looking for the best watering schedule

I

IvAx

Member
Hi water fellas!
I have been experimenting lately with the frequency and intensity of watering and have come to the following guess:

There is an optimum watering frequency and intensity to keep the water to oxygen ratio in soil in the optimum range.

Have you guys experiment with lets say: watering every single day just a bit?

Please, tell me what is your tip to get the minimum amount of needed water just in time so there is available water and maximum oxygen in the roots area?

Looking forward to grow together
 
I

IvAx

Member
greenlikemoney

greenlikemoney

Well-Known Member
It's simple, when you get your plant into the pot, water it thoroughly. Feel how heavy it is? Just lift it every day, trust me you will definitely know the day she needs watered based purely on the weight. Smart pots are best for oxygen, that's the beauty of them. They air prune the roots, thus making smaller roots which are the ones that absorb nutes the easiest. Hard sided pots ( plastic, etc etc ) only make the main root grow around and around the pot until the plant becomes rootbound.
 
GreatwhiteNorth

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
I believe you might be over-thinking this a bit.
There is no one size fits all "Schedule" for this as environmental factors typically differ widely between various growers.
When you begin giving nutes (around 2-3 week veg) start with 1/4 of the recommended dosage, while watching their reaction you will be able to gauge whether you need to feed more/less.
Water / Feed / Water / Feed etc...
Add water/water-nutes when the medium requires it & you can tell this by the weight method outlined by GLM.
 
purplehays1

purplehays1

Well-Known Member
in addition to what everyone already said about weight, not all plants will drink/dry evenly so sometimes one will be dry before others, keep this is mind.
 
I

IvAx

Member
then can you make the plant grow faster thanks to the right water schedule?
can you avoid to lift the media as in some cases is not feasible (i.e: coco slabs)? finger method?
what about water measure with a probe?
 
GreatwhiteNorth

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
I do soil so IDK about the other mediums but now I can just dig my fingers into the soil a bit plus study the plant & I've never killed one.


Wait, come to think of it I've killed them all.
Never mind, don't listen to me. :wink:
 
doubletake

doubletake

Well-Known Member
purplehays1 said:
in addition to what everyone already said about weight, not all plants will drink/dry evenly so sometimes one will be dry before others, keep this is mind.
Click to expand...
Exactly what this guy said so to optimize watering times you need to be in There every day lifting and feeling the pots weight.
And I don't think a little every day is good they need a drying out day I believe atleast a day with a good amount of oxygen to the roots. Then water.
 
GreatwhiteNorth

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
doubletake said:
Exactly what this guy said so to optimize watering times you need to be in There every day lifting and feeling the pots weight.
And I don't think a little every day is good they need a drying out day I believe atleast a day with a good amount of oxygen to the roots. Then water.
Click to expand...
Another issue that hasn't been mentioned is watering daily will keep your soil "wet" thus encouraging fungus gnats to set up house.
 
doubletake

doubletake

Well-Known Member
GreatwhiteNorth said:
Another issue that hasn't been mentioned is watering daily will keep your soil "wet" thus encouraging fungus gnats to set up house.
Click to expand...
Very true weed dosnt like soggy feet at all.

I know a older guy who waters 3-5 times a day just soaks all his outdoor his plants look good suprisingly but I know his yields are going to suffer I feel like they will have too.
 
greenlikemoney

greenlikemoney

Well-Known Member
IvAx said:
and to fertilize? How do you estimate the EC in the sustrate?
Click to expand...
Quite honestly, all that bullshit that your local hydro store is trying to sell you to produce massive, dank buds is alot of BS. You don't need all that stuff. Start with a good soil mix, quality beans, learn to make some organic teas ( super simple ) and FREE YOURSELF from the money grabbers trying to sell you $500 worth the shit you don't need to grow a weed. Checking runoff pH? Laughable. Bloom boosters, Bud Candy, etc etc? Harsh, chemical laced smoke. You don't need that, go simple and go STRONG.
 
I

IvAx

Member
[QUOTE="greenlikemoney, post: 10744564, Start with a good soil mix, quality beans, learn to make some organic teas ( super simple ) and FREE YOURSELF. You don't need that, go simple and go STRONG.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the general advice.

Coming back to the post topic: What is your water scheduling? How many liters per square meter per day?
I have been doing : 10 liters/m2 every 2 days or 5 liters/m2/per day (they grew better with the second scheduling)
Better to do a little everyday or higher amounts every two/three days?
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
IvAx said:
Thanks for the general advice.

Coming back to the post topic: What is your water scheduling? How many liters per square meter per day?
I have been doing : 10 liters/m2 every 2 days or 5 liters/m2/per day (they grew better with the second scheduling)
Better to do a little everyday or higher amounts every two/three days?
Click to expand...
You pose the question in an interesting way, as if you're watering a lawn or something. Unless you're outdoors it makes no sense- and even then it doesn't make much more.

I think the above posts have done a good job of demonstrating the confusion around something as 'simple' as watering. This same frustration led me to RDWC style hydroponics, where the entire question of 'how much' becomes meaningless in the face of plants dangling their roots in the nutrient solution twenty four seven.

Remove the brakes and let the whole train roll faster.

Just out of curiosity, how much experience have you had in the past growing anything?
 
I

IvAx

Member
Well i have grown on and off weed for the last 10 years outdoors and indoors. Also experience with organic tomatoes, pumpkins, lettuce, basil, etc. outdoors

The aim of this post is as you pointed: the lack of scientific method to water your plants optimally. (unless you weight them, which is unfeasible in the ground)
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
IvAx said:
Well i have grown on and off weed for the last 10 years outdoors and indoors. Also experience with organic tomatoes, pumpkins, lettuce, basil, etc. outdoors

The aim of this post is as you pointed: the lack of scientific method to water your plants optimally. (unless you weight them, which is unfeasible in the ground)
Click to expand...
Agreed!

That's why I rendered the entire question meaningless by switching to RDWC. I'm very happy with my choice, I suspect you would be too.
 
Javadog

Javadog

Well-Known Member
I would love to know in advance how much higher my
power bill would be if I were to add the large air and water
pumps that a RDWC system uses.

The cost is secondary, though important, as I would want
more than enough flow and at a low noise level if at all possible.

Interesting thread all the same.

The constant drip watering method is right out! ;0)

JD
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Javadog said:
I would love to know in advance how much higher my
power bill would be if I were to add the large air and water
pumps that a RDWC system uses.

The cost is secondary, though important, as I would want
more than enough flow and at a low noise level if at all possible.

Interesting thread all the same.

The constant drip watering method is right out! ;0)

JD
Click to expand...
The pump runs about thirty watts and I have eliminated the need for an airpump in RDWC altogether. I've been doing it for a year now.

One could run the waterpump half time in fifteen minute intervals if one were trying to conserve every scrap of watts. Or just use a smaller pump, it still works fine. I'm down to a 550 gph pump in an 8 site RDWC of 125 gallons and it's still completely up to the twin tasks of mixing and aerating the system singlehandedly.
 
Fast50

Fast50

Well-Known Member
Water as needed. Its like i got some smart pot re runs in the trays and some ruth tree farm (ebay) 1gler's. But ruth's are super porous and create more of a real hydro atmosphere, compared to hydroton in smart pots. I HAVE to water em 2x now 2wk into flwr. Smartpots, once a day, pretty much whole harvest. Last time. Ill be at 4 waters by end of pop with these ruth tree farm pots.. Strong,cheap and more air to roots! I feel the roots.. You can see if they're dry or not.
 
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