watering?

[Smoke]

i have been watering my plant alittle everyday just pouring in a bit of water it slightly flood the surface not much though im guessing 50 - 100 ml or so sometimes twice a day and the soil looks dark all the time and is not soft or anything im wondering what exactly the soil should feel like and how i should water my plants and if im doing this right ive looked through the grow guides section and havent found much

also i am thinking about adding a self watering system so i could regulate the water easier than pouring it onto the soil as it seems to disturb the soil and i dont want to affect the plant negatively at all so i have some bottoms of 2L bottles and cut them off and could put the pots in that. i have check and the little grooves in the bottles bottom help to stand the pot and let the drain holes get some water but i was wondering how far does the water have to be up on the pot to allow and sustain the right amounts of water????

thanks for all your help

 

[theyorker]

From the quantity of water you are giving them it sounds like these are seedlings or in early vegging stage and if that is the case you are watering way to much, IMO. It is important to let the roots have time to dry out and if you water everyday, I bet the soil at the bottom of the pot is all mucky and roots don't do well in muck. During early and middle stages of vegatative growth you don't need to water more then every 3 days. When you water them get them good and wet. THEN LET THEM BE and let the dirt get dry at the bottom of the pot. I've gone as many as 5 days without watering them. As they grow they will begin to use more water and you will be able to tell by the weight of the pot when they need water, but during the first 3-6 weeks, water them and then leave them alone and let them dry out or you will not get optimal growth.

As far as your worrying about hurting them by watering them, I can assure you that your waterings will not be harsher then a thunderstorm, so I don't think you need to worry my friend!

 

[Smoke]

ok sounds good i will just let them dry out for a couple of days and see what happens thanks man

also bout that lil self watering thing would that work im not sure to do it or not i mean then i wouldent have to water my plants by hand make things alot easyer but i dont want to mess it up and give it too much either??? and yes its a seedling almost 3 weeks old im starting some new seeds today though so i will have more of them

 

[theyorker]

ok sounds good i will just let them dry out for a couple of days and see what happens thanks man

also bout that lil self watering thing would that work im not sure to do it or not i mean then i wouldent have to water my plants by hand make things alot easyer but i dont want to mess it up and give it too much either??? and yes its a seedling almost 3 weeks old im starting some new seeds today though so i will have more of them

You could try it if you wanted to I guess. Personally, I enjoy watering them. I get to really look at them up close and by doing it that way, I'm starting to be able to tell when they need water by the weight of the pot.