Watering/Feeding in flower.

[GreenBean 420]

Morning guys/girls

I have two ladies in flower right now.
Day 38
Temps have been a bit high due to weather and not getting the ac in yet 83 high/ RH 40-60%
5 gal pots
They have been drinking and drying the soil out every two days now
I was wondering if it's better at this stage to keep the soil moist for them to have it more available or to keep letting the soil decently dry up (not really really dry) like I have been the whole grow. If I was to keep on the moist side would I.... feed, water, water, feed... or just alternate normally.
Just a quick question as it's my first run and things have been going well. Just want to make sure they stay hydrated

 

[EmanStone420]

I am not a soil grower at heart, but your plants look great! no signs heat stress from my perspective.

I was always a believer that letting the soil dry out is best.

The roots take in oxygen and if it is always moist it could cause over watering problems.

Just keep an eye on them every day and add water when the soil is dried up.

Try and avoid letting them droop due to under watering though.

Good luck!

 

[Rolla J]

Eman stated some good points. I agree with him. Your girls are really really healthy. You're doing a great job. Keep up with what you are doing

 

[Indacouch]

First off they look very nice ......remember that in flower your plants will actually slow down on water uptake ....meaning they won't need water as frequently as in Veg....letting the soil dry out between waterings is definitely a good thing ....constantly wet isn't good for the roots for a few reasons.....but your plants look nice and healthy .....let your soil dry out and water as you have been ....if your plants did start to wilt because of dry soil .....no big deal, they will recover literally rite before your eyes....I actually dial in my watering schedule by letting my large plants start to wilt slightly ....within 10 minutes there back to normal.....GL and I'd focus on adjusting your nutes for later in flower .....lowering N and giving them goodies for bloom ........GL happy growing

 

[GreenBean 420]

Sounds good and thanks guys cheers! Just don't want to mess anything up in the end!

 

[GreenBean 420]

First off they look very nice ......remember that in flower your plants will actually slow down on water uptake ....meaning they won't need water as frequently as in Veg....letting the soil dry out between waterings is definitely a good thing ....constantly wet isn't good for the roots for a few reasons.....but your plants look nice and healthy .....let your soil dry out and water as you have been ....if your plants did start to wilt because of dry soil .....no big deal, they will recover literally rite before your eyes....I actually dial in my watering schedule by letting my large plants start to wilt slightly ....within 10 minutes there back to normal.....GL and I'd focus on adjusting your nutes for later in flower .....lowering N and giving them goodies for bloom ........GL happy growing

What do you suggest for the adjustment later in flower. I've been feeding them full strength floranova bloom (5ml), 5ml Potash Plus, 10ml molasses every week, and I've stopped the cal mag feedings. Should I be going up a bit in nutes and then down or hold steady? I went up to 8ml in the Potash Plus and locked them up for a minute (showed signs of N tox but I think it was a lockout. Any recommendations?

Also still in the fence about flushing or fading at the end. I believe I'll feed them till the end and just water the last two waterings...even though it's my first grow I'm leaning more toward the science side of things haha!

 

[chemphlegm]

if you're going to feed them to the end what do you expect from two days of water only?
try several containers of the same strain flowering at the same time, try all the tricks and keep them numbered
with good records, fade to finish, plug with nitrogen, feed to end , water only, 6 month jar, or 3 week dry, etc..each one....you'll have the answers once and for all. I'm guessing its a personal preference at this point. I like to watch my outdoor fruit trees, vegetables. if I fertilize my tomatoes the week before harvest they taste like a golf course green smells. if I dont though, and water them in their last weeks they're perfect off the vine. My fruit trees begin to brown leaves naturally at the end of their season. less light, less frass, less bio activity in the root zone, less overall food and water too. voila....but feed weed to the end you increase your vegetable matter hence more weight, if selling you get more cash. problem is you have to sweat/ferment those off flavors/unburned carbs off before it tastes normal . thats my experience, others differ.
my buddy fed molasses to his flowers and they tasted like shit, keep that in mind, they dont get molasses in nature, but its awesome in roast beef

water, dry, repeat.

 

[GreenBean 420]

I was just expecting them to use the last feeding (whatever's left in the soil), they'll still need water, so water them once or twice more...let them dry a bit for a day or two then harvest. I'm not definitely doing it just toying with it. It's a big call as I've never smoked side by sides and everyone on the internet argues both sides to the death. One side has science the other side has...pretty much nothing imo haha. But I could be wrong and maybe it tastes better?
I'll probably stop the molasses soon as well. And yes if you feed tons of molasses it will taste like shit. That's pretty much established. The trick would be just a tablespoon a week and I feed less than that usually.

 

[GreenBean 420]

Sorry man Dr. Who got to me hahaha I don't know what to do!!

 

[GrnMonStr]

I also think you should back off on the feedings totally and water only if the plant needs anything let it take in from its fan leaves. I think you have the water & semi dry cycles down pat so just keep that up. They are very green so that is why I say no on the nutrients, and defiantly no on the nitrogen. If you have time release nitrogen in the soil then I would even flush now.

 

[Johnei]

What GrnMonStr said, They look on the verge you're gonna get Nitrogen overdose if you ocontinue as you have. I think I even see a claw or two in the pics(N overdose). I'd back off on the nutrients from the way they look.

Overwatering is the worst thing you can do. You can water them well saturating the medium, but don't keep them wet, Air to the roots is KEY.

Plants look awesome, but stop or severely reduce the amount of Nitrogen rich fertilizer you are feeding now for a bumper crop.

 

[GreenBean 420]

They haven't recieved any nitrogen since the first week of flower. Only what amounts of nitrogen are in the Bloom nutes? As I said I think the claw/N tox look is from lockout on me adding in too much of the PK booster, or perhaps too early. They clawed a little a couple weeks ago and it's only a couple of the very large leaves. I don't see any problems on any of the rest? They are green tho haha. Also I have no time release anything in the soil. And I haven't fed cal mag in almost a week and a half (which has some nitrogen in it as well). I'll see if I can find the video were he describes my lockout. It was Grateful Grower. Love that dude. Thanks for the help too. Really torn on this fading out and flushing or nothing thing. Bahhhh ! I posted the question to Grateful Grower. Maybe he'll use it in his rapid fire part of the video this week haha

 

[chemphlegm]

what do the instructions direct you to do on the bottles of nutrient you use concerning end stage feeding?
you know floranova kills microbeasties that you aim to support with the addition of molasses?

most I know use a drop of molasses in a bucket of bubbling tea to feed their micro organisms to feed in their organic/like garden. pouring into buckets with plants indoors can be harmful in the end but that comes with experience.

 

[MichiganMedGrower]

I have found my best results just simply tapering off the nute concentration the last 2 -3 weeks.

They just don't use as much by then. But if you switch to water only you can not be sure they get everything they need to grow great flowers.

The smooth smoke from flushing is only true if you have been over nuting them.

Proper dry and cure is more important for smooth tasty smoke. Drying too fast is usually the culprit of harsh weed. And over feeding.

 

[GrnMonStr]

Yeah that's a good point, and all plants are different on feedings so maybe just stick with that Potash Plus only at 0-4-6. You can make adjustments but either way I think wet to semi dry cycle is best.

 

[chemphlegm]

I have found my best results just simply tapering off the nute concentration the last 2 -3 weeks.

They just don't use as much by then. But if you switch to water only you can not be sure they get everything they need to grow great flowers.

The smooth smoke from flushing is only true if you have been over nuting them.

Proper dry and cure is more important for smooth tasty smoke. Drying too fast is usually the culprit of harsh weed. And over feeding.

agreed and I never ever used a nutrient system that didnt also show tapered nutrients on their feeding chart. Even though they easily could have made more money telling us to use more watered nutrients, and could have showed us the supposed better results, but nope, they instructed us of the right way, at least the one that works perfectly every time I've followed them without much fussing at all. In hydro they were awesome burning and flavored within 3 weeks of drying (controlled). No amount of sweating/jarring/fermenting was preferred by me or mine. I do benefit from that though if I've over fed/fed to the end or have to harvest before solid milky. A little degrade time does them good then= I think its breaking down excess unused carbs and of course decarbing. i can watch the progress with a refractometer, live , at harvest, a week later, over fed etc, all evident with the brix readings. nice tool to have imo.

 

[MichiganMedGrower]

Yeah that's a good point, and all plants are different on feedings so maybe just stick with that Potash Plus only at 0-4-6. You can make adjustments but either way I think wet to semi dry cycle is best.

Flowering plants still need nitrogen. I only use pure Blend Pro Grow and taper off steadily with the plants needs during ripening.

A good flowering nute would not be just 0-4-0.

It would be more like 4-6-6.

For example.

And I water when my pots are about 3/4 dry down of using a probe moisture meter. Well I just tip them and know now but that is how I learned.

Sometimes if a finished plant is almost but not ready for watering I will let it dry out an extra day and then harvest the next day right at lights on.

Nice and dry but not uptaking yet.

 

[chemphlegm]

Flowering plants still need nitrogen. I only use pure Blend Pro Grow and taper off steadily with the plants needs during ripening.

A good flowering nute would not be just 0-4-0.

It would be more like 4-6-6.

For example.

And I water when my pots are about 3/4 dry down of using a probe moisture meter. Well I just tip them and know now but that is how I learned.

Sometimes if a finished plant is almost but not ready for watering I will let it dry out an extra day and then harvest the next day right at lights on.

Nice and dry but not uptaking yet.

the more I read your posts the more I believe we end with similar conclusions in the grow room. kudo's !
it really is that simple the full circle showed me

 

[MichiganMedGrower]

agreed and I never ever used a nutrient system that didnt also show tapered nutrients on their feeding chart. Even though they easily could have made more money telling us to use more watered nutrients, and could have showed us the supposed better results, but nope, they instructed us of the right way, at least the one that works perfectly every time I've followed them without much fussing at all. In hydro they were awesome burning and flavored within 3 weeks of drying (controlled). No amount of sweating/jarring/fermenting was preferred by me or mine. I do benefit from that though if I've over fed/fed to the end or have to harvest before solid milky. A little degrade time does them good then= I think its breaking down excess unused carbs and of course decarbing. i can watch the progress with a refractometer, live , at harvest, a week later, over fed etc, all evident with the brix readings. nice tool to have imo.

I should and will take the advice and learn more about brix readings.

i do want to add that I do not see a real improvement in jar burped weed until after 6-8 weeks. I really never have any that old and had forgotten that it does eventually mature and amber and evolve some.

Some of my more Haze leaning stuff really takes off in potency and complexity and flavor at a new level around then.

But indica leaning and chem/ diesel stuff. Not so much improvement. I like it fine at week 2. Some strains right off the dry branch are delicious.

I do not think a definitive statement can be made as there is so much variance in flowers.

 

[MichiganMedGrower]

the more I read your posts the more I believe we end with similar conclusions in the grow room. kudo's !
it really is that simple the full circle showed me

I have really been working and comparing methods in my room to prove these simple horticultural facts to myself.

And I agree. And thank you.