Help with watering

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Idk how well this applies to your medium, but i give it one shot glass for first entire week...not RIGHT at the base but around the trunk of the plant....do not directly pour it onto the plant, week 2 I give it 200ml every 3-4 days...then from there i scale up rapidly.. by week 4-5 im at several cups to a liter every 2-3 days....But remember this isnt an exact science and I understand how frustrating that is, because i too overwatered my first grow,...Pick them up.. get used to the weight..Let your plant tell you when it needs water, don't let it hit the soil its soo dry, but you may notice after lights come back on a slight droop....Again your mileege may vary, but this is what has been working for me, in ffof/ffhf/ffsf/perlite mix in a fabric pot... 5 gallons.

Agree with the others. It sounds like you're really struggling with this, so one thing you can do is to fill up an identical pot to the one your plant is in with the exact same media and just leave it dry. Then when you want to see if you should water, lift your plant up, then lift up the pot of dry media, then water when your pot is no longer heavy. Once you do that a few times you'll get used to it.

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

Very poor way to determine dryness. Very poor. When you transplant and before you water after getting everything in the container pick it up. Pick it up multiple times. Then water with a proper volume of feed or water. Then pick it up repeatedly and get the feel.

Pick up daily after that. What size container are you using?

Take a barbecue skewer and aerate the medium thoroughly. All the way to the bottom of the container and especially under the plant. Do this before feeding or watering every time.

hotrodharley said:

Very poor way to determine dryness. Very poor. When you transplant and before you water after getting everything in the container pick it up. Pick it up multiple times. Then water with a proper volume of feed or water. Then pick it up repeatedly and get the feel.

Pick up daily after that. What size container are you using?

Take a barbecue skewer and aerate the medium thoroughly. All the way to the bottom of the container and especially under the plant. Do this before feeding or watering every time.

Click to expand...

1000 times this.... stabbing the medium really woke my plants up....and you wont hurt the roots by doing it.. they'll move, I do about 10x stabs around the plant and at an angle to get under it. Each watering/feeding.

I'd add that i want you to see what a thirsty plant looks like, they wont die overnight on you relax. But i want you to stop watering today and wait to see if they perk up strong. If they do perk up strong and stiff come back and tell us...then i want you keep waiting without watering them. If it's 2 days since you watered, and they look perky still you will not water them. Over the day or 2 you should start to see the signs of a thirsty plant (based on size you gave me no pics).
Now you can water one time and repeat that entire process of waiting.
After those 2 sessions you should be more comfortable in watering those plants and any others afterwards.

blgdlkbandit said:

1000 times this.... stabbing the medium really woke my plants up....and you wont hurt the roots by doing it.. they'll move, I do about 10x stabs around the plant and at an angle to get under it. Each watering/feeding.

Click to expand...

Same principle as cultivating with discs or sweeps in row crops.

Well I am still letting them dry out and it's accelerating the leaf yellowing and dying problem. Not going to get much off these girls. Same exact problem as my first grow.

I identified that my soil sucked on my last grow and I also watered too much, spelling certain death for the ladies. I thought adding perlite would fix it, but it clearly didn't.

I bought some hemp seeds to practice on because they're cheaper. Instead of 25% perlite, I pushed it up to 50% perlite. Now it's on me to water them right.

Here's a pic of where we are right now. Any who...

wait for the plant to show signs of under watering, then water, once you get the hang of it you will not have to wait till that point possibly. for smaller plants and seedlings, I just start them in pretty moist/wet (not soaking wet), medium and they are usually good for at least a week.

as for mixing soil, my biggest advice would be to make the ph of it ideal so you don't have to worry about it during your grow.

jfarrismu said:

Well I am still letting them dry out and it's accelerating the leaf yellowing and dying problem. Not going to get much off these girls. Same exact problem as my first grow.

I identified that my soil sucked on my last grow and I also watered too much, spelling certain death for the ladies. I thought adding perlite would fix it, but it clearly didn't.

I bought some hemp seeds to practice on because they're cheaper. Instead of 25% perlite, I pushed it up to 50% perlite. Now it's on me to water them right.

Here's a pic of where we are right now. Any who...

Click to expand...

Did you poke the holes in the side of the pot or did it come like that? I've never seen that before. I use plastic pots too but would think that unnecessary. Plus, the way it drains you might not be saturating all areas of the soil and may have pockets of dry soil in there that the roots then don't access. That scenario would result in your having to water more frequently.

jfarrismu said:

Well I am still letting them dry out and it's accelerating the leaf yellowing and dying problem. Not going to get much off these girls. Same exact problem as my first grow.

I identified that my soil sucked on my last grow and I also watered too much, spelling certain death for the ladies. I thought adding perlite would fix it, but it clearly didn't.

I bought some hemp seeds to practice on because they're cheaper. Instead of 25% perlite, I pushed it up to 50% perlite. Now it's on me to water them right.

Here's a pic of where we are right now. Any who...

Click to expand...

i didn't know you were in mid flower when you posted originally. i sort of feel bad. I thought you were in veg that whole time. I don't agree with the 50% perlite but it may suit you i dont know and cant say. That will require watering often and hey maybe that's right up your alley. As you see from the other thread we dont water often at all in soil. If you add that perlite you'll add some challenge to your setup i fear. You're heading towards a hempy bucket grow almost. I know you're frustrated it will get easier.

To get watering down right i would just go based off weight. After watering your plant pick it up and feel how heavy it is after watering. Then in a couple of days lift it up again and you should be able to tell if you need water or dont.

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

I used a 3 gallon grow bag my first grow. Pre-mixed Super Soil. Maybe think about a pre-mix soil if you're starting out. It might save you some heartache and you can decipher what's in it. It will also have a base nutrient content.
When you first transplant it, water around the base of the little plant. You should be checking gently with your finger right next to it to make sure it's either moist or dry.
As it grows, it will need more and more water and dry out quicker.
Generally, Droopy leaves means it's thirsty. Droopy leaves is a good baseline and will not kill the plant if you water it when noticed. The first couple weeks after transplant is where I started learning how much to water it. Then it got big enough for me to start watering it until the water came out the bottom. You can't water like that at first, the plants too small.
You'll start to feel your grow bag firm up as roots spread later on.

2/3 of the way through my grow my plant became root heavy, not bound but it was significant. I had to not let it dry out so much because it took forever to get water to start to go down to the point of run off. I used a 5 gallon this time. I water as needed and only keep a fertilizer schedule because what I'm using is for every other watering.

ShittyBill said:

Did you poke the holes in the side of the pot or did it come like that? I've never seen that before. I use plastic pots too but would think that unnecessary. Plus, the way it drains you might not be saturating all areas of the soil and may have pockets of dry soil in there that the roots then don't access. That scenario would result in your having to water more frequently.

Click to expand...

I poked them. It just seems to be drying out so slowly. I know 50% perlite is going to be a lot, but I'm hoping it will work better.

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

My friend, see this picture? I had to transplant this plant before I wanted to last week. It was getting some leaf issues and instead of trying to correct them while it was in a small cup, i immediately transferred her to her home.
I watered and topped her this morning. See where I watered? Around the base and a little farther out. I didn't water until runoff. That would be foolish of me. That's too much. Its a little plant in a big 5 gallon bag.
Now I'll wait for the top to dry then check with my finger an inch or 2 away from plant and down. If it's dry an in inch or more below the surface I'll water it again.
It's growing so fast I'll be able to use the runoff technique in no time.
Lifting the container is suitable if you're not in a wheelchair, like I am. I did that with my first plants in 3 gallon bags but they soon got to big. No way for a 5 gallon for me. Fabric pots are really nice to grow in. The roots like them.
The other picture is my first plants last winter. It was supposed to be 1 but I thought the original one I started wasn't going to make it and after I started another plant I had nursed it back to health so I grew 2.

jfarrismu said:

Well I am still letting them dry out and it's accelerating the leaf yellowing and dying problem. Not going to get much off these girls. Same exact problem as my first grow.

I identified that my soil sucked on my last grow and I also watered too much, spelling certain death for the ladies. I thought adding perlite would fix it, but it clearly didn't.

I bought some hemp seeds to practice on because they're cheaper. Instead of 25% perlite, I pushed it up to 50% perlite. Now it's on me to water them right.

Here's a pic of where we are right now. Any who...

Click to expand...

What kind of soil is that? It looks like it has quite a bit of wood chips in it. Those plants look like there's more than just a watering issue going on.

New to indoor growing myself so can't offer much advice. You are definitely in the right place for help RIU has been key in my first grow going well except a couple minor mistakes that was on me. I bought a moisture meter and ditched it almost immediately, and adopted the weight method, I also see what my girl is telling me too. Also saw someone posted link to Grow Weed Easy, IMO thsat's a great source for learning the how and why of things, Leafly as well, but as with everything don't believe everything you read on the internet, if it sounds a little off it may very well be

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

I just got to look at your pictures. I didn't realize you were in flower. By the looks of it the "pick up the pot method" should work for you. And watering until run off. You're way past where I thought you were at.

xtsho said:

What kind of soil is that? It looks like it has quite a bit of wood chips in it. Those plants look like there's more than just a watering issue going on.

Click to expand...

Agreed. That plants health isn't related to over/under watering.

More likely related to this...

jfarrismu said:

I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless.

Click to expand...

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

Thmy 5 gallon

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

Is there ANY loose soil in those pots? I
Is it firm to the touch when you push a
I sent you an updated picture. The 5 gallon grow bag is starting to get firm which means I have a very good explosion and abundance of roots. It's noticeable when I push down on the surface, it's firm and I have to push to get my finger in.
Tommorow I'll start watering until it runs out the bottom and start checking it every 2 days until I think it needs water again. That will be my baseline for watering This plants growth is insane.

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

This pla

jfarrismu said:

Hi all,

If someone could please give me some kind advice about watering, I'd appreciate it.

I overwatered terribly on my first grow. Second one is better, but still producing a stunted, sickly plant. I tried watering when top inch was dry method the first time unsuccessfully. This time I did the weigh method, but I fear I haven't been aggressive enough yet.

I have fabric pots on the way for my next grow. I know the roots need to breathe, but is the idea for the whole medium to be completely dry, or very close? (before watering again)

To be honest I'm still working out my potting medium, but it's getting better! I fully intend to keep making my own soil, but I need advice nonetheless. I added 25% perlite this grow (the 100% soil one was an epic disaster lol) and that has helped, but I'm considering upping that to 50% perlite next grow (which is soon).

If you think I'm destined to fail, I'd rather just not hear that. If you have something constructive and helpful to add, I'm all ears. Thank you.

Click to expand...

I'm just following up. If you don't want me to, let me know. You said you were getting cloth bags soon. I'm just trying to let you know what to expect.
The soil around this plant pictured has firmed up quite significantly. About3- 4 inches around it. I have to push to really get my finger into the soil. That means I have very good root growth. It happens fast so I watch for it
With that being said, this morning for the first time, I watered (ph balanced of course) until water ran out the bottom of the 5 gallon grow bag. I did this knowing there's enough root structure and the plant is big enough to handle the water without trouble.
I don't water on a schedule. I water when the plant needs it. As I do with all my other plants I grow. I will fertilize right now until I switch to bloom with a "green leafy growth fertilizer" from Fox Farm every other watering per the instructions. That's the only schedule I keep except for the light timer.
Starting off, I'm just looking for success. I have plenty of time to try and go straight "organic" in another grow.
I will switch to a bloom fertilizer when i see the first signs of flowering. That's a little later. Very shortly I'll switch the light. This plant is just days shy of 8 weeks old. I topped it a couple of days ago.