Consistant watering technique

Hey i'm wondering if anyone can tell me a good method for watering.

When ever i water it looks like it has soaked in nice and evenly, but then if i move the very top layer of soil away revealing massive dry patches. It seems all water goes straight to the edge of the pots. Thus i am concerned about creating hot spots when giving nute's and causing root rot.

I take great care to go over all the soil evenly and slowly using a indoor watering can.

anyone else notice this problem? advice?

many thanks, peace!

I water thoroughly, until I get a good runoff from the container. I soak them good and wait for the medium to dry out before watering/feeding again. I use the container lifting method to determine when the are ready. When ready, the container becomes very light.

do you break up the top inch or so of your soil before you water? you know how it feels a little crusty, just break that top soil up a little and water. it should help water more evenly.

As bertiswho stated, light cultivation of the top half inch of your media will help it absorb water more evenly. Particularly if you let it dry out somewhat ( highly recommended ) between waterings. This will stop the water from immediately running to the edges and down the sides of the container simply because the clear path ( gap ) is no longer there.
Ever notice that after it accepts some water, the rest is absorbed easily? I would suggest you water about half your normal amount, then come back in 30 minutes or so and water thoroughly. This initial watering allows the media to soak up some of the water and expand to fill the container completely.
As you already know, peat based medias are hard to wet initially. Adding a surfactant like a few drops of dish soap will ease the absorption of liquids. This works especially well on the first watering but should be used every time to prevent waste of nutrients due to excessive runoff.
Hope this helps,
Fred

^I'm another fan of watering in two sessions, at least 15 minutes apart. I also use a homemade sprinkler-thingy, made from a 2-liter bottle cap, with a bunch of tiny holes drilled in it, which lets me water pretty evenly. Kind of a pain mixing ferts in those 2-liter bottles, but not too bad once ya get used to it.

The first watering doesn't evenly moisten the soil. As said above, I water, wait 15-20 mins then finish watering, or do my feeding.

Ive grown indoor soil all my life & here is the watering technique i use for soil.

1st i scarify the top inch of soil & get it real loose,then i use a rod about the same thickness as a coat hanger,i take the rod & push it all the way down to the bottom of the pot,i poke about a dozen holes in every pot,this helps evenly distribute water & allows fresh oxygen to the roots,this technique is used in all golf courses for the greens & fairways.

You only need to airate the soil about once a week but be sure to scarify & loosen the top layer of soil every time you water,when you scarify it brings larve of any insects up in the light where they die.

Ive grown indoor soil all my life & here is the watering technique i use for soil.

1st i scarify the top inch of soil & get it real loose,then i use a rod about the same thickness as a coat hanger,i take the rod & push it all the way down to the bottom of the pot,i poke about a dozen holes in every pot,this helps evenly distribute water & allows fresh oxygen to the roots,this technique is used in all golf courses for the greens & fairways.

You only need to airate the soil about once a week but be sure to scarify & loosen the top layer of soil every time you water,when you scarify it brings larve of any insects up in the light where they die.

Nice, i am gunna apply all them techniques next watering!

good advice, thanks!

panhead said:

Ive grown indoor soil all my life & here is the watering technique i use for soil.

1st i scarify the top inch of soil & get it real loose,then i use a rod about the same thickness as a coat hanger,i take the rod & push it all the way down to the bottom of the pot,i poke about a dozen holes in every pot,this helps evenly distribute water & allows fresh oxygen to the roots,this technique is used in all golf courses for the greens & fairways.

You only need to airate the soil about once a week but be sure to scarify & loosen the top layer of soil every time you water,when you scarify it brings larve of any insects up in the light where they die.

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I have considered this before, what concerns me tho is stabbing them precious roots!

never had it back fire on ya?

reckon i'll take the risk, cheers man.

jawbrodt said:

^I'm another fan of watering in two sessions, at least 15 minutes apart. I also use a homemade sprinkler-thingy, made from a 2-liter bottle cap, with a bunch of tiny holes drilled in it, which lets me water pretty evenly. Kind of a pain mixing ferts in those 2-liter bottles, but not too bad once ya get used to it.

Click to expand...

I tried to make something similar!

mine sucked ass though, just dribbled wildy

^LOL, mine took some trial and error, til I got it to work right, with a nice even stream.(I ended up using the smallest drill bit I had) Also, I should add that I have to squeeze the bottles when I water, which works great, really makes for an even watering, with that little bit of pressure behind it. Makes for some rather strong forearms too. After watering like that, for two years, I could probably pop someone's head off, with the squeeze of one hand. haha

Do your arms look like Popeye's?

fred flintstoned said:

Do your arms look like Popeye's?

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Yeah, pretty close. Luckily, I'm smart enough to tell anybody that comments, that I got them from masturbating too much.haha