Emptying Saucers under 7 gal containers?

Indoor grow in a bedroom in my house... (I have grown before but never inside a home, or anywhere I have had to consider this)

So this may seem like a stoopid question, but for the last month or so, I have been emptying the runoff that accumulates in the container's saucer by picking the container up, moving it to a dry saucer and then putting the plant, container and dry saucer back in place. simple enough.

Now that the girls are exploding in size; I realize I have no idea how in the world I'[m going to accomplish this once they are full-size/flowering/supported in one way or another.

So, feel free to laugh or chide if ya wanna, but please explain how yall do this while you do.

Much Thanks!

I'm doing the same thing and I was thinking the same things my plants are only about 6 inches and water gets everywhere. Today I got a big Tupper ware bin and did it in that one at a time and let them drain and I had no mess!!!

When there big tho I might do it in my bathtub

Right, and Ive done it in the bathtub before as well, my concern is that I intend on doing an 8 week veg and 2 month flower. Im hoping these girls grow 3'x6'. In another couple weeks, a bathtub will not be viablle at all. Once the buds start to form, I anticipate I'm going to need to add some supports/strings/trellis to the secondaries... which leaves me wondering... how do you lift and clean drain saucers when your gals are full-size?

Shop-Vac.........


I have one set up as a central vac in my room. The vacuum is in my garage and is plumbed to my room so I don't have to listen to it. Works great for cleanup and emptying the saucers.

Butchy Boy... I must have read your mind cuz' I came to that realization just as your reply came through.

Cheers!

I think your options are limited then lol just be as clean as possible. And don't over water and have too much run off. I'm new and only a couple weeks into my first grow so I'm not sure buddy sorry

Yep. A Wet/Dry shop vac works wonders.

I am now at the point that I don't need it for water anymore just cleanup!! I know that 1 gallon of water will run through to the saucer and then be soaked up by the soil. Basically I measured the runoff and adjusted the amount I put into the pot.

I keep mine sitting in tupperware tubs that are just large enough for the bucket + a couple of inches. My dedicated shop vac has a 1" hose on the end of the wand - I don't even have to bend over to get all the way to the back of the SCROG.
And as a bonus it makes it easy to get those leaves that fall down in the back.

b420x - Runoff is important. You want to be watering till you have runoff. Ive read people put a measurement on it... saying you want at least 20% of the water you use to runoff once every other or every few waterings.

Several reasons including but not limited to flushing salt buildups and controlling ph.

well that helps me ill keep it in mind!!!

i have a sturdy four-wheeled heavy duty plastic container/saucer thingy, that's lasted for years, and it has four lower indentions to catch the excess water, and then I use a nice turkey baster to suck the water out, and then I use the run-off as a light tea for my clerordendrums, and my philodendroms. The turkey baster is a great growing tool, handy to feed smaller plants too, an essential tool for me.
And it's EXTREMELY important to water until runoff, in fact I SOAK my plants about once every 10-18 days, depending on the plant. Very, very important.

All of my plants are elevated on 6 inch tall heavy duty wire racks. Those gigantic Lowes/Home Depot plastic drip pans fit perfectly underneath.

A lot of people elevate their pots and keep saucers underneath them that they can move, dump, and place back underneath the plant.

My buddy does a scrog with 9 soil smart pots in his 4x4 tent. He built a 4x4(almost) frame out of 2x4, put a heavy duty mesh screening he found for the front of a radiator on top, elevated the frame about 10" and put individual saucers underneath each pot sitting 10" on top of it on the screen.

Or you could just buy a flood table from the hydro store, place your plants in that, and use a shop vac to collect the run off. Same principal. Get the pots elevated, and something to catch the run-off underneath.

I have a 3x3 table with 9 plants up on cinder blocks with a 27gal rubbermain bin underneath to collect run-off. When they get watered the flood table sends all the run-off into the rubbermaid bin underneath. If I empy it everyday I can pull it out and do it all at once, or if I let it go for a couple days I can just shop vac the water out.

Bucees said:

All of my plants are elevated on 6 inch tall heavy duty wire racks. Those gigantic Lowes/Home Depot plastic drip pans fit perfectly underneath.

Click to expand...

What he said.

Get yourself a small inexpensive hand operated transfer pump and pump it into a bucket or something then use it to water outdoor plants. That's what I do anyway

I grow in reusable grocery store shopping bags that sit in 94 cent aluminum turkey pans. I am cheap!!! Each bag holds around 5 gallons of soil. When I water I pour in 1 gallon and get about 1/4 gallon of run off. I then let the soil suck it back up. I started out pouring in 1.5 gallons and had to remove water every time.
Over time you will learn your soil and pot/bag.. LOL... and know how much to use. As for flushing.... I will never do that to my soil as it is the most important part of my system. Water and tea's for me....

i use huge rectangular tupperware. the largest they carry and i can fit 8-10 3 or 5 gal grow bags in them. the water runs into the plastic and just evaporates

Thanks for all fo the replies guys. I went with the Shop-Vac!