Watering can't be so hard.....

[brianakabear]

Good day all, hope y'all are safe..

With all the technology available is there a BETTER way to water my plants? The finger method seems flaky to me I even bought fabric pots and an analog soil tester. With that said I already overwatered a plant.

Is there a drip system that gives a little water constantly or would that not make sense because the plants would still be oversaturated?

Is it better to UNDERWATER because they seem to recover in a few hours as opposed to overwater(like I did already) and risk root rot?
Is there a temp that you place a warmer under my pots(which are fabric) that will evaporate the water efficiently without cooking the roots?

 

[Madbud]

Ya just gotta get a feel for when that pot of soil is dry, like a bag of feathers, then drench it like a thunderstorm, repeat. And you’re correct, dry wilt is a lot quicker to fix than wet wilt.

 

[Dbear180]

There is this badass new technology I heard about making a break thru in the growing world with these highly visible indicator lines called a measuring cup...

 

[brianakabear]

There is this badass new technology I heard about making a break thru in the growing world with these highly visible indicator lines called a measuring cup...

Please explain further Mr. Wizard.......

 

[stanknugzz77]

There is this badass new technology I heard about making a break thru in the growing world with these highly visible indicator lines called a measuring cup...

They dun stoled my product! Positive vibes...

~nugzz

 

[Dbear180]

Please explain further Mr. Wizard.......

My magic is too strong for you if you dont even know how to use a measuring cup

 

[brianakabear]

My magic is too strong for you if you dont even know how to use a measuring cup

DICK!

 

[Dbear180]

DICK!

 

[Jimster]

Overwatering doesn't really have much to do with too much water, it is more a result from poor drainage. Roots require Oxygen to thrive, and when you have poor drainage, the water oversaturates the medium and basically just sits there like an internal pond with no air circulation... which turns into no oxygen. I use Promix HP, which holds water well without holding too much and it allows the roots to breathe without going dry. Repeated wilting of your plant is very stressful, so I would try to avoid it if possible. This is why a lot of growers add a lot of Perlite into their mediums, as it doesn't hold water and drains well.

 

[brianakabear]

Overwatering doesn't really have much to do with too much water, it is more a result from poor drainage. Roots require Oxygen to thrive, and when you have poor drainage, the water oversaturates the medium and basically just sits there like an internal pond with no air circulation... which turns into no oxygen. I use Promix HP, which holds water well without holding too much and it allows the roots to breathe without going dry. Repeated wilting of your plant is very stressful, so I would try to avoid it if possible. This is why a lot of growers add a lot of Perlite into their mediums, as it doesn't hold water and drains well.

THX, I use OceanFarm with a 30% mix of Perlite. What do you think the max I can do is 50/50? Whats your Veg temp/RH if you don't mind sharing.....

 

[MIMedGrower]

If the probe moisture meter reads in the dry zone 3/4 way down the pot and it feels very light its time to water.

Watering when it feels dry only with a finger poked in tells nothing of the lower soil.

Its watering too often that keeps the roots soggy.

It is the most important skill to learn with potting soil in my opinion.

 

[One drop]

If you can get your pots up off the tent floor creat a air gap under them will aid in drainage and warmer roots dryer roots much healthier plant if you have drip trays under the pots get them up out of them with pot rises keep the pots bottoms dry . Regards OD .

 

[Foutwenty71]

Perlite is our friend.. even as much as a 40% perlite mix. Also a seed warming mat under your pot can help some combined with a fan.. just a few ideas from a guy who runs into that problem himself quite a bit

 

[brianakabear]

Perlite is our friend.. even as much as a 40% perlite mix. Also a seed warming mat under your pot can help some combined with a fan.. just a few ideas from a guy who runs into that problem himself quite a bit

Appreciate ya bro....

 

[Jimster]

THX, I use OceanFarm with a 30% mix of Perlite. What do you think the max I can do is 50/50? Whats your Veg temp/RH if you don't mind sharing.....

If I told you what my temp and Rh are, I'll have a ton of growers telling me that I'm doing it all wrong. Since I'm in the mood for a rumble... my Rh is usually pretty low...maybe 40% max in the summer and down to 5-10% in the winter. I try to keep the grow area about 84F... which is probably why I have low humidity as the incoming air is climate controlled, although no humidity is added during the winter. I've never used Oean Farm or most other soils, I instead have used Promix for the last 30 years or so... but not the general purpose potting soil that they also sell, but instead used the Promix HP or BX... the HP is impossible to overwater.
My usual method for checking if a medium holds too much water is to take a handfull of it from the wettest area and squeeze it in my hand. If I get more than a drop or two of water, then it is too wet for my comfort.

 

[brianakabear]

If I told you what my temp and Rh are, I'll have a ton of growers telling me that I'm doing it all wrong. Since I'm in the mood for a rumble... my Rh is usually pretty low...maybe 40% max in the summer and down to 5-10% in the winter. I try to keep the grow area about 84F... which is probably why I have low humidity as the incoming air is climate controlled, although no humidity is added during the winter. I've never used Oean Farm or most other soils, I instead have used Promix for the last 30 years or so... but not the general purpose potting soil that they also sell, but instead used the Promix HP or BX... the HP is impossible to overwater.
My usual method for checking if a medium holds too much water is to take a handfull of it from the wettest area and squeeze it in my hand. If I get more than a drop or two of water, then it is too wet for my comfort.

F the haters..... I'm duplicating your settings right now......Thx bro...

 

[Jimster]

F the haters..... I'm duplicating your settings right now......Thx bro...

I guess the point is that I have never had any issues with growing and have been doing it since the 70s. I was lousy outdoors but a guy showed me the magic of 1000w MH bulbs and things progressed from there. My setup is in a climate controlled building and the AC keeps the Rh to about 30-40% at 70 degrees... move into a 84 degree room and the Rh drops a lot. In winter, the Rh is minimal at 70, static shocks everywhere, an even drier in the grow room. Despite this, I have never had any problems with dryness. When first starting, I might sometimes see the very tips of leaves on the dry side, but once some leaves fill in, they seem to create a microclimate and don't seem to notie the ryness at all. I still get a ton of transpiration but have a high air exchange, so I've never had problems with mold/mildew. It works for me, but it might not work for everyone, since every setup is different. I've sort of refined or dialed in my process over the years and I don't really deviate from it much... why fix it if it ain't broke.
A lot of growers have much different setups and philosophies... none are right or wrong as long as they grow well.

 

[RippedTorn]

Wick from the bottom. Use real soil in your mix. These peat mixes you see every where are like growing in ground up sponges