My technique to NOT overwater plants [pic]

[GrowingMadness]

It's simple actually. I make a nice soil mix from standard flower soil and peat moss.

First I make a really tight layer of this soil at the bottom of the pot - so that it collects the drain water.

Then I make a layer of hydroton and transplant the plant into the pot. Fill the surroundings with hydroton and make a layer of soil on top.

This way I water my plants to the max and never had any problems with overwatering. They always have air and the water drains down.

It's also notable that hydroton floats in water, so when you water it - it actually moves within the pot a bit, making for more air for the roots.

 

[SiriusGrower]

with Hydrton do you mean the crazy pebbles?

http://www.growell.co.uk/p/0544/Hydroton-Clay-Pebbles.html

Seems like a genius idea, even though I don't water much I am forever paranoid about the lack of air in the soil.

 

[GrowingMadness]

Yup, the pebbles that you would typically use in a hydro system.

 

[sirbudmaster]

interesting technique...guessing any similar medium could work in same way...like perlite.....neat concept

thanks


Peace

 

[KaotnyKush]

I was born to over water.....I'll start out pretty well and then some where during flowering I wind up with curled tips at some point....They seem to drink more during flowering, but I think I jump in a day or to early with the water...Think im miss reading the weight of the pots......I've been adding extra perlite to my mix and staying away from vermeculite......I'm def. gonna try this......How long have you been using this method?.......I have some seedlings, but no hydrotron...I might try it with some perlite....I also have some Diatomite I might try in a few buckets.......

Also I assume that overwatering was a problem 4 U...Has this technique improved(changed), yield, taste,growth etc..I use 3 & 4 gal bucks, and think that if I HEMPY my buckets, place some of SUBCOOLS SUPER SOIL at the bottom this would be monumental to my garden.

RESPECT GROWING MADNESS...1ONE1

PEACE,BLESSINGS,PROSPERITY

 

[GrowingMadness]

I was born to over water.....I'll start out pretty well and then some where during flowering I wind up with curled tips at some point....They seem to drink more during flowering, but I think I jump in a day or to early with the water...Think im miss reading the weight of the pots......I've been adding extra perlite to my mix and staying away from vermeculite......I'm def. gonna try this......How long have you been using this method?.......I have some seedlings, but no hydrotron...I might try it with some perlite....I also have some Diatomite I might try in a few buckets.......

Also I assume that overwatering was a problem 4 U...Has this technique improved(changed), yield, taste,growth etc..I use 3 & 4 gal bucks, and think that if I HEMPY my buckets, place some of SUBCOOLS SUPER SOIL at the bottom this would be monumental to my garden.

RESPECT GROWING MADNESS...1ONE1

PEACE,BLESSINGS,PROSPERITY

Peace.

I'm on my first grow and OVER and UNDER watering was a huge problem for me.

First I was overwatering a lot with a pure soil mix, then I was underwatering a lot with a soil+hydroton mix

And during flowering they started to drink crazy amounts of water.

So I tried this layered method on one of the plants and it seemed to like it. Now all of em are on it.

Today I just water them to the max, until water starts coming out of the bottom holes.

That means the "pillow" of soil at the bottom is wet and the roots will reach to it through the airy pillow of hydroton.

I also want to try putting the pots into these plates that would have water in them. So that just like in nature the roots would pull water up from the soil - I imagine that way I'd have to water once a week max, by keeping the water level in the plates up.

 

[Rexob715]

Peace.

I'm on my first grow and OVER and UNDER watering was a huge problem for me.

First I was overwatering a lot with a pure soil mix, then I was underwatering a lot with a soil+hydroton mix

And during flowering they started to drink crazy amounts of water.

So I tried this layered method on one of the plants and it seemed to like it. Now all of em are on it.

Today I just water them to the max, until water starts coming out of the bottom holes.

That means the "pillow" of soil at the bottom is wet and the roots will reach to it through the airy pillow of hydroton.

I also want to try putting the pots into these plates that would have water in them. So that just like in nature the roots would pull water up from the soil - I imagine that way I'd have to water once a week max, by keeping the water level in the plates up.

Yeah, I think this idea sounds great, but the soil area will retain more water than the hydroton/perilite area.
So, the hydroton/perilite area may not hold enough water to bridge the gap between the two soil layers. I don't know that your roots would be able to grow thru the hydroton/perilite layer because it will be much drier than the soil.

But keep up the good work!

 

[KaotnyKush]

Yeah, I think this idea sounds great, but the soil area will retain more water than the hydroton/perilite area.
So, the hydroton/perilite area may not hold enough water to bridge the gap between the two soil layers. I don't know that your roots would be able to grow thru the hydroton/perilite layer because it will be much drier than the soil.

But keep up the good work!

I was thinking about that as well, and thought .....
1. If I use Hempy buckets the bottom layer would be Hydrotron,Diatomite or perlite and the layer above that would be soil...leaving the the nutrient rich water to pool in the bottom hydrotron layer.

2. Is it posible to use Vermiculite with the hydrotron or perlite.....Vermiculites main purpose is to retain water.

3. Could the feeding scedual be divided into 2 parts, assuming the hydrotron and soil dry at very diff rates............
-When watering usind this method of potting could I water around the soiled root ball allowing the water to pass through the top layer of soil,through the hydrotron down to the bottom layer....
-And water the middle (soiled root ball)part at different times.

PEACE,BLESSINGS,PROSPERITY

 

[Airwave]

I can see transplanting being a problem.

 

[Hemlock]

Perlite, coco, hydron and crutons...
Man I spent a year overwatering...Couldn't figure it out. Part of the problem was I was using rockwell cubes, never do that again
Had a bro come by get me straight
60% perlite
20%hydron
10% coco
10% crutons
I water once a day during flower mon-sat
No water sunday
Watertime about 30-45 mins
Clones in veg only get 20 mins every other day.
However if I stick my finger in the (I use grow bags) and its moist I might not water that day
no problems since I went to this mix
Grow well

 

[Purplecheeser]

lol crutons

 

[KaotnyKush]

Your joking with the crutons...Dont.......I know, I know..Its just watering.. How U gonna grow MJ and U cant water the MFer.....

...This to me is very intresting and im gonna try it.....In some form or other just because....mixing hydrotron most likley wouldn't work (not packed tight ) the dirt would fill the gaps between the hydrotron.............but if you use perlight its alot more feasable...I know I could simply grow in perlite or cut my soil with somthing....But Im gonna try this right here in some form or other......1ONE1

PEACE,BLESSINGS,PROSPERITY

 

[Hemlock]

LOL crutons are coco husks cut in thumb size pieces..Love them makes for good o2 for the MJ

 

[KaotnyKush]

LOL crutons are coco husks cut in thumb size pieces..Love them makes for good o2 for the MJ

WORD...I understand...RESPECT Hemlock..
1ONE1..

PEACE,BLESSINGS,PROSPERITY

 

[GrowingMadness]

I can see transplanting being a problem.

Not really. Surprisingly the roots grow very well around hydroton and when you transplant to larger buckets, only some of hydroton falls out.

The roots hold tighly to it.

Of course you'll have soil and hydroton around if you're doing it inside though.

On topic - I did an experiment when one was pure soil mix, the other as in the original post.

I watered them for a week - same amounts of water.

One in soil mix now has brown curled up leaves, the other is totally fine.

Recommend this to everyone.

 

[robert 14617]

Not really. Surprisingly the roots grow very well around hydroton and when you transplant to larger buckets, only some of hydroton falls out.

The roots hold tighly to it.

Of course you'll have soil and hydroton around if you're doing it inside though.

On topic - I did an experiment when one was pure soil mix, the other as in the original post.

I watered them for a week - same amounts of water.

One in soil mix now has brown curled up leaves, the other is totally fine.

Recommend this to everyone.

all this tells me is the pure soil was over watered will this effect the overall grow?

 

[GrowingMadness]

all this tells me is the pure soil was over watered will this effect the overall grow?

Well duh, and the soil-hydroton mix had good drainage and didn't get overwatered

I can't tell how this will effect your yield, but based on plain theory:
- you cannot overwater, thus you cannot stress the plant with that
- your roots have more oxygen, thus grow faster
- it becomes "sort of" an aero medium in that hydroton, because the soil layer on the bottom viporates the water it got up

 

[robert 14617]

bark in soil will slow growth im thinking growing around the hydroton balls may have the same effect?? oh BTW you can stick your sarcasm

 

[tea tree]

bark in soil slows growth? I was hoping some of those little peices in cheap compost would be good for the organics. The little critters. damn.

 

[robert 14617]

they also add to the acidity of the soil and can throw off ph levels