Water. Not How often, How Much

E

essohkay

Active Member
I've seen lots of threads on here about water plants and I still havn't read an anwer that answers the one basic question I have. How much water should a plant get in a single watering?

Let's say I have a 12 inch plant in a 10 inch (diameter) pot. Giving it daylight for 14 hours a day and indoor light for 10 hours.

Any thoughts on volume.

A cup, a pint, a quart, a gallon????

How much?

Thanks
 
The "lift the pot" method is a widely practiced, and very accurate method of knowing when to water your container plants.

The best way imho, to know when soil grown potted plants need more watering is by checking how heavy the pots feel. This method is very simple to learn once you get the feel for how light a ready for watering pot of soil feels.

Get an equal size pot and fill it with your soil. The medium should be about as moist as a new bag of potting soil. Use this planter as a learning tool to get a rough idea of how much the pots should weigh before watering again. The pots with your plants will feel only just slightly heavier when the soil is ready for more water. Pick up one of your planted pots, if its noticably heavy, do not water it until it feels "light". Next time you water a planter, pick it up and feel how much heavier it feels compared to the sample pot of soil.

It only takes a few times picking up the pots until this skill is like a "second nature" to you. You wont even need the sample pot after you get accustomed to the lifting method.

Sure your plants are always putting on more weight as they grow larger, but once you're proficient at lifting the pots, you'll also know how to compensate for the weight of the plants with ease.

I dont know how to better explain this method of knowing when to water, but believe me, anyone who learns this method, will always know when its time to water.
 
I appreciate the thought, time and effort your response required. Unfortunately, as my title and thread tried to state, not how often, how much.

I'm asking about volume.

A pint, quart, gallon, two gallons. How much water should I be pouring into the pot when I water it.

Sorry, if that seems ungrateful but that's the question I'm asking.

Thanks
Sean
 
I answered your question in another thread, but here it is again ...

Hopefully, you'll buy a moisture meter to indicate WHEN to water. Assuming that, just pour the water into the pot until it starts to run out of the bottom of the pot. Don't water again until the moisture meter indicates that the plant needs water ... then do it again. That's it.

Vi
 
If it s heavy don't add any more water, light add some water till its heavy again. Its not rocket science It horticulture :P
 
Your best bet is to water until you see water coming out the bottom, once you have that than just go by the weight method. If the pot is pretty light than you know the soil is drying up and will to be watered soon.
 
essohkay said:
I've seen lots of threads on here about water plants and I still havn't read an anwer that answers the one basic question I have. How much water should a plant get in a single watering?

Let's say I have a 12 inch plant in a 10 inch (diameter) pot. Giving it daylight for 14 hours a day and indoor light for 10 hours.

Any thoughts on volume.

A cup, a pint, a quart, a gallon????

How much?

Thanks
Click to expand...

It's not a basic question because there are many factors involved that effect the answer-----the strain/heat outside/heat inside/medium used/drainage/dist from light inside/air movement inside/air movement outside/humidity inside and outside----many, many more. get a soil moisture meter as someone said to start.
 
how exactly do you read the moisture meter? do you measure it at like 2", 4", 6", the bottom of the pot? how moist should it be?
 
moonbeam said:
how exactly do you read the moisture meter? do you measure it at like 2", 4", 6", the bottom of the pot? how moist should it be?
Click to expand...

What I would do is water till 1/3 of it came out the pot then let it sit for 10 mins then take a reading-----this is your maximum wet reading(mark it down)- I would then let your plant dry out just until the leaves started to sag then I would take a reading(mark it down)this is the dry-est you ever want your plants to be---you have just set-up a calibration for your plants, you will be able to take the readings and know when to water before they are too dry----the meters will tell you how to maintain and clean them,
:mrgreen:
 
As mentioned above..all good. I look for when the soil pulls away from the sides of the plant pot..The reason for watering till it comes out the holes is that you don't want any part of the root to not get completely soaked, this can result in pockets of concentrated nutes (dry spots) and it will cause the build up of nutes (salts) and burn your roots...I kind of give it twice the size of the plant pot..but if you don't see water coming out the bottom, add more till it does.
LUCK
 
moonbeam said:
how exactly do you read the moisture meter? do you measure it at like 2", 4", 6", the bottom of the pot? how moist should it be?
Click to expand...

Geeze ... just follow the directions on the package. :)

The meter will indicate "Moist," "Average," and dry. When it indicates that the soil is nearing "dry," and yet the plant hasn't begun to wilt, its time to water until the water runs out the bottom of the pot.

Vi
 
R1b4z01d said:
The "lift the pot" method is a widely practiced, and very accurate method of knowing when to water your container plants.

The best way imho, to know when soil grown potted plants need more watering is by checking how heavy the pots feel. This method is very simple to learn once you get the feel for how light a ready for watering pot of soil feels.

Get an equal size pot and fill it with your soil. The medium should be about as moist as a new bag of potting soil. Use this planter as a learning tool to get a rough idea of how much the pots should weigh before watering again. The pots with your plants will feel only just slightly heavier when the soil is ready for more water. Pick up one of your planted pots, if its noticably heavy, do not water it until it feels "light". Next time you water a planter, pick it up and feel how much heavier it feels compared to the sample pot of soil.

It only takes a few times picking up the pots until this skill is like a "second nature" to you. You wont even need the sample pot after you get accustomed to the lifting method.

Sure your plants are always putting on more weight as they grow larger, but once you're proficient at lifting the pots, you'll also know how to compensate for the weight of the plants with ease.

I dont know how to better explain this method of knowing when to water, but believe me, anyone who learns this method, will always know when its time to water.
Click to expand...

Great answer. I know he also is looking for the amount of water so I will add this. For the size of your plant, I would be giving it 630ml ( 1/6 of a gallon ) about every other day.
 
thx, I was just asking about the moisture meter cause I remember using it and it would read like a 5 as soon as 2" but the plant would be starting to wilt, so i stopped using the meter and just started watering it with about 1/6 of a gallon a day and its been happy so far
 
Get used to lifting your pots and feeling how heavy they are full and bone dry. I do not use a moisture meter and I don't have water problems. I mam not saying that you or anyone else should not use a meter, just that it is really not required to water properly for most people.
 
water untill it runs down the tray.
Use volumes of 200ml.
I foliar feed and feed every 2 or 3 waterings.
On average,u will water 3 times a week.
 
Jesus, no answers in this thread but more research. My plants are at almost 5 weeks now and about 12-14" tall. I give a little over a gallon per 3 plants every 3-4 days. Lately I have had to water every 2-3 days from the heat and increased growth from flowering. Hope this is helpful!
 
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