Using a digital scale to know when to water?

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

I’ve seen ppl discuss their strategy when watering young plants. I can’t find the thread about this so I need help! How do you use a digital scale to determine when to water? I’m a new grower and slightly underwatered at first then slightly overwatered. I’m getting it dialed in but would like to incorporate using a scale to know when I should water again. I’m paying attention to what the plants wants by how it reacts but would like some extra help to go along with that. Any and all input welcomed!!!

Farmer88 · Apr 17, 2021

There are too many factors to consider to get an exact measurement. It would be a good experiment in a laboratory setting. If you're not in a laboratory setting with laboratory equipment, lift the pot.

I don't know how much time you can spend working on the plants, but lifting the container the same way several times a day will give you an accurate rate of consumption and evaporation. It will basically give you the same amount of information the scale will.

GNick55 · Apr 17, 2021

how small is the the plant might be better to water the soil with a little hand spray bottle..
need pictures

Madbud · Apr 17, 2021

I use the scale mainly to prevent overwatering. If a cup of fresh soil weighs 200g, wait til it weighs less to water again during the first month.

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

GNick55 said:
how small is the the plant might be better to water the soil with a little hand spray bottle..
need pictures

Yes I am already lifting the pots to feel the weight and I’m learning a lot every day I just want another weapon to add to the arsenal to help me determine when I should water again.

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

Madbud said:
I use the scale mainly to prevent overwatering. If a cup of fresh soil weighs 200g, wait til it weighs less to water again during the first month.

Ok so you want it to go past the original dry weight before watering again? I figured you would wait till it gets close to the original dry weight...

Farmer88 · Apr 17, 2021

ImpulsiveGrower said:
Yes I am already lifting the pots to feel the weight and I’m learning a lot every day I just want another weapon to add to the arsenal to help me determine when I should water again.

If you're looking to buy tools there are soil moisture meters and soil tempreture meters that will give you more useful information. However, and I don't know how much horticulture experience you have, these tools aren't really going to replace experice and just thousands of times lifting pots.

GNick55 · Apr 17, 2021

ImpulsiveGrower said:
Ok so you want it to go past the original dry weight before watering again? I figured you would wait till it gets close to the original dry weight...

you could start to water the full cup meaning enough to wet all of the medium and just don’t water till it’s as light as styrofoam and i mean styrofoam, going a little dry is WAY better than overwatered just a bit too much..
make sure there is air holes in bottom and lower sides of the cups for oxygen/airflow and to help with drying out..

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

Farmer88 said:
If you're looking to buy tools there are soil moisture meters and soil tempreture meters that will give you more useful information. However, and I don't know how much horticulture experience you have, these tools aren't really going to replace experice and just thousands of times lifting pots.

I definitely 100% agree!! I however have zero indoor experience and I’m lifting pots everyday and I know there’s no substitute for experience but I have none yet. I’ve seen ppl discuss using this method so I’m trying to get some input of how they do it. So I want to combine both intuition and carefully paying attention to my plants but wanted to also try to the scale method during the first month. It could only help along with me lifting pots.

GNick55 · Apr 17, 2021

GNick55 said:
you could start to water the full cup meaning enough to wet all of the medium and just don’t water till it’s as light as styrofoam and i mean styrofoam, going a little dry is WAY better than overwatered just a bit too much..
make sure there is air holes in bottom and lower sides of the cups for oxygen/airflow and to help with drying out..

those plants can handle a full watering now but not drenched meaning you pour very slowly and take your time to let the water settle through the soil, that way it won’t compact and push out all the oxygen..

Farmer88 · Apr 17, 2021

Dry out the soil to the lowest moisture percentage possible and record weight by volume. Do this with several samples and of several sized samples to get a mean. Take record of the pot weight. Take weight measurements of water that will be used unless using distilled water then its 1ml/g. Then you can get a relative consumption/evaporation weight ratio.

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

Farmer88 said:
Dry out the soil to the lowest moisture percentage possible and record weight by volume. Do this with several samples and of several sized samples to get a mean. Take record of the pot weight. Take weight measurements of water that will be used unless using distilled water then its 1ml/g. Then you can get a relative consumption/evaporation weight ratio.

Thanx for the advice farmer fam

lvstealth · Apr 17, 2021

a good way to know, fill a pot with just soil, compare it to yours, water when they feel about the same.

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

lvstealth said:
a good way to know, fill a pot with just soil, compare it to yours, water when they feel about the same.

Well the scale I ordered from Amazon came today so I filled an empty pot with soil to record the dry weight and then i weighed all my planted pots to get an idea. I’m lifting pots all the time as well but I’m trying this out at the same time.

lvstealth · Apr 17, 2021

water weighs about 8.3 pounds

freezeland2 · Apr 17, 2021

Blumat auto drip system and a moisture sensor takes a lot of the guess work out. Not to mention simplifying ones life.

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

freezeland2 said:
Blumat auto drip system and a moisture sensor takes a lot of the guess work out. Not to mention simplifying ones life.

I have a cheap lil moisture/ph/light meter as well so I’ll try using it some too

Farmer88 · Apr 17, 2021

lvstealth said:
a good way to know, fill a pot with just soil, compare it to yours, water when they feel about the same.

This is the most practical idea so far.

quirk · Apr 17, 2021

To keep it idiot proof, I get the dry weight, then the wet weight (to slight runoff). As you can see in this case the difference
is just over two ounces. I stay 10 grams below wet weight and don't add water until I get down to 10 grams above dry weight. As I pot up, I adjust accordingly using 16 oz. or 1 quart increments. This works for me, the idiot. By the way, those
are nice looking 8-12 day old plants.

ImpulsiveGrower · Apr 17, 2021

quirk said:
To keep it idiot proof, I get the dry weight, then the wet weight (to slight runoff). As you can see in this case the difference
is just over two ounces. I stay 10 grams below wet weight and don't add water until I get down to 10 grams above dry weight. As I pot up, I adjust accordingly using 16 oz. or 1 quart increments. This works for me, the idiot. By the way, those
are nice looking 8-12 day old plants.

Exactly the type of info I was looking for thank you! I know feeling it out is best but this will ensure I don’t mess anything up. Since I did slightly under then over water my seedlings...

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