Sfrigon 1
Well-Known Member
If you're really that worried about it just use plastic pots with no holes
Watering with fabric pots and a "water only" medium
- Thread starter LawnXweeds
- Start date
Sfrigon 1
Well-Known Member
Agreed
LawnXweeds
Active Member
Thanks. It's sloooowwwwllllyyy becoming obvious that i am overthinking growing dope.
Sfrigon 1
Well-Known Member
Let's get back to basics man
I don't know if anyone mentioned yet. But with fabric pots that small I would take advantage of bottom wantering. It is by far the best way to water. Just get a Rubbermaid container. Fill with maybe 5 gals of water and drop the pot in.
Also, you don't need to have the pots on a raised tray. You won't experience root rot with a fabric container. Get a tray big enough to hold them and you can water them all at once without having to move. Additionally, you don't need to remove the excess water. It will evaporate or get soaked up over time. Either way the plants will benefit.
This is why fabric pots are the best!
Also, you don't need to have the pots on a raised tray. You won't experience root rot with a fabric container. Get a tray big enough to hold them and you can water them all at once without having to move. Additionally, you don't need to remove the excess water. It will evaporate or get soaked up over time. Either way the plants will benefit.
This is why fabric pots are the best!
If you want to get even crazier. Pour a layer of pea gravel(hydrostone even better) first to mimic bedrock. Add a handful of worms as well, they love wet bedrock. This will expand the rooting area when the plants inevitably need it. You can even water kelp teas or liquid organic nutrients if the plants need a supplement later. The clay should guard against huge pH swings and will retain the nutrients you lose from watering. Yes, bottom watering dissolves nutrients too. Again, you shouldn't have root rot issues.
If you add the bedrock be warned. The plants will root into it and you can't move until harvest.
If you add the bedrock be warned. The plants will root into it and you can't move until harvest.
LawnXweeds
Active Member
Yea, I started watering the trays. Then, I moisten the top with a spray mister just to give myself a visual queue. I am now mainly relying on the weight of the pots since my plants are finally taking full waterings.
Thank you
LawnXweeds
Active Member
For sure. I've considered adding some hydrotons to the top, mainly because I saw Jorge Cervantes do it once. I've already brewed a compost tea, but I made too much and had to throw it out. I plan on making another one soon. Also, I do amend my watering with kelp "stuff" I repurposed from lawncare as well as molasses.
Hydro4life
Well-Known Member
Could you place a clean tray underneath and slowly water, put the tray water that has run straight through back into soil??
LawnXweeds
Active Member
I personally don't see why not, but I don't know enough to say whether or not it would ok to do so.
Hydro4life
Well-Known Member
I grow in dwc and coco. And the main reason i water till I have a fair amount of runoff is so I know what I’ve put in there is what’s in the pot and to prevent salt build up.
Your simply adding straight water, if you have no nutes in the water then you can’t build up any more salts or change your soil ppm (other than what the plant uses)
My bet would be to reuse your runoff.
Or as Sfrigon said, use pots with no holes?
and if your worried about your beneficials, don’t use chlorinated water. If you have to then let water sit for 2 or 3 days to evaporate the chlorine.
Good luck!
LawnXweeds
Active Member
Wouldn't a pot with no holes promote root rot? Besides that, I am liking this whole "water the tray, not the pot" idea. It's making this a whole lot easier.
I do both: I have some tap water in a bucket with an air pump and a stone as well as jugs of water from the Wally World refill station.
OSBuds
Well-Known Member
Here is the Soil Moisture Sensor Meter description @ Amazon
XLUX T10 Soil Moisture Sensor Meter - Soil Water Monitor, Hydrometer for Gardening, Farming, No Batteries Required. It has helped me not to over water. https://www.amazon.com/XLUX-Soil-Moisture-Sensor-Meter/dp/B014MJ8J2U/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&aaxitk=Mu5l.jkXuzx5Zsl7heN0aw&hsa_cr_id=5208764420401&ref_=sb_s_sparkle_slot
I just want to clarify. Put the hydrostone in the tray. put the plants on top.
Couch_Lock
Well-Known Member
Your plan to just use plain old Ph water to an amended soil "MIGHT" have worked to 12/12. But not in a small 3 gallon fabric pot. In a 7 gallon fabric pot, a lot more possible. Every full watering will strip the soil a bit, as you surmised.
Hydro4life
Well-Known Member
Never tried it but I imagine it would if you have a larger pot that doesn’t fully dry out between waterings.
Atleast with the tray everything can drain so you haven’t got a pool of water sitting in the bottom of your pot!
LawnXweeds
Active Member
I'm not sure I follow. The bag it comes in has listings for how many of a certain size pot you can get out of it and it included 3gal.
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
If you are “ concerned “ about medium leaching after your waterings ...
The EASY answer is to top dress more of the “ purple cow “ and water in.
NOTE : Purple cow’s claim of scientifically blah blah blah is just marketing hype. Technically you can do “water only “ grows by just top dressing medium with same ammended medium to keep it recharged without any fancy verbiage. FFOF / DR. Earth / HF / EB Stone and others can be done the same way.
The EASY answer is to top dress more of the “ purple cow “ and water in.
NOTE : Purple cow’s claim of scientifically blah blah blah is just marketing hype. Technically you can do “water only “ grows by just top dressing medium with same ammended medium to keep it recharged without any fancy verbiage. FFOF / DR. Earth / HF / EB Stone and others can be done the same way.
