Smart pot run off

I finally switched my outdoor plants from a 2 gallon plastic to a 5 gallon smart pot. Ive doubled the feed amount since they are in a bigger pot, but I am not getting runoff. Should i be watering them until they get runoff in the smart pot, or is it okay if there is no run off? When i had them in the 2 gallon, i figured out the right amount of water to feed them without being overwatered..

Yes, i like to get about 1 liter of run off for a 5gallon while saturating it. Are you growing in soil or coco? After saturation your run off should be roughly 10% of what you just poured in.

I'm using a mix of a 420 soil blend and fox farms ocean forest soil.

I've always been so confused about runoff for soil growing. I've had multiple people tell me if your getting runoff in soil, you're over watering??? Anyone care to clarify?

FRICKITYFRICKTYFRESH said:

I've always been so confused about runoff for soil growing. I've had multiple people tell me if your getting runoff in soil, you're over watering??? Anyone care to clarify?

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Wait for someone more experienced but with other plants and the general idea is when using "hot" soils, you don't water to runoff because you're just flushing nutrients out. After the plant has had time in hot soils generally 3-4 weeks in a decent size container, then you want to add more nutes and water to runoff.
Many will topdress soils to replenish nutes as well and when using "super soils" never to runoff.

When I had them in the 2 gallon plastic pot. Each one took about 3 red cups of water and had a good run off. I thought runoff was what you needed. They seemed to respond very well to it. That included earth juice catalyst and bloom 5-10-5.

Right now, im holding off on nutes to give them time to adjust to the transplant. I finally watered them now, and it took about 9 red cups to get small enough run off from underneath.

dbz said:

Wait for someone more experienced but with other plants and the general idea is when using "hot" soils, you don't water to runoff because you're just flushing nutrients out. After the plant has had time in hot soils generally 3-4 weeks in a decent size container, then you want to add more nutes and water to runoff.
Many will topdress soils to replenish nutes as well and when using "super soils" never to runoff.

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Research it on Google, there's a lot of articles and science behind this. Im not saying its wrong, but I personally feel more confident because I know with run off, less nutrients are building up around my roots that can and will burn or kill your plants late in the grow. If your roots are super roots, your plant will only absorb what it needs and no more. And these nutrients will build up salts around your roots. The run off is to flush them regularly

RonnieB2 said:

Research it on Google, there's a lot of articles and science behind this. Im not saying its wrong, but I personally feel more confident because I know with run off, less nutrients are building up around my roots that can and will burn or kill your plants late in the grow. If your roots are super roots, your plant will only absorb what it needs and no more. And these nutrients will build up salts around your roots. The run off is to flush them regularly

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I have researched it extensively. Super Soils and living soils should avoid watering to runoff. I got that advice from all over the web, and from people that I trust here at RIU. When dealing with hot soils you want less runoff until you start feeding nutes, that is when you run into serious danger of lockouts and salt buildups. I was responding specifically to @FRICKITYFRICKTYFRESH . Thankfully he started another thread and got good advice for his living soil that he is running which is to try and avoid runoff. Watering to runoff is always done with inert media, but not always with hot or live media.

I use FFHF soil Nd I have 3 gal pots Nd I use 1 gallon of water that’s it

In soil, overwatering to excessive runoff will leech all the nutrients you've paid for.

In coco, watering til runoff consistently is good and let's you use the nutrients you've paid for without building up an intensive salt layer.

You're going to get run off with smart pots . I would also cut off those big water leaves

FRICKITYFRICKTYFRESH said:

I've always been so confused about runoff for soil growing. I've had multiple people tell me if your getting runoff in soil, you're over watering??? Anyone care to clarify?

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I get runoff, but I don’t water until I get runoff. I usually grow in 3 gallon pots, promix hp soil, and feed 2 gallons during flower. I use the typical flood pan to catch the run off and it fills maybe halfway if that. I water slowly to make sure the water doesn’t just flow out the sides, I try to make sure it reaches the bottom. My girls in flower right now are all over 3 1/2 ft, and they eat every 3 days, pots are light before watering of course. Some people feed until they get runoff and stop, some people don’t want runoff at all. I guess it’s a preference thing.

banks358 said:

I use FFHF soil Nd I have 3 gal pots Nd I use 1 gallon of water that’s it

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I use basically the same as you but I do ffof in the bottom half with happy frog in the top half with added perlite in 3gl fabric pots I didnt water with runoff until 4th week in veg when I started using 15ml big bloom in 1gal of tap water