Can Promix be over watered?

A lot of people say treat Promix like soilless mixtures, but how far does that advice go? Most people say you cant over water coco, but is the same true for Promix? I know you don't want to let the peat fully dry out. Does that mean you could potentially water it every other day? I'm trying to find that Goldilocks zone for when to water Promix as I don't want it to dry out, so it would be much easier to water it whenever it's still moist as long as it won't interfere with the wet dry cycle. My last several grows with Promix I try to get a 3 day watering cycle down, but now I'm wondering if I should be watering more frequently to prevent the mix from potentially drying too much. It seems like the logic for when to water soil is beyond what you would want to allow for Promix as far as drying.

Peat does become very resistant to water if you let it dry out. I would water once I noticed the top coating of the medium drying. Peat from what i remember is very dusty and can really mud up not being the best for air to the roots. I wouldnt keep it soaking wet.

Maybe some more expirenced grower using peat base can answer better. Pro mix was the first thing i used 20 years ago.

You can definitely overwater Pro Mix. Or Sunshine 4. Actually any peat based medium. Coco doesn’t retain moisture long but peat can.

hotrodharley said:

You can definitely overwater Pro Mix. Or Sunshine 4. Actually any peat based medium. Coco doesn’t retain moisture long but peat can.

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I was worried the HP would be too much drainage, but maybe that would be worth a try next grow over the BX. Im also switching from fabric to plastic as the fabric pots feel like they dry too quickly.

RuggedWombat said:

I was worried the HP would be too much drainage, but maybe that would be worth a try next grow over the BX. Im also switching from fabric to plastic as the fabric pots feel like they dry too quickly.

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I personally prefer the HP over the BX because of the vermiculite in the BX. I’ve also gone back to using buckets with plenty of holes on the sides as well as the bottoms. Sunshine 4 Advanced has coco and yucca in it for quicker drainage and less water retention.

hotrodharley said:

I personally prefer the HP over the BX because of the vermiculite in the BX. I’ve also gone back to using buckets with plenty of holes on the sides as well as the bottoms. Sunshine 4 Advanced has coco and yucca in it for quicker drainage and less water retention.

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Man I totally forgot about sunshine! I'll need to look into that for next grow. I'm definitely loving promix more than soil. Easier to account for nutrient intake. How does the price compare to Promix? I swear the price on Promix keeps increasing for no reason.

You can def overwater promix. Bx doesn't have enough perlite. Stays wet for too long and compacts over time. Once the plants are well established you can feed and runoff if you want and it won't affect them. But in the earlier stages of growth you can drown the roots., And it's best to keep it evenly moist then let it dry back then water again. Gl.

only my first run with it, but i mixed up 1 part hydroton, 1 part sunshine 4 and 2 parts canna coco. a little less watering needed with the added peat.

RuggedWombat said:

Man I totally forgot about sunshine! I'll need to look into that for next grow. I'm definitely loving promix more than soil. Easier to account for nutrient intake. How does the price compare to Promix? I swear the price on Promix keeps increasing for no reason.

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Sunshine 4 is all I use now. Far cheaper than Pro Mix. The Professional grade has silica already in it as well as beneficial mycos. In fact prices caused me to switch a couple of years ago.

hotrodharley said:

Sunshine 4 is all I use now. Far cheaper than Pro Mix. The Professional grade has silica already in it as well as beneficial mycos. In fact prices caused me to switch a couple of years ago.

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What's your preferred source for buying? So many are from hydro stores and what like $30 for shipping!

I use ProMix HP, it's $5 a bale cheaper than Sunshine Mix

It can be overwatered in the sense you water before the fabric bag is light.

In a 5 gallon bag I water 1 gallon every three days.

Cheers

RuggedWombat said:

What's your preferred source for buying? So many are from hydro stores and what like $30 for shipping!

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Lowes actually. Lowes or Home Depot. I just pick them up when I go to town.

chuckeye said:

I use ProMix HP, it's $5 a bale cheaper than Sunshine Mix

It can be overwatered in the sense you water before the fabric bag is light.

In a 5 gallon bag I water 1 gallon every three days.

Cheers

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That amount is about right. I do about 1 gallon water per 3 gal pot. You don't get crazy fast drying with the combo of HP plus fabric? Maybe I'll just start by running HP next grow and then a grow after try plastic pots. I've been using fabric for several years and I've always been curious about using plastic pots with holes drilled under and about halfway up. How soon into veg are you doing the one gallon? I'm about to flip in 2 days and I'm giving only 1.5 gal for all 3 3 gal plants as I was worried about over watering (hence the title lol). Its just tough to find that ideal balance of not too dry but also not overly wet eh.

Jjgrow420 said:

You can def overwater promix. Bx doesn't have enough perlite. Stays wet for too long and compacts over time. Once the plants are well established you can feed and runoff if you want and it won't affect them. But in the earlier stages of growth you can drown the roots., And it's best to keep it evenly moist then let it dry back then water again. Gl.

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Yes the compacting is real! It's crazy how I start the grow with them filled to the top and they get lower and lower the further into the grow it goes.

RuggedWombat said:

I was worried the HP would be too much drainage, but maybe that would be worth a try next grow over the BX. Im also switching from fabric to plastic as the fabric pots feel like they dry too quickly.

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I use the HP for indoor I like the BX for outdoor because it holds more water.

Peat mixes will do best when watered when the container is very light, but the mix is still damp. The timing will depend on the plant size, environment and drainage level of peat mix. I've found the HP mixes need about 1/3 container volume to irrigate well with runnoff. Example: My large tomato plant in 5 gallons of mix needs water twice a day when it is hot and sunny. The kale in a shady area only needs water once every three days.

Lowes just started stocking Sunshine #4 Aggregate Plus. If you ask, you may be able to buy the damaged water logged bales at a discount.
Places that distribute to the professional agriculture market will often have the best prices. You don't need to be brand loyal, the mixes from Lambert, Sunshine, Berger and Promix all work about the same.
Last year my local agricultural distributor had Berger BM6 3.8 bales for $26, so that's what I went with.

RuggedWombat said:

That amount is about right. I do about 1 gallon water per 3 gal pot. You don't get crazy fast drying with the combo of HP plus fabric? Maybe I'll just start by running HP next grow and then a grow after try plastic pots. I've been using fabric for several years and I've always been curious about using plastic pots with holes drilled under and about halfway up. How soon into veg are you doing the one gallon? I'm about to flip in 2 days and I'm giving only 1.5 gal for all 3 3 gal plants as I was worried about over watering (hence the title lol). Its just tough to find that ideal balance of not too dry but also not overly wet eh.

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To clarify, I only give my girls as much as they can use in three days.

So they don't get a full watering until week four or five depending on the strain and vigor.

And I don't water until the pot feels light.... It just happens to be about three days around week six....

To judge when to water, pick up the pot. If it feels light, water it. You quickly get a feel for this.

If they don't feel quite ready I make them wait till the next day.

Watering on a strict schedule does not work for me.

I prefer the fabric pots over plastic with holes but over the years I went from two gallon plastic to three gallon fabric and now 5 gallon fabric....

Cheers

RuggedWombat said:

Its just tough to find that ideal balance of not too dry but also not overly wet eh.

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Some (including me) would say it's the hardest thing to learn in growing. At least so far

Another reason to use coco coir rather than peat.
Coco takes the guesswork out of watering.
Even at full saturation, there's ample air available to the roots.
Other than delicate seedlings, it's virtually impossible to over-water using coco.

I should mention, this grow I'm giving auto's in 5 gallon GroBuckets a try with ProMix HP.

The idea is the plant always has the right amount of moisture. And there is no guessing on watering.

You just watch the dip stick and top it up when necessary.

In a pot or bag on watering day the plants show a little less vigor, the next day is full vigor and the third day the vigor is less again.

With the GroBuckets they are always at the second day vigor !

Also trying a Hempy bucket with perlite, same idea with a bottom reservoir but no dip stick !

And I have a stunted CBD Lemon auto in a 3 gallon fabric pot, it is the only seed I have of that strain and can't bring myself to throw it out !

The Wedding Cheesecake was mistreated putting the germinated seed into its solo cup and is just now starting to grow normally...



Stunted CBD Lemon will likely only produce a taste !



California Snow



Gorilla Punch



Six Shooter



The Girls



Cheers