How much to water.

My plants are growing nice but I am watching the how to grow series by the green man on youtube and he waters 3 times a day. He is using rockwool so its different than my system since im using soil..(fox farm).

I water about every 2 days and my plants are very green! however, about an hour after they receive water they look like the grow really fast for a while before they start calming down a bit. I was wondering if I started watering them more if they would grow fast on a constant basis.

Your going to want to be really careful on water and remember the golden rule. Better to under water than over water. My plants look like I just kicked them in the balls after I water them and scare me, so I do it every 3-4 days now depending on evaporation ratio.

Dude.......it if aint broke, don't fix it! Just my opinion though.

From what I have read, over watering is a big killer so go easy man. If you're plants are looking green and healthy, you're prob doing it right.

If you really want to be sure when to water, maybe invest in a cheap soil moisture meter. That's what I'm gonna do for my grow.

What SnowWhite said is correct, I believe the way you are doing it now is the best. My logic: when the soil starts to get dry the plant slows down its growing, since it knows that to survive it needs water so it starts to save on drinking water and slows its H2O absorption rate. Therefore, I let my babies get unaroused (their arms flop down) before watering.
Finally, when you give them water they will start acting like a happy guy on ampthetamines, since now, with plenty of water they start absorbing water at a tremendous rate. This will cause the plant to grow, to get stronger and more healthy in case of another drought. Hey, it's just my opinion.

The main answer to your watering question is, water when your pot it totally dry, all the way to the bottom, and when you water, water very evenly, and thorough, all the way to the bottom. it can take more than 3 days for a pot to dry, sometimes 1 week. when your plants are flowering usually they have rooted the pots out all the way and will drink like maniac's, and by expierence usually need watering every three days. invest 5$ in the moisture meter, it really is great..

I was told plants like to go through wet n dry periods n to water the plant like a few days in a row then let it dry out for two or three days. Other ppl say 200ml every two days

View attachment 2860606View attachment 2860607View attachment 2860608First time Grower Ever Well this One White-Rhino Started in August 2013 I added two types of Nute's Only & would use One gallon a day if the soil is still wet I would pass my Finger's threw the soil for about three Minutes then I would water it Next following day!! One gallon of water Now.!!!!View attachment 2860616 that I am In October I stopped give the Nute's just clean water I got No meter's its an Outside Grow its already in Flowering Formation I assume its the Final Stage.!!! I am a Rookie.!!!! I am going by using my Commonsense.. lol, jejeje

If you're growing in soil, especially living soil (which soil should be), or even plain potting mix you DO NOT want to wait until the pots are completely bone dry. If the plants are beginning to wilt, you waited too long. However, I know some actually think the wilting is acceptable as if the plant likes to be deprived of water, not really the case. Potting mix (which is generally sphagnum or coir-based) tends to possess hydrophobic properties when it is really dry, and will actually repel water. You will see it pool up on top and run down the sides, without really being absorbed. In these cases you have to start watering very slowly, or from the bottom to ensure thorough absorption. Underwatering isn't good for the microbes living in the mix and it certainly isn't good for the plant.

"Overwatering" is actually the result of low oxygen in the rhizosphere. Plant roots breath oxygen! Water itself can only keep small quantities of dissolved oxygen (O2). A high quality potting soil\mix has to have have good porosity as well as absorptive properties. It holds both water and air, while excess water drains away. This is hindered if the potting soil is too heavy, and compact. In this case the dissolved O2 can become depleted very quickly, as it is used by both the plant roots and the aerobic organisms, so anaerobic conditions result and this environment is no good for plants. You don't want to keep containers sitting in stagnant water for the same reason.

However, with a high quality well draining mix, overwatering really shouldn't happen so easily; it can't happen in one or two waterings. I think a lot of people are afraid to water properly because they are afraid to "overwater" and this just leads to more issues. The way you water potting soil is, you water thoroughly when you water. Water as much as it takes until you get run off. Then you wait until the soil has dried out substantially, but not completely, the containers will have lightened up. Then you water thoroughly again. If you wait until it is too dry you wont get thorough absorption; you'll have to water slowly with a small volume of plain water, wait about 20 minutes and then water thoroughly or fertigate.