I'm growing 2 plants in 2 pots that have the removable bottoms. I notice when I feed the plants I have some spillage out the bottom which I hear is ok. Am I supposed to dump out the remainder of the nutes that are sitting in the removable bottom. My wife says she smells a hint of mildew which I don't smell.
Quick question
- Thread starter Mikenliv
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lusidghost
Well-Known Member
That's called "runoff." Get rid of it, especially if the pots aren't elevated. Shop vac it out if you can't move the plants.
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
Oh wait, I doubt you'll be able to vacuum it out of the pot you have. Get rid of the runoff however you can. I would buy simpler pots next time.
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
Personally I would find appropriate sized saucers, take the bottoms off and elevate the pots. I'm not sure if that's necessary, but having roots sitting around in stagnant, imbalanced water is asking for problems.
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
They will, and then self prune if they feel the need. Usually they'll just stay fresh and add to the plant's overall root mass by sucking up whatever they can. That's why it's important to get rid of the waste water. Bacteria aside, they will uptake more of certain nutrients until there's a nutrient / ph imbalance.
Three Berries
Well-Known Member
You should always have the pot elevated. I just use some 1" foam board insulation. You can use a turkey baster to suck them down.
Fahn2k
Well-Known Member
Watering until runoff is what people do to so called rinse the salts from the fertilizer out of the medium. The fact that your wife is smelling mildew says that water has been sitting for too long. Which also could mean your watering too much. Do you let the soil dry between watering? You should, it causes the roots to grow out looking for water. That will cause the pant to grow also. Another thing to consider is cutting back on nutrients if your getting build up of salts. Water till runoff once or twice a month if your in soil. If your in coco thats a different story, a coco grower can help with. I use Autopots and with them my plants sit in 1 to 2 inches of water 24/7. The water is not the problem, the problem is that it is sitting water. My Autopot constantly refreshes the water as the plant uses it, while your water is sitting and getting stale, and in effect rotting. You'll get mildew first, but then that standing water will attract mold, gnats, and even mosquitoes.
Your pots removable bottom is designed so that the plant roots grow down that far and feed from that area. Thats for regular houseplants to self feed plain water. It helps for when you dont want to have to water your plants every other day. If you let your roots grow down into that removeable area they will uptake excess water and lessen your problem. Another thing is if you want to go on an extended weekend you can fill the removable portion with water to "water feed" the plant while your away. Just dont use it for feeding nutrients cause they will settle in the bottom and cause problems.
Your pots removable bottom is designed so that the plant roots grow down that far and feed from that area. Thats for regular houseplants to self feed plain water. It helps for when you dont want to have to water your plants every other day. If you let your roots grow down into that removeable area they will uptake excess water and lessen your problem. Another thing is if you want to go on an extended weekend you can fill the removable portion with water to "water feed" the plant while your away. Just dont use it for feeding nutrients cause they will settle in the bottom and cause problems.
Thanks for the info. So I m a newbie so I'm newbie stuff like contacting fox farms to see how much I should feed. According to them I should feed twice a week and should see 10 to 15 percent run off. Now my plants are budding ok but very thin. Pretty much see thru. And I was thinking that the sitting water may be the issue. They are about 4 weeks into budding. And everytime I have fed I never clean the runoff from the removable part. Only what spills onto my Indoor tent floor. I was told to elevate the pot. Should I remove the bottom for good after I elevate. I water my plants with half gallon of nutes every 3 to 4 days.
Three Berries
Well-Known Member
I use Fox Farm I do not feed at all any nutes until a 4 to 6 weeks or so into the grow. They get huge on their own and any feeding at the early time may lead to nute burn, just my experience.
Fahn2k
Well-Known Member
If your flooding the removable part then your watering too much. I dont know what foxfarm your using but I wont use it, too many gnat horror stories. Mine included, I used FFoF on my first grow and battled gnats till the end. Less water is more! You'll be better off removing the bottom and elevating the pot, it'll save you a lot of grief and your plants will be happier.
Fahn2k
Well-Known Member
Not to mention lockout! you may want to grab some recharge in the 3.00 packs.
Ok thank you. I was just following the fox farms feeding schedule
I can any advice your willing to share. What does the recharge do and how do I use it
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
I didn’t realize you were growing in soil. That’s out of my wheelhouse. I’d assume that the issue of sitting in nutrients would be the same though.
lusidghost
Well-Known Member
It looks like they want a more light. You could scrog or LST them. I personally would top them about 4 nodes up and hit them with sufficient lighting to strengthen the stalks and get some branching going on. You'd be chopping a lot of plant and it will set back the grow a little, but they are definitely going to be too tall and lanky if they keep going that route.