Help with outdoor solo cups watering

[BubbleBucketz]

You are in soil......not coco.

 

[Emilya Green]

You need to read my watering thread in my links down below. If the plants are capable of draining all the water in a day (get over this idea of the sun drying them out) then it is time to transplant to a container 3-5x as big. The rooftop is not any more intense than a balcony in the sun... don't let the internet scare you, people will say anything. Considering partially shaded means you think that plants... gods green plants... should for some reason be afraid of the sun... please... plants have been surviving that big yellow thing for a long time. Just stop drowning them and all will be fine. When they need to be put into bigger containers, that will simplify things some more.

 

[Leonwak]

Out in the hot sun it is going to be very hard to keep a solo cup going, and in this case I probably would have started the plants in a 1 gallon container. But yes, the hot sun is going to bake the first couple of inches of that cup of soil and the top will dry out very quickly. This however isn't the part of the container that is the most important, that area is down at the bottom, where the tap and feeder roots are trying to survive.

The problem is that those lower roots need to see oxygen on a regular cycle, and they get it when the pool of water sitting in that container falls all the way down to the bottom inch of container. The top of that water table acts like a diaphragm and pulls oxygen way down to the bottom roots. You however are coming along and water too often, before the bottom dries out. This raises the water table back up to the top and the bottom roots remain underwater with no oxygen. These bottom roots can't take much of this before they think that there is a flood happening, and in desperation they protect themselves with a waterproof coating. Unfortunately, this protective coating keeps them from being able to uptake a lot of water, so water use slows down, making the problem worse, and the leaves start reacting to the nutrition deficiencies they are now experiencing.

Learn to use the lift the pot method to determine when it is time to water... that finger to the first knuckle method is for growing tomatoes, not pot. It also works for plants in bloom.... but that is the second part of the story... right now in veg you absolutely must dry out the soil all the way to the bottom between each watering. Fill up a similar container with dry soil. Lift it and note its light weight. Now lift your plant. If you can feel extra weight there, it is the water. Don't water again until you can lift the container and it feels as light as the one never watered. The soil will seem as dry as the Sahara Desert, but your plant will mysteriously seem to be happy. Trust the lift method.... it works well, every time it is tried.

i have a seedling that survived the previous sow, it is doing great on a 48 hour watering and is back on track growing, it has developed its third set of true leaves now, it is not in a solo cup but it is not far from a solo cup size actually. it is in the partially shaded area also covered with a plastic transluscent cover, i thought it would be good idea to protect them from the scorched sun until they are big enough. is it a good idea?

 

[Emilya Green]

What do little seedlings out there in a field do in the hot sun... grab a wandering cow to stand blocking the sun for a while? If a seedling pops out of the ground into the sun, it starts to immediately adapt to its surroundings, that is what a weed does. Now if you want to take an inside plant and suddenly move it into the sun, yeah, that is a cow of a completely different color.

 

[Leonwak]

You need to read my watering thread in my links down below. If the plants are capable of draining all the water in a day (get over this idea of the sun drying them out) then it is time to transplant to a container 3-5x as big. The rooftop is not any more intense than a balcony in the sun... don't let the internet scare you, people will say anything. Considering partially shaded means you think that plants... gods green plants... should for some reason be afraid of the sun... please... plants have been surviving that big yellow thing for a long time. Just stop drowning them and all will be fine. When they need to be put into bigger containers, that will simplify things some more.

that was an awesome and encouraging reply thank you. i will sure look for the links, i wouldnt have bothered you but i honestly couldnt find any posts detailing my concerns. Truly appreciate your fast and hearty replys. much appreciated.

 

[Emilya Green]

that was an awesome and encouraging reply thank you. i will sure look for the links, i wouldnt have bothered you but i honestly couldnt find any posts detailing my concerns. Truly appreciate your fast and hearty replys. much appreciated.

Glad to help @Leonwak, that is sort of what this forum is known for. We don't play games here, you get the truth, from hundreds of experts who have gathered in this special place. Welcome! I am glad that you found us.

 

[Leonwak]

What do little seedlings out there in a field do in the hot sun... grab a wandering cow to stand blocking the sun for a while? If a seedling pops out of the ground into the sun, it starts to immediately adapt to its surroundings, that is what a weed does. Now if you want to take an inside plant and suddenly move it into the sun, yeah, that is a cow of a completely different color.

hahahahahahah LOL. thats exactly what i have been thinking all along but as you said many replys out there scare one and somewhat demotivate. but your explanations have definetly solved most if not all my doubts.

 

[Dwight Monk]

I lot of variables for absolutes. How hot is hot outside? If you are already at the upper end of the temp range they prefer then yeah you might cook them up on the roof, also varies on the roofing material and the color, as the saying "hot tin roof" has a meaning. And if you done any roofing you know it is a lot warmer up there than the ambient temperature and you can burn skin thru denim pants kneeling on it so would get same heat transfer thru the pots/containers.

 

[Emilya Green]

I lot of variables for absolutes. How hot is hot outside? If you are already at the upper end of the temp range they prefer then yeah you might cook them up on the roof, also varies on the roofing material and the color, as the saying "hot tin roof" has a meaning. And if you done any roofing you know it is a lot warmer up there than the ambient temperature and you can burn skin thru denim pants kneeling on it so would get same heat transfer thru the pots/containers.

Some good points here too, I shouldnt have made so light of the heat of the roof. I know people who have made it work though, and I see roof gardens on skyscrapers and balconies all over the world. I used to know a guy who lived in the desert, in Nevada, and he did all sorts of things so he could grow outside.... white containers, elevated planters, wood to insulate from hot pavement so as to not cook the roots. The heat can be a thing... that is for sure.

 

[FelipeBlu]

Many growers use solo cups, but not many use them outside. A plastic solo cup can heat up a lot in direct sun - quickly subjecting the roots to deleterious conditions. It is quite possible to cook all of the moisture out in less than 4 hours, especially in the fierce sun of Venezuela. I keep mine in another larger container to provide a little protection from the sun hitting the cup.

Unless you start your seedlings in a larger pot, preferably white or tan, it is going to be very difficult to keep them moist enough. If you can get some light-colored 5 or 7 gallon fabric pots, your plants will thrive.

I suspect your roof is different than others have imagined, and is like a flat terrace on top of the building. Sounds ideal - lots of sun and private. However, the surface (tile floor?) will get very hot. If you can get them even a foot off the surface, they will be cooler.

BTW, be careful taking new sprouts that you germinated inside out into the tropical sun. Introduce them gradually to that big fireball.

You’ll do fine. Just stay stealthy there, and you will learn a lot.

 

[Leonwak]

Many growers use solo cups, but not many use them outside. A plastic solo cup can heat up a lot in direct sun - quickly subjecting the roots to deleterious conditions. It is quite possible to cook all of the moisture out in less than 4 hours, especially in the fierce sun of Venezuela. I keep mine in another larger container to provide a little protection from the sun hitting the cup.

Unless you start your seedlings in a larger pot, preferably white or tan, it is going to be very difficult to keep them moist enough. If you can get some light-colored 5 or 7 gallon fabric pots, your plants will thrive.

I suspect your roof is different than others have imagined, and is like a flat terrace on top of the building. Sounds ideal - lots of sun and private. However, the surface (tile floor?) will get very hot. If you can get them even a foot off the surface, they will be cooler.

BTW, be careful taking new sprouts that you germinated inside out into the tropical sun. Introduce them gradually to that big fireball.

You’ll do fine. Just stay stealthy there, and you will learn a lot.

Hello felipe, you are totally correct, it is a flat terrace with plenty of space.
i dont even know why i used the word roof instead of terrace lol that might have been misleading. i will definetly be raising them a bit off the floor to avoid overheating. As far as the pot dimensions, i realized the moisture retention issues with the previous grow, but i think with the current placement they can hold moisture for abt 48 hours until the next watering, do you think it might be a good idea to transplant them into bigger pots at such a young age? they are barely developing the first true leaves. or should i wait for them to at least grow a week or a couple of weeks to better develop their roots? i checked on them late last night and i could see through the white plastic cup that there is still moisture in it more than half way through so i suppose they can at least hold 48 hours a watering.

 

[Leonwak]

pics for ref,

 

[SmokingWings]

I suspect your roof is different than others have imagined, and is like a flat terrace on top of the building. Sounds ideal - lots of sun and private. However, the surface (tile floor?) will get very hot. If you can get them even a foot off the surface, they will be cooler.

I believe that shortly after this tread started people forgot what country the person mentioned as his home. Knowing the country helps explain why the outdoor grow is on the roof.

 

[732002]

Your soil looks like it has a lot of wood chips in it?
Switching to something with better drainage (promix HP) and
1 gallon fabric pots as suggested by Emilya? should be a big improvement.

 

[Head1982]

why wouldnt i have them on the roof? dont they need good light? i plan on having a grow on the roof and another indoors, is it such a bad idea to have them on the roof? if it their age or what? i get so many conflicting advice. could you please elaborate? thanks in advance.

Dude. This is easy. Fill a solo cup with dry soil. When your seedling in the cup weighs about the same as your cup of dry soil. Time to water.

 

[Emilya Green]

Hello felipe, you are totally correct, it is a flat terrace with plenty of space.
i dont even know why i used the word roof instead of terrace lol that might have been misleading. i will definetly be raising them a bit off the floor to avoid overheating. As far as the pot dimensions, i realized the moisture retention issues with the previous grow, but i think with the current placement they can hold moisture for abt 48 hours until the next watering, do you think it might be a good idea to transplant them into bigger pots at such a young age? they are barely developing the first true leaves. or should i wait for them to at least grow a week or a couple of weeks to better develop their roots? i checked on them late last night and i could see through the white plastic cup that there is still moisture in it more than half way through so i suppose they can at least hold 48 hours a watering.

absolutely not.. Now that we understand your environment a bit better I do not believe that they are ready for transplant until they can USE all the water in 24-36 hours... you want those roots to develop at least to that point before moving up to the next size container. Uppotting is not a race, it is done when your roots finally reach a point of diminishing returns. Its all about the roots. Use the lift method to determine when the plant has used all of the moisture all the way to the bottom of the cup, and then water. Please read my thread on how to properly water... the link is down below.

 

[FelipeBlu]

Hello felipe, you are totally correct, it is a flat terrace with plenty of space.
i dont even know why i used the word roof instead of terrace lol that might have been misleading. i will definetly be raising them a bit off the floor to avoid overheating. As far as the pot dimensions, i realized the moisture retention issues with the previous grow, but i think with the current placement they can hold moisture for abt 48 hours until the next watering, do you think it might be a good idea to transplant them into bigger pots at such a young age? they are barely developing the first true leaves. or should i wait for them to at least grow a week or a couple of weeks to better develop their roots? i checked on them late last night and i could see through the white plastic cup that there is still moisture in it more than half way through so i suppose they can at least hold 48 hours a watering.

Yeah, looks nice and private.

You mentioned that you can see through the white cup. If it’s that translucent, the roots probably aren’t going to like it. Roots aren’t used to the sunlight. An opaque white container would be better. In the meantime, see if you can put them in something that will shade the cups themselves from the sun, like an open box? I live in California and the sun can be brutal. I use blue solo cups in a plastic container, and they do alright.

As far as up-potting this early, I agree with Emilya. If they are going at least 48 hours before they weigh as little as a cup with just dry soil, they will develop better root systems with that wet/dry cycle. At this point, in a larger container, the bottom of the soil might stay substantially wetter and stagnant than the area where the roots are currently, and that’s no bueno.

As 732002 mentioned, your soil looks very chippy. Uncomposted wood will use nitrogen intended for your plants. Do you have access to a product like ProMix?

¡Buen suerte, mi amigo!

 

[Leonwak]

Yeah, looks nice and private.

You mentioned that you can see through the white cup. If it’s that translucent, the roots probably aren’t going to like it. Roots aren’t used to the sunlight. An opaque white container would be better. In the meantime, see if you can put them in something that will shade the cups themselves from the sun, like an open box? I live in California and the sun can be brutal. I use blue solo cups in a plastic container, and they do alright.

As far as up-potting this early, I agree with Emilya. If they are going at least 48 hours before they weigh as little as a cup with just dry soil, they will develop better root systems with that wet/dry cycle. At this point, in a larger container, the bottom of the soil might stay substantially wetter and stagnant than the area where the roots are currently, and that’s no bueno.

As 732002 mentioned, your soil looks very chippy. Uncomposted wood will use nitrogen intended for your plants. Do you have access to a product like ProMix?

¡Buen suerte, mi amigo!

Thanks bro for your replys, the are in very opaque plastic cups, but one can barely see some darkening where the wet soil touches the plastic, but to be on the safe side i already put some blocks around to protect the roots from the sun as per ur suggestion. and also i elevated them some 40cm from the floor and put them on a whiteboard which should avoid the scorching heat of the floor. the soil IS very chippy so i will be looking for some other, much more the one in the tan container so i got the other one i used in the plastic cups which has some rice husks and some organic material. Is that going to be much trouble? it does seem to drain pretty well and has good aeriation but it didnt know about the nitrogen. if so i will be ardently looking for a better mix but so far most of what i can find are chippy.

 

[FelipeBlu]

some rice husks and some organic material. Is that going to be much trouble?

Any organic material should be well-composted. Fine material tends to compact and retain more water. Cannabis likes a well-drained medium. Myself, I stick with 100% perlite. Check out my current grow (in my signature) if you are interested in this method.

 

[FelipeBlu]

How’s it going now Leon?