How much water???
- Thread starter dak1b
- Start date
Paperroller24
Well-Known Member
1/2 - 3/4 gal. every few days
Honestly, id just get a galon of water and slowly poor till I see it coming from the drainage holes on the bottom of your container. Thats when you know the soils fully saturated with water - take note of how much you use when you see that, and thats how much you should use until your plant starts to drink more!
As for how often, be sure you allow your soil to get pretty dry before watering again! I usually stick my finger in the soil near the edge of the container, if its dry down to a knuckle or more its time to water. You can also tell by the weight of the pot once you get a feel for it.
Letting the soil dry is important, helps the roots to get some air and also encourages them to grow more by making them search harder for water. Dont overdo it though, if your leaves start to wilt/curl then you waited too long. Usually I water once I see that I can put a finger in and no dirt really comes back with me when I pull it out. hope this helped!
As for how often, be sure you allow your soil to get pretty dry before watering again! I usually stick my finger in the soil near the edge of the container, if its dry down to a knuckle or more its time to water. You can also tell by the weight of the pot once you get a feel for it.
Letting the soil dry is important, helps the roots to get some air and also encourages them to grow more by making them search harder for water. Dont overdo it though, if your leaves start to wilt/curl then you waited too long. Usually I water once I see that I can put a finger in and no dirt really comes back with me when I pull it out. hope this helped!
dak1b
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the amazing advice!!
Nullis
Moderator
As much as they need, whenever they need it.
There is no precise volume or frequency to watering; it is all very variable and depends on things like container size, plant size & root mass, soil/media properties, and your particular environment (air flow, lighting, temperature, RH). Fresh transplants initially don't need to be watered very frequently; but this will change as roots grow.
So the proper way to water soil\less media is to water thoroughly when you do water, until you get run-off so you know the media is saturated. If you lift your pots now they will be heavy. Then you wait until the soil surface has for the most part dried out (before it is bone dry). The pots will be much lighter and easier to lift. Then you water thoroughly again.
If you wait until the soil surface is all hard, cracking and/or pulling away from the sides of the container; you waited too long*. If that is the case you'll need to start watering very slowly. There has to be some moisture in the media for it to even absorb water properly, otherwise you can end up with dry spots where roots will not grow well, and what looks like nutrient deficiencies.
*If your soil is too dry and you go to water it you are likely to notice that the water initially pools up on the soil surface. It may run down the sides of the container and out the drainage holes, apparently as run-off, but in reality very little was absorbed into the media. I see this all the time.
Dump or siphon off any run-off after 30 minutes or so, don't let the pots sit in stagnant water.
There is no precise volume or frequency to watering; it is all very variable and depends on things like container size, plant size & root mass, soil/media properties, and your particular environment (air flow, lighting, temperature, RH). Fresh transplants initially don't need to be watered very frequently; but this will change as roots grow.
So the proper way to water soil\less media is to water thoroughly when you do water, until you get run-off so you know the media is saturated. If you lift your pots now they will be heavy. Then you wait until the soil surface has for the most part dried out (before it is bone dry). The pots will be much lighter and easier to lift. Then you water thoroughly again.
If you wait until the soil surface is all hard, cracking and/or pulling away from the sides of the container; you waited too long*. If that is the case you'll need to start watering very slowly. There has to be some moisture in the media for it to even absorb water properly, otherwise you can end up with dry spots where roots will not grow well, and what looks like nutrient deficiencies.
*If your soil is too dry and you go to water it you are likely to notice that the water initially pools up on the soil surface. It may run down the sides of the container and out the drainage holes, apparently as run-off, but in reality very little was absorbed into the media. I see this all the time.
Dump or siphon off any run-off after 30 minutes or so, don't let the pots sit in stagnant water.
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