Am I Underwatering?

I have 5 plants. 2 are LSD strains on day 27 veg and 3 are freebie seeds on day 20 veg. I currently water every 48 hours with 1 gallon between the 5 plants. I use a 400w hps on a 18/6 schedule and the temps are normally around 86 lights on and 78 lights off with a humidity of 45 lights on 70 lights off. I noticed that some leaves were getting droopy and I am not sure if my watering is the problem. Any help will be good. Thanks

droopy leaves could mean over watering but hard to tell WITHOUT PICS.. Please post so we have more info to help you.

My420 said:

droopy leaves could mean over watering but hard to tell WITHOUT PICS.. Please post so we have more info to help you.

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These were taken yesterday (day 26 veg). These are both barneys farm LSDs btw. They look pretty small but Ive read taht LSDs are generally slow starters. Anyways please let me know if you have any solutions to for my watering confusion and/or to anything else that you can see from these plants. Because honestly I am so unsure if I am over watering underwatering or neither lol...

The first one doesnt look to bad but the 2nd one is almost forming a dome shape with the outer leaves... I topped both of these today but I would like to know what I need to do to get these leaves and branches more firm because I feel that my plants are relatively small right now...

watering isnt an exact science, each plant is totally different. water each plant untill you get abit of run off(around 10% is the general rule), lift the plant pot up and feel the weight of it....check the weight every day and when it feels light then all the waters used.....rewater as and when....ive known sum plants that need watered almost every day when in full flower and others that can go 3 almost 4 days without....its just practice...plants look ok but...and maybe this is just the pics... there seems to be a little burn on the leaves ....are you using nutes, how far away are your lights and do you have fan blowing on them?

dura72 said:

watering isnt an exact science, each plant is totally different. water each plant untill you get abit of run off(around 10% is the general rule), lift the plant pot up and feel the weight of it....check the weight every day and when it feels light then all the waters used.....rewater as and when....ive known sum plants that need watered almost every day when in full flower and others that can go 3 almost 4 days without....its just practice...plants look ok but...and maybe this is just the pics... there seems to be a little burn on the leaves ....are you using nutes, how far away are your lights and do you have fan blowing on them?

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the 2nd plant is nute burned because I fed them too early (like in week 2) rookie mistake...

azman and dura, generally in 3g pots with the size of my plants...how much water would you water each of these if you were in my situation? And how often? I'd love to test these out but I'd also like to start from a recomended amount that someone with more experience may have.

when im in first stages as you are i generally go around 500 ml per day, obviously situations will vary ie lighting temps ventilation.
i use 600w hps, in 18 ltr pots,
your temps are similar to mine having looked back at your original post.

azman said:

when im in first stages as you are i generally go around 500 ml per day, obviously situations will vary ie lighting temps ventilation.
i use 600w hps, in 18 ltr pots,
your temps are similar to mine having looked back at your original post.

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you water daily? or are you averaging it?

i water on a daily basis,
also if possible water in the first hour of lights on as i read somewhere this is when they feed the best ie the plants "morning"

azman said:

i water on a daily basis,

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ok cool thanks. So do you think using 1/3 gallon of water per plant every maybe 3-5 days is a good solution? over? under? I could use a more experienced opinion from you than winging it by guessing myself. These are in 3g pots with a 400w hps btw

dura72 said:

(around 10% is the general rule

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so do you mean 10% of the pot size is a general amount to water with? So 10% of 3 gallons per plant?

i wouldnt give that much in one hit,
i prefer to give mine water on a daily basis so there not sat in dank soil for too long,
try half a litre per day, check tomorrow to see if theyve dried up some,
dip your finger in around a inch and a half to see if there is still moisture there.
remember the more love you give them the more they will reward you in the long run.

azman said:

i wouldnt give that much in one hit,
i prefer to give mine water on a daily basis so there not sat in dank soil for too long,
try half a litre per day, check tomorrow to see if theyve dried up some,
dip your finger in around a inch and a half to see if there is still moisture there.
remember the more love you give them the more they will reward you in the long run.

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ahh I see, so dont water if there is any moisture? iow water when the soil is dry 1.5 inches deep? haha sorry for all the questions but I would love to get this right.

if there is moisture there ie if the soil sticks to your fingers wait a little while,
given your temps and lighting i think your close to the same enviroment and they take half litre per day.
there's nothing wrong in asking questions, it shows at least you want to learn.

no worries. if you have any issues your unsure of ask,
there is always some one here that is willing/able to help.
good luck with the plants hope it turns out well for you.

db2 said:

so do you mean 10% of the pot size is a general amount to water with? So 10% of 3 gallons per plant?

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No, that's run off, what comes out the bottom of the pot when you water.

I DON'T water every day, even my outdoor plants seldom get water sooner than every 3 days.

*I* also don't do little 'sips'. I water till the medium is fully saturated and a decent amount of run off is achieved. I've noticed that to fully saturate the medium it usually takes about 30%+- of the container size. Like, ~3/4-1 gallon for a 3 gallon pot. This is far from exact and based on my mix. I then let it fully dry, with the container losing ~80% of the wet weight. Usually 3-5 days.

Overwatering is not the amount of water you use, but the frequency of the waterings. Too many overlook the dry part of the wet/dry cycle.

YMMV

Wet

BTW your plants look overwatered in my opinion...

Let them go for a while, If they're underwatered they will look really really droopy, like wet noodle droopy, in the next day or 2.. If they dont do that then its overwatering.

I water once every 3 days.

i water every 3 days or so because i have a cheep moisture meter that tells me when the soils dry then i soak the soil with the already stated methods (soak until you get some run off).

you dont want to keep your soil constantly wet as the roots need air and they cant get this when the soil it too wet.

google soil moisture meter.

hope that helps.