How much water and how often for soil in 3 gallon fabric pots

[013]

BINGO...

Precisely - roots can’t breathe, root rot, yes drown, compacted soil from recirc. What about ph drift? Do you set ph for soil grow or for hydro grow?

Soil is not coco, soil is not hydro. Coco is not soil, it is hydro. Soil is not meant for continuous water. Coco needs continuous water/feed. Not my opinion, these are facts. YES?? / NO?? Please correct me if I am wrong?

 

[multiVortex]

You’re right, but op’s using autopots. They are pretty much self watering planters. Water sits in a tray and is wicked up as needed, once it’s wicked up what’s in the tray it trips a float valve and water is dripped in from a small reservoir and replaced.

There are several mediums you can use, but the one that works best is either coco/perlite or promix/perlite, with nutes in the water. I was a day or two from pulling the trigger on a 4-pot setup, but went with dutch buckets instead.

It may be something I do eventually, as it still interests me. That’s one reason I run an experimental “lab” tent, so I can try things out at will and see what happens.

 

[013]

Thanks Multi!

I wish OP would have corrected me on that. Do autopots not recirculate? What is the small tubing on auto pot? doesn’t it top feed too?

Everything I’ve studied said to avoid continuously wet peat on a soil grow. I’m all for trying new stuff, my next up will be hempy to learn.

 

[multiVortex]

Thanks Multi!

I wish OP would have corrected me on that. Do autopots not recirculate? What is the small tubing on auto pot? doesn’t it top feed too?

Everything I’ve studied said to avoid continuously wet peat on a soil grow. I’m all for trying new stuff, my next up will be hempy to learn.

No, the autopots aren’t recirculating. Nor are they top feed. They’re kind of neat, really. As the container wicks moisture up from the tray, the water in the tray is replaced from the res. I’d link their site but you know, mods and sponsor respect and all. You can run a google search and find it pretty easy. Just make sure it’s the manufacturer site and not a hydro shop.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I’m all for trying new stuff

my next up will be hempy to learn.

It's a pretty simple way to dip your toe into hydroponics. Grab a container - just about any container - that doesn't already have drainage holes, melt/drill/cut/gnaw a hole a little ways up from the bottom, and fill it with perlite (et cetera - the first person to popularize the method, back when the alt.drugs.pot.cultivation newsgroup was about the only cannabis-related gardening resource available on the Internet, used a 50:50 mixture of perlite and vermiculite, IIRC, but later realized that was really too much vermiculite), and chuck in a plant. Five-gallon buckets are popular. So are the little Dollar Tree 5.5-liter / 5.8-quart trash cans. SweetSue created a thread on how to germinate cannabis seeds in hempy Solo cups, and I some few people have actually continued to grow the plant in one.

It's not exactly a high performance hydroponic method, because it's passive hydroponics. In other words, it does not include active aeration of the nutrient solution. But it's cheap, simple, and silent.

Err... We now return you to your regularly-scheduled thread .

 

[The123321]

Thanks.

 

[013]

Thanks for clarification guys, to The123321... apologies man seriously!!

Let it be known that ...... I royally screwed the pooch on that call.... !

I’m down for some hempy in my next grow, I’ll give that a whirl.

 

[multiVortex]

It's a pretty simple way to dip your toe into hydroponics. Grab a container - just about any container - that doesn't already have drainage holes, melt/drill/cut/gnaw a hole a little ways up from the bottom, and fill it with perlite (et cetera - the first person to popularize the method, back when the alt.drugs.pot.cultivation newsgroup was about the only cannabis-related gardening resource available on the Internet, used a 50:50 mixture of perlite and vermiculite, IIRC, but later realized that was really too much vermiculite), and chuck in a plant. Five-gallon buckets are popular. So are the little Dollar Tree 5.5-liter / 5.8-quart trash cans. SweetSue created a thread on how to germinate cannabis seeds in hempy Solo cups, and I some few people have actually continued to grow the plant in one.

It's not exactly a high performance hydroponic method, because it's passive hydroponics. In other words, it does not include active aeration of the nutrient solution. But it's cheap, simple, and silent.

Err... We now return you to your regularly-scheduled thread .

I have 5 recirculating (which is more like auto watering really) dutch buckets. I will say that for a drain line, it’s worth the $3 for a bulkhead (per bucket) to make sure the bottom of that hole doesn’t leak. I am liking it so far though, especially with summertime temps, since water temp isn’t as stringent as dwc.

 

[Finnicki]

Going to order those Air-Pots soon. I have one auto flower Critical that the leaves are turning yellow. Full of buds, trichs still clear. Not many green leaves left on it. May go with just that strain in the future. Stays about 2’ high. Guud for our tent!!

 

[Botanical Bondage]

No, the autopots aren’t recirculating. Nor are they top feed. They’re kind of neat, really. As the container wicks moisture up from the tray, the water in the tray is replaced from the res. I’d link their site but you know, mods and sponsor respect and all. You can run a google search and find it pretty easy. Just make sure it’s the manufacturer site and not a hydro shop.

Allowing soil to wick as much water as it will hold is going to waterlog qnd suffocate the plant.

 

[multiVortex]

Allowing soil to wick as much water as it will hold is going to waterlog qnd suffocate the plant.

Horseshit.

Sub-irrigation is a proven method of growing all kinds things. It works, and very well I might add, and has been around for a long time.

 

[Botanical Bondage]

Horseshit.

Sub-irrigation is a proven method of growing all kinds things. It works, and very well I might add, and has been around for a long time.

Not if left to continuously wick. I just killed a different species plant by over watering its tray and leaving it to wick up the rest as it used it.

Instead, it molded and damped off. Its a fact. Soil left wet will kill your plants. It has to dry out.

 

[multiVortex]

Not if left to continuously wick. I just killed a different species plant by over watering its tray and leaving it to wick up the rest as it used it.

Instead, it molded and damped off. Its a fact. Soil left wet will kill your plants. It has to dry out.

So a) you weren’t self-wicking, you were dumping water in a tray at will.

b) you over watered.


That’s on you, and completely different than how a wick/swick/sub-irrigated (whichever term you want to use) works.

 

[Botanical Bondage]

Obviously thats on me. It was in a pot I didnt wqnt to change and I chose to give it extra water because it had been drying out so fast. It was the only plant in the tray that died. But sure it was my fault.

Point is. Soil, left to wick as much water as it can hold, will kill plants.


So how is this different? You cant call me bullshit and insist im wrong. And not give us an explaination.

 

[The123321]

Thanks. I would think that if the autopots watering system was that bad for plants in soil that it would not be nearly as popular as it is for it. It has its own sub forum on a different popular forum. It does recommend doing 50% 50% soil perlite with a layer of perlite in the bottom of the pot for it on there.

 

[multiVortex]

Point is. Soil, left to wick as much water as it can hold, will kill plants.

You're out of your element here. Drastically.

I have used sub-irrigated planters for years with ZERO issues. These types of setups are designed to wick up water as needed. The medium can only hold a certain amount of water. It absolutely will not wick up more than it can hold, and a proper setup will not do anything that you have said.

Here's what you did... you took a pot with dirt and kept the saucer full. That is not a wicking setup. That's watering from the bottom, and you only add as much as needed, then let it dry out. When you have too much in the bottom, it cannot be taken up by the soil, and now you have waterlogged the bottom however much of your pot. THAT is not a wick type setup, nor is it good to do to plants. So yes, that is all 100%, without a doubt, on you and you alone.

A true wicking setup will only draw up moisture as it's needed. Period. End of story. You were not running a wicking setup. You were lazy, and dumping water in the saucer. Again, all on you. I highly suggest you refrain from doing that in the same manner in the future. Your other 3 plants got lucky, nothing more.

IF your statement were true, things like autopots, octopots, earth boxes, etc would pop up and vanish overnight. Yet, they thrive and work extremely well.

 

[TorturedSoul]

That probably explained things sufficiently. But if not... Well, this might make things worse, lol, but: Wicking allows dry (or drying, I suppose) soil to draw moisture upwards. Filling some kind of tray that a potted plant is sitting in, on the other hand... Yes, there's going to be some of that. But, also, the level is going to "equalize." In other words, if you keep a half inch of water in the tray, there's going to be a half inch of water in the bottom of your container.It's like how a simple siphon works. You may have seen someone suck gasoline from a vehicle's gas tank up into a hose - and then drop it into a gas can, to fill that can. If that can was, instead, held up in the air, there would be no siphon action. As long as the end of the hose is at or below the level of gasoline in the gas tank, physics is going to keep trying to equalize the level.

I'm probably not explaining things well. Sometimes, I "see" a thing in my mind, but have trouble properly explaining it. Jt's like when I was in grade school, in math class. Got grief from the teachers. "You must explain your work!" Uh... What work, lol? The answer is just there.

Ramble on. . . .

 

[013]

Again apologies if I was off base. I’m down for learning. I know old growers once used cotton fiber rope wicks into soil and then later the swick was discovered. Theres many ways to skin a cat

Thanks for the education!

So you just add a wick into your plant at transplant & set it on autopots or tray?

 

[Ghost Farmer]

My first question is why are you switching to soil when I presume you were using coco on your previous grows? Stick with what YOU know works by eliminating unknown variables.

 

[Budgie45]

I use the fiber pots you have to be careful you don’t get mold watering them
Too much,but I use soil only,funny enough I did grow some garlic in some 3 gallon fiber bags and ended up throwing them in the bin got far to much mold on them sitting on my deck,