How often should i be watering my plants during flowering?

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trizack

Active Member
I have two pretty ladies (bagseed) now 2 weeks to the day on 12/12. Maybe i'm just not watering them enough, when i do, but i was trying to keep it to an everyother day schedule.

BUT, I watered them yesterday and the soil is bone dry today. its been like this since i started flowering.

is this normal? should i be watering them more often? or should i be watering them MORE when i do water them?

oh i'm using 2/3 water, 1/3 nute mix every watering, they seem to like to eat every time i water them, and i have not had any nute burn yet so i figured why not

i also have been tying them down, they are on thier 3rd set of ties at the moment.
 

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OGKush00

OGKush00

Active Member
You should be at least giving them a gallon per watering, maybe 1.5 gal.. as long as the soil is dry water them. I read in Jorge Cervantes book that plants actually drink more when veg'ing than flowering, surprised me i thought flowering would consumer more H2o. Get a feel for the bucket wet, and completely dry needing to be watered so you have an idea when it needs to drink.

Remember, better to underwater than to overwater.. underwatering is an easy fix, overwatering= root rot :leaf:
 
DubRules

DubRules

Well-Known Member
i would water them daily as long as you have adequate drainage available.
just give them a little watering, not much.
then feed them once or twice a week.
 
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trizack

Active Member
redivider said:
when the top two inches of the soil is dry, isn't that the norm??
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they seem to be soaking up all the dampness like 12 hours after watering, def by the next day.

if its that much water (1 gal) then i'm def not giving them enough

i have good drainage. when i water them, it comes out the bottom,

they get about 3 1/2 cups of water/nute mix when i do water them.

i think the pots are between 1 and 2 gals. i took another pic with comparison to my hand so you can tell
 

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P. STONIE

P. STONIE

Active Member
my plants have been flowering for about 7 weeks and I give them 1 cup of water every 3 days and they are doing wonders off that when I gave them water every day they started to die...from wut other people have said water consumption probably varies in different strains
 
DST

DST

Well-Known Member
Check the weight of them just after watering, and use that to judge, and as redivider said, top 5cm/2inch should be reasonalby dry. But if you have good drainage you should be right. Couple of q's, whats happening with the fan leaf next to your hand? what temp do you have in the room? and is that foil, perhaps the heat is the prob. good luck.
 
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trizack

Active Member
that fan leaf next to my hand is odd. that whole plant is odd... sometimes having even number of leaves, some fan leaves look like that, some of the node spots have three branches comming out of them (two at West and East, and one at the north position if i was looking at a compass), and others are just odd.

either some mutant, or a hermie, i don't think it is a hermie cause there are absolutly no male organs anywhere, but the first plant has bud all over it after 2 weeks of flowering, the weird one still has presex organs but virtually no bud at all....
 
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trizack

Active Member
oh and the temp is between 75-78 at night 78-82 ish during the day

it is tinfoil, but i have alot of ventilation and heat doesn't seem to be the issue, i do have a oscilating fan blowing directly on them back and forth, which i didn't think about till now, its a reasonably strong little compact desk fan, would it be enough to evaporate the extra moisture?
 
rollmeUPoneSCOTTY!

rollmeUPoneSCOTTY!

Active Member
trizack said:
oh and the temp is between 75-78 at night 78-82 ish during the day

it is tinfoil, but i have alot of ventilation and heat doesn't seem to be the issue, i do have a oscilating fan blowing directly on them back and forth, which i didn't think about till now, its a reasonably strong little compact desk fan, would it be enough to evaporate the extra moisture?
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maybe.

Tin foil is garbage though man - it's got no reflectivity next to mylar or just plain white paint, it tears easy and its a damn good heat conductor.

If you have to use it, have the dull side face the grow (if you didn't already know man).
 
Brick Top

Brick Top

New Member
rollmeUPoneSCOTTY! said:
maybe.

Tin foil is garbage though man - it's got no reflectivity next to mylar or just plain white paint, it tears easy and its a damn good heat conductor.

If you have to use it, have the dull side face the grow (if you didn't already know man).
Click to expand...

Yep.


GrowRoom Reflectivity
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Choosing the right surface for the walls of your grow room is very important, as up to 40% of your total yield comes from the edge, and the right wall surface can increase the amount of light those plants receive by up to 30%! Artificial lighting diminishes exponentially with distance, so it is important to ‘contain’ as much of this light as possible, and direct it accordingly. Reflective surfaces also help illuminate the lower portions of the garden, providing lower buds with light and heat energy.

To get the best results with your light and walls, it is important to get the walls as close as possible to your garden to ensure the least amount of light is wasted. As a caveat, the percentages provided are only useful as a general guideline, as they present the range of reflectivity of the particular surfaces. The high percentage presents the best possible circumstances for that material (for example a 99% reflectivity rating for mylar sheeting would be under ideal conditions - no creases, completely flat, no discoloration, etc).

The best way to determine how well your grow room walls reflect light would be to purchase a light meter and measure your light directly; then take an opaque board and hold it a few inches off one of your walls with the light meter below the board in such a fashion that the light reflects off the wall and onto the light meter. You can then compare the difference between the two and determine a percentage from those numbers, the closer the two numbers are, the better your wall reflects light. It is important that in both measurements, your light meter is the same distance from the light, otherwise your results will be skewed.

Also important to note is that radiant light energy refers to electromagnetic (EM) radiation with a wavelength between 400-700 nanometers (nm) and radiant heat energy correlates to EM radiation with a wavelength between 800-2000nm.

Listed below are some of the most commonly used materials used for grow room walls:

Foylon:

A more durable version of mylar, made of spun polyester fabric and reinforced with foil laminate. Foylon is resistant to most solutions, won't tear or fade, and can be wiped or washed clean.

A great solution for growers who are interested in long term use, and though it may be slightly more expensive than mylar, its durability will more than make up for its cost. It has the ability to reflect about 95% of the light and approximately 85% of the heat energy, so a good ventilation system should be used in conjunction with folyon.

A recommended method to attach Foylon to the walls would be using Velcro, as it makes taking it down for cleaning much easier nd reduces the risk of tearing, creasing or bending it. If this is used for your walls, making sure you get it flush with the wall with no pockets of air between it and the wall to prevent hotspots.

Mylar:

A highly reflective polyester film that comes in varying thickness, the most common being 1 and 2 mm thick. The 2mm thick mylar while not quite as durable as the foylon, is fairly rugged. The 1mm thick mylar tears fairly easily, so taking it down for cleaning is quite difficult without damaging it in the process. Both types of mylar are able to reflect approximately 92-97% reflective, giving it the potential to be more reflective than foylon, but because foylon is more easily cleaned without damaging it as well as it being harder to crease, foylon usually ends up being slightly more reflective. Important to note is that mylar reflects radiant heat energy just as well as foylon (around 85%), so proper ventilation is necessary if mylar is used in your grow room. Attaching this to walls can be done in a similar fashion as foylon, and the same caution should be used to avoid creating hotspots in your room. The 1mm thick mylar stands a fair chance of being creased or ripped in the process unfortunately, even if Velcro is used to attach to the walls.

C3 anti-detection film: (I'd sleep better at night if I had this.)

A specialized type of mylar that exhibits the same properties as the 2mm thick mylar, but in addition to reflecting approximately 92-97% of the light, it also is 90% infrared proof, making your grow room all but invisible to IR scanning. This can also be attached in the same manner as foylon or mylar, and the same caution should be used to avoid creating hotspots in your room.

Flat white paint:

Self explanatory; a great option for large grow rooms or for people who are interested in a low maintenance wall. Flat white paint has the ability to reflect between 75-85% of the light, and does not create hotspots. Adding a fungicide is recommended when painting.

Glossy and eggshell whites not reflect light as efficiently as flat white. Semi-gloss paint for example, only has the ability to reflect between 55-60% of the light. Also important to remember when using paint is that any smears or blemishes on the surface take away from how reflective the wall is so care should be taken to avoid marking or staining the walls. Titanium white paint is very reflective; however it is usually only used on reflectors due to its high cost.


White/Black plastic (also known as panda plastic or "poly"):

"Poly" is useful if you are setting up a temporary grow room or don’t want to damage the walls. Poly is easily cleaned.

The purpose of the black side is to not allow any light to pass through the plastic, which ensures your dark cycle remains dark. The white side is 75-90% reflective. Choose a 6 "mill" thickness of poly for maximum light blockage and duribility.

If this plastic is put too close to the light, you will obviously melt it so be careful!. Panda plastic does not create hotspots. Poly can be attached to the walls by using carpenter’s nails or using tape glue or similar means. This can be used as a cheap alternative to mylar if painting your grow room is out of the question.

Polystyrene Foam Sheeting (more commonly known as Styrofoam):

This is excellent for harsh environment growrooms (your attic for example), provided you have a good ventilation system and a way to keep the temperatures from rising too high (an a/c unit or similar) as it is an excellent insulator.

It is also a great material for use in a temporary setup or for use as a "travelling reflector" on a light mover, where weight is a concern. It is approximately 75-85% light reflective so it is comparable to using a flat white paint. Foam will not create hot spots. Rigid foam can be purchased in sheets, and can be used as a free standing wall or can be taped, glued or nailed to the wall, the last generally being the most successful method.

Emergency Blankets:

These are ultra thin polyester blankets that are sold in most camping stores and are constructed of a single layer of polyester film that is covered with a layer of vapor deposited aluminum.

It is not very effective at reflecting light because it is so thin. Holding it between you and a light source, many small holes are noticed at the intersections of creases and the entire blanket is translucent to begin with, this coupled with the many creases that are in it when you purchase it takes away a significant amount of it reflectivity. It is very easily creased as well which also detracts from its ability to reflect light. And while it is reflects nearly 90% of radiant heat energy, it is only able to reflect around 70% of the light.

The largest advantage of using this type of material is that it is very cheap and therefore easily replaced. Emergency blankets can create hotspots if not attached flush to the wall so it is important that no air gaps exist between it and your supporting wall. The easiest way to attach this is to use tape (Aluminum or metal tape is recommended), as it tears very easily once it is cut or punctured.

Aluminum Foil:

Aluminum foil is no more than 55% reflective - if used, make sure that the dull side is the one that is used to reflect the light. When it becomes creased its reflectivity is even lower (around 35%.) It is also very dangerous to use because it creates hotspots easily, is electrically conductive, and is a fire hazard when it is in close contact with HID lighting. Attaching this to walls is a pain and usually using aluminum tape or glue is the best way. This should only be used as a last resort, and even then its usefulness is questionable.
 
T

trizack

Active Member
yes i'm using tinfoil, this grow box is going after this grow and i'm going to upgrade to mylar...

its been a slow process being all poor and all colecting the exact things i nee to grow so at this moment its more of "whatever shit i got at the moment" :)

but thank you so much for the advice! i'm def going to invest in mylar
 
O

OGDanimal

Member
I water by using a couple different measurements. If the top couple inches of the soil is dry, and by weight. If the top couple inches is dry but it still feels like its medium heavy, if its dry and its feeling like its lost more than half the water weight I give it a good cup or two. Then Once every few cup waterings I let it dry out real good and then water it real well by soaking it in a bath tub or basin.
 
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