Watering schedule and amounts. Water every 3/4 days too long?

willc

Well-Known Member
So Ive grown indoor for many years in soil without problem but after a 2 year break was recommended Plant Magic Plus on my new grow
http://www.plant-magic.co.uk/products/soil-supreme/14/

I use 22 litre pots, plants are only 10" tall but LST'ed and around half metre square so well into the veg cycle and Im thinking to flip into flower soon.

The problem Im having is I have to give a considerable amount of water before i get run off (around 4 litres) and then my soil stays wet for around 3/4 days. They suffered from toxicity due to the soil being too wet at the bottom of the pots which lead to cal mag and N deficiency. Leaves started drying from the tips, brown spots and dying pretty rapidly so I gave them a mega flush and after 4 days they are pretty much dry. Leaves have stopped dying, greening up a bit and new growth is fine now.
I watered today and it took 4 litres again to get slight run off but the pots seem extremely heavy and it just feels to me like they are retaining too much water.

A watering lasting 3/4 days seems way too long for me ? Any advice as to what could be wrong or does this sound normal?

My old grow plants would suck up 2 litres a day easy and be dry within a day. Temps are 27 day, 18 night.
 

calliandra

Well-Known Member
I watered today and it took 4 litres again to get slight run off but the pots seem extremely heavy and it just feels to me like they are retaining too much water.
That sounds a bit like my experience on my first indoor grow, I was also using store-bought soil recommended by a friend -- and it contained loads of peat. The soil was like a sponge, retaining incredible amounts of water for many days.

Idk what you can do about it at this stage... probably just water less?
Why do you feel you need to water to the point of runoff?
I'D say trust your gut feeling that there's just too much water in those pots :mrgreen:

If you recycle it later, add a good amount of aeration material - I recycled mine by mixing it with fresh organic compost-based soil and lava rock, about in equal amounts, and it is now doing very well.
 

willc

Well-Known Member
That sounds a bit like my experience on my first indoor grow, I was also using store-bought soil recommended by a friend -- and it contained loads of peat. The soil was like a sponge, retaining incredible amounts of water for many days.

Idk what you can do about it at this stage... probably just water less?
Why do you feel you need to water to the point of runoff?
I'D say trust your gut feeling that there's just too much water in those pots :mrgreen:

If you recycle it later, add a good amount of aeration material - I recycled mine by mixing it with fresh organic compost-based soil and lava rock, about in equal amounts, and it is now doing very well.
Thanks Calliandra, yeah i guess just watering less often is the answer just doesn't feel right though. Even when they get to the point where the leaves start to droop, the soil an inch deep still feels wet, weird. I read in few places you should water to the point of 20% run off which just helps to wash out any salts build ups etc and balance PH.
 

calliandra

Well-Known Member
Even when they get to the point where the leaves start to droop, the soil an inch deep still feels wet, weird.
Yeah that doesn't sound all that great, with leaves drooping despite wet soil... makes my mind go to very disagreeable things like root damage :(
Not a good time to be uprooting and replanting with aeration material mixed in either, this close to the switch :/

Are you supplementing much with chemical nutes?
If not, flushing all the time doesn't really do much, quite the contrary.
And even if you are, my gut feeling would tend more towards worrying there's no air in the soil (causing root rot) than having too many salts accumulate (whereby I've never used chemicals so I don't really know how bad that is...) and you could still flush intensively 2-3 times in the last week of flower.

So maybe the best way to go really is to let the soil dry up again, as you had already done (seeing the plant liked that!) and then just water in small doses when the leaves start drooping.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Peat has a pH of 4.0-4.6. Then this brand has nutes in and some kind of foam. The entire mix is a recipe for a sponge. Transplant and mix in some Perlite or some good compost or garden soil free of nutes.
 

Moldy

Well-Known Member
If you're close to the switch I'd transplant into a "known" soil that has good runoff. Another thought is that the pots are too big for the plants at this stage of growth. If you don't want to transplant hold off on the water until the containers are pretty dry and don't worry about runoff until your plants pick up their rate of growth. Not saying this is a cure all, it's only what I'd do if I was in your shoes.
 

willc

Well-Known Member
If you're close to the switch I'd transplant into a "known" soil that has good runoff. Another thought is that the pots are too big for the plants at this stage of growth. If you don't want to transplant hold off on the water until the containers are pretty dry and don't worry about runoff until your plants pick up their rate of growth. Not saying this is a cure all, it's only what I'd do if I was in your shoes.
Yeah I think the pots are def way to big for the size of the plants which is why a lot of water was becoming stagnant where the roots hadn't reached yet. I cant transplant as they are 22ltr already and i cant go bigger. I guess just watering less and keeping them on the edge of dry is the way until they start drinking a lot more, you live and learn!!
 

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
Yeah I think the pots are def way to big for the size of the plants which is why a lot of water was becoming stagnant where the roots hadn't reached yet. I cant transplant as they are 22ltr already and i cant go bigger. I guess just watering less and keeping them on the edge of dry is the way until they start drinking a lot more, you live and learn!!
I have a LOT of aeration in my mix, all sorts, vermiculite, perlite, volcanic rock, rotted tree log chunks, rice hulls, etc.
Probably near a 40 to maybe even 45% aeration.
And as you said, transplanting at the right time is crucial as well.
Also you don't need to water till runoff, not every time, not unless they are damn near rootbound and you are worried about dry-pockets (if so a soaking is better, anyways, imo)
I transplant three times if from seed, twice if from clone.
And I NEVER transplant unless I can see healthy white fuzzy roots out the bottom.
Remember cannabis HATES wet-feet, it likes a humid soil, not a wet one, I know, sounds stupid, but think about it.
Another thing is having water soluble nutrients in a soil like that isn't a good idea, as you water, alllllll that goes to the bottom, and "muddies" up the roots, suffocating them, typically getting acidic and anaerobic...
 
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