup

 

[Grownsince95]

Btw may i enquire what kind of yield would you expect with this particular pic? Also are you going seed or clone? How long is whole project? That's an aspirational setup

That was Hot Mess from Twenty20 Mendocino from seed for a 1lb/1 gal challenge here on the farm. In the end it yielded almost 11 oz.

 

[Grownsince95]

Btw may i enquire what kind of yield would you expect with this particular pic? Also are you going seed or clone? How long is whole project? That's an aspirational setup

I have a 4 pot auto watering set-up going now in a 2 by 4.

 

[funkdoctorspock]

That was Hot Mess from Twenty20 Mendocino from seed for a 1lb/1 gal challenge here on the farm. In the end it yielded almost 11 oz.

Very nice indeed!!!

 

[Grownsince95]

To get back to your original question that plant never saw a ppm over 900 because I was running 82° at 50% rh which is almost 1.9 VPD.

 

[funkdoctorspock]

To get back to your original question that plant never saw a ppm over 900 because I was running 82° at 50% rh which is almost 1.9 VPD.

Ahh..that's high. I never measured PPM before.
Looks like a real hassle cleaning the sensor etc.
But it would be a v helpful tool for me as i never have a damn clue if my feed is hot.
Using shogun terra bloom and never seen a single burn even at 4ml ltr every feed. Makes me suspicious about it's content. Could be the reason my last experiment lacked density!