Watering Help!

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

I have my plants outside in pots... they get enough sunlight during the day, I just need to know how much I should be watering them. I germinated them inside and then put them in their homes outside, they are about 4-5 days old... I watered them a little bit each day right now... how much should I be watering them right now? every other day? when should i start to water more or less?

 

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

anybody?

 

[Runbyhemp]

Watering your plants depends on many factors ie. temps, pot size, medium, size of plants etc. There is no set rule, you water when needs be.

Stick your fingers down a couple of inches into the soil. If it's dry water, if it's not don't.

 

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

I understand that... just wanted a few tips on watering... thanks.

 

[Runbyhemp]

I understand that... just wanted a few tips on watering... thanks.

:confused2: What did you want to know exactly ?

 

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

tips on when to water.. and u said when it is dry about 2 inches deep

 

[Runbyhemp]

I like to water when lights come on in the morning. It gives the plants a full light cycle to utilize what you've just given them. Others prefer to water before lights out. I find watering just before switching everything off causes my humidity to soar so morning suits me best.

I water my plants from the bottom. I use rainwater collected in a container outside. Rainwater here in Western Europe is slightly acidic. Luckily for me this means it's Ph is 6.5. If I don't have rainwater (very rare in ireland I can tell ya) I just fill a bucket full of tap water, let it settle for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

Once again the actual frequency of feeding depends on how quickly your plant uses up what is in the pot. Some of my plants need to be watered every 2 days, some every 4 days ... they're all different.

Familiarise yourself with the weight of one of your pots with dry soil in it. After a while you'll get used to what a dry pot feels like. Also drooping leaves are an indication that your plant is thirsty and wants a drink. Give a plant with drooping leaves a watering and you can nearly see the leaves lifting up. It's just one of those things you come to fine tune over time.

Hope I've covered it.

 

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

Yea... except I just started my plants and they are very small... so at this point in time, should I be watering them a little bit more than if they were grown ?

 

[Runbyhemp]

Yea... except I just started my plants and they are very small... so at this point in time, should I be watering them a little bit more than if they were grown ?

You should be watering them much less. Small plants can't use all this moisture up quick enough and the soil remains water logged. This means there is no oxygen getting to the plants roots and opens the door to a whole host of problems. It's much easier to recover from under watering than over watering.

 

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

oh really... i didn't know that... thanks

 

[Alistair]

Plus, you can get a cheap moisture meter from the nursery. However, it won't give an accurate reading unless you clean the tip of the metal probe before using. Before using it I scrub the tip of the probe with a green scouring pad. After cleaning it like that I put the probe in a bowl of water. If it doesn't read 10 (The wettest) I continue scour it until it reads true.

What I like about the probe is you can let your soil get almost completely dry before watering again. Now, letting it dry out like that on a regular basis might not be a good idea, I don't know. However, most sources recommend letting the first 2-3 inches at the top of the soil dry out before watering. I imagine that's the best way to do it.

As Runbyhemp said, small plants don't need as much water as bigger plants.

 

[Albrecht]

You should buy a soil moisture meter off of ebay. They're like $10, and much better than just sticking your finger a couple inches into the soil.

 

[Timmyjg6]

Slowly poor water in till it seeps out the bottom. Thin wait till the top 2 inches are completely dry, no moister. Thin repeat.