First time soil, watering makes a mess, advice?

I have three gallon containers for lr2 and when I water I have found out that I make a mess with the runoff. I have those clear platic pot trays but they dont make them big enough for 3 gallon bags.

what are some ideas that I can try? A big tray? Raised bed?

They are in a grow tent with double floors. WIll the tent florrs hold the water? Any expereience with this? I am curious could I just water the floor.


ON a side note how much water do you feed 3 gallon pots. I have remebered 1 quart for each gallon. Is this right? Ty all, +reps.

just buy bigger drainage dishes and water outside your tent and flush the runoff in the toilet, that's what I do. You can find large ones at walmart and they do sell clear plastic drainage dishes that a 3 gallon grow bags can fit into

Bigger drains should do the trick

thanks I just finished their water in the bathroom. I have looking at this like it was a hydro problem, where I come from. If I only water once a week a quart per gallon, carting them to the bathroom then is not a big deal.

moving the 5 gallons will be.

Yup like they said above me, one quart per gallon. When I mix up my nutes I count how many containers I have times their volume then divide by 4. So 12 gallons of soil will get 3 gallons of nutes. A little over a gallon will run-off. I too water outside my garden. I puts my plants in one of those large under bed storage trays and water away. I let them sit in the run-off for like an hour then switch them to the tray's lid to drip off a bit, and then they go back under the lights in the garden. Taking all the plants out gives you the chance to inspect everything real good and also clean off any brown leafs and such. Moving the plants around also makes the stems sturdier. Container grown plants should not be sitting in a tray of water for more than an hour or two, roots need oxygen too and waterlogging the rootzone is bad. Rootrot sux! Plus your plants will love the extra attention you are giving them by taking them out to hand water carefully.

calculate, through trial and error, how much each plant will need. i was using 1/2 gal. grow bags that used from 1/8-1/2 gal. liquids, depending on age. blessings.

thanks gents. Got is good. Sterlite bins sound like the answer. For a permant solution. If I jacked up plants on bricks on sterlitles then drilled a hole under the bottom Icould collect all the run off. Not nexcary, as moving them to the bathroom worked. However I am in grwo bags and hefting them is a bit of a pain. They shift all over.