How much water to water a 5 gallon bucket?

I grow in 5 gallon buckets and I feed about half a gallon during the first 2 weeks, then switch up to a full gallon once the plants are 7-8 inches. Yes there is a bit of runoff, but it fully drains after 10 minutes.

Just wanted to mention that 5gallon containers are the way to go. I used to grow in 2 gallons and my yeilds are so much better now.

Jimdamick said:

Good stuff

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Have you used it?

SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe said:

Have you used it?

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Yes, and it comparable FFOF, but less expensive.
It's only available at garden centers though, so not easy to find

bearded.beaver said:

@SoMe_EfFin_MasS_HoLe
Earth boxes are good. But there are cheaper no name ones and even did ones. It does have its own challenges though. Especially indoors. The soil stays moist so fungus gnats can be an issue. And you're walking a fine line with it being anaerobic. EM1 or other anaerobic microbes help. And your soil has to be able to wick the water. So peat based soil. I've heard of other guys using coco based soil but I haven't tried that yet.
My first grow was outdoors with a super soil mix and it was great.

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I've read a bit more into sips. They are really cool & very convenient. I really wanted to go that route due to mobility issues. However after reading more into it, I think I'm going to pass based off the fact that the soil is always moist. I really dont see the benefits of soil always being moist. I like to let my soil dry out a bit especially in the first few weeks. I do this because I like to sike my tap roots out and make them search for water. @Big Perm suggested I make an auto h20 system to help me out due to injuries. He is also willing to design one with me. I'm still away for the holidays so as soon as I get home. I think I'm going to take him up on his offer. I'll wait till spring to try out some sips in the yard with tomatoes just for poops & giggles. If I like the results I may bring it into the tent. I wouldnt have a problem trying it in the tent but I'm in a 2×4 atm. I really dont have the room for trial and error in there so I'll stick with fabric pots for the time being.

Jimdamick said:

Yes, and it comparable FFOF, but less expensive.
It's only available at garden centers though, so not easy to find

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I've not used ff just roots organic original. Was going to stick with ro as I like it but the shop was out of stock. The shop owner suggested I try com as they were not getting any more ro for another month. I really like what's in com. I think I'm going to mix it with the rest of the ro I have and add some more perlite & ewc & maybe a bit of their stonington plant food. Trying to keep it cheap, easy & simple till I can start mixing my own.

ShedsAndTents said:

Also, what contaminates magically form that weren't already available to your previous plant??
If it grew mold sure, toss that shit in my veggie garden but nah dude, nothing magically happens when you take it from your last plant.

Here's a pic of that plant that has reused soil and I feed it, the runoff.

Some people consider it feeding your plant its own piss, that would be like distilling the evaporation.

This is like eating leftovers, a requirement when I was growing up

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Can’t argue with that bro

hydromikey said:

I make sure my pots are light before i water. i do a liter per 5 gal pot. about an ounce trickles out the bottom into the saucer and is wicked up by the next night depending. Im thinking about feeding it 2 liters?

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If your plants are filling out the pots then you could happily give your 5g buckets 1 to 1.5g of feed every 4 to 5 days

EyezofSnake said:

i water my 5g with 1g of water each time

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Every 3 days sound sufficient?

Bobbiebrown said:

Every 3 days sound sufficient?

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Water until you get some runoff and then wait until it’s about 50% lighter when using soil and then water again until you get some runoff.

pretty simple really.

why does everyone always want an exact amount of water to water with?

It changes as your roots grow.

today mine might want 2litres before runoff begins.

In 1 months time that might have increased to 4 litres because the root mass is bigger.

water until you get runoff stop worrying how much it takes.

I always used 1/2 gallon with 5 gallon. I’ve been using a gallon for a 15 gallon every other day.

jondamon said:

why does everyone always want an exact amount of water to water with?

It changes as your roots grow.

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Maybe the think because everything else is so exact, like lighting, ph and most nutrients, they think watering is the same or similar.
Most people first starting don’t take the root growth into consideration, they expect instant vegetation lol. I know I didn’t when I first started, and got frustrated when I didn’t understand that roots needed to grow before vegetation. ‍