Water runoff question

So I just started feeding my little girl, and I've heard it's good in between feedings to water the next two times with regular water until you get some runoff out of the drainage holes to prevent nute salts from building up in the soil.

I've got a newly transplanted young plant (20 days) in a 10" diameter pot (roughly 5L, my estimate ).

Is this true that I should feed, water until runoff the next 2 waterings, then repeat? Or is watering until runoff all the time an efficient way to drown my little girl?

Thanks.

when i start feeding i feed everyother water for the first 3 feedings.just to be safe.i water until a little water comes out the bottom every time.

captcannabis420 said:

when i start feeding i feed everyother water for the first 3 feedings.just to be safe.i water until a little water comes out the bottom every time.

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side note: always nice to see a fellow captain!

yes, water until you see a little (10%) run out the bottom. i water even a little heavier, and suck up the water with a shop vac. if you have low humidity, this is a good way to bring it up.

captain chronizzle said:

side note: always nice to see a fellow captain!

yes, water until you see a little (10%) run out the bottom. i water even a little heavier, and suck up the water with a shop vac. if you have low humidity, this is a good way to bring it up.

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hahaha same to u

ur pics makin me hella hungry

TVMASDL said:

---- Or is watering until runoff all the time an efficient way to drown my little girl?
Thanks.

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"Overwatering" isn't the result of "How much", it's the the result of "How often"!

The "Ideal" way to water a plant in a pot with "soil" is to "slowly" add all the water it will hold. Slowly so that the water is evenly absorbed throughout all the soil (no dry spots!). Add a little - wait a little - add a little more - wait a little more - give it time! Once the soil is saturated, water will start to leak out the drain holes, this is "FULL" - get used to it!!!:
1. Pay close attention to how much water it took to get "FULL". Add another 15-20% to allow a good run-off. That will keep your "salts" flushed out on an on going basis.
2. Familiarize yourself with the "heft" of a FULL pot - feel how "Heavy" it is - make a mental note of it! Teach yourself to use the weight of the pot as a "Water Gauge". The "trick" is to water as seldom as is practical! Find this out by pushing the envelope. Don't water again until the pot gets light - real light! You can feel the pots get lighter each day. Note how many days it takes before your plants start to wilt a little, also note how amazingly lightweight they become - that's too dry for "normal conditions"! The correct time to water is just before they start to wilt (by about a day).

These two steps may sound a little extreme, but once you get used to them, it's just like "Chewing gum while you are walking".

Thanks Cammo, that was pretty informative.

+rep

Thanks Cammo, that's a great common sense approach, and pretty much what I'm doing right now. My question is, once you get runoff do you need to empty the saucer right away? I always do but it's a huge pain in the a$$ and I'm always tempted to let it sit and hope that either the plant will absorb it or it will just evaporate, but I never do because I'm worried about root rot, fungus, etc.

I also use a shop vac to suck up the water. That helps, especially when the plants are bigger and moving them around isn't an option, but I'd like to find a better solution. I wish someone made a low-rise trough or tray that would take the place of saucers.

Yes dont let the pots sit in overflow trays full of water . Everybody waters to the point of run off some flush every 3rd watering or so flush is to water with twice the volume of the pot . 1 gallon pot gets 2 gallons water . This removes salt buildup and removes dry spots . No need to waste nutes by losing 20 % every time u water .