George Mc
Well-Known Member
For whatever reason I have watered my plants when they started wilting from lack of water. They always bounce back within a couple hours. My question is does this hurt the plant or hurt yields in any way?
Is waiting for a plant to wilt waiting too long to water?
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Bush Doctor 77
Well-Known Member
I would think it limits growth a little when water is restricted, but unless you hit the Permanent Wilting Point, I don't think there is any lasting damage.
I have had no problems doing that up to about six weeks into flower. After that you should be careful if the leafs start turning yellow stage it can dry them out and kill off the leafs to quick.
I try and water mine at just the beginning of wilt-when only the bottom leaves are starting to droop-I figure I probably lose a couple of hours of growth while it's in survival mode-
It's not as critical when they get older,and ,in my present case,they need water every four days,
so I'll water them before the wilting starts...at least I try to-my last watering I counted the days wrong (you wouldn't think "4" could be that complicated..),and went 5 days-they looked pretty rough in the morning,but by 11:00 they were their perky selves again..
It's not as critical when they get older,and ,in my present case,they need water every four days,
so I'll water them before the wilting starts...at least I try to-my last watering I counted the days wrong (you wouldn't think "4" could be that complicated..),and went 5 days-they looked pretty rough in the morning,but by 11:00 they were their perky selves again..
No Pain
Well-Known Member
Now I do not know if there was ever a study but I do believe that it was stated in the grow book that I purchased in the early 90's . That waiting to water until they wilted was a stressor however the plants did produce more reason as a defense from drying out ..I also believe that there is a statement as to the affect of if you let a plant stay wilted to long it may not recover . Now everyone's definition on wilt may be a little different . In the book the pictorial reference they gave where all the leaves pointing down with very little life to be seen in them .
JelitoKopito
Active Member
cannabis is wet/dry plant
my plants looked many times almost dead and in 2hours after watering I thought those are different plants than they looked like 2 hours before
my plants looked many times almost dead and in 2hours after watering I thought those are different plants than they looked like 2 hours before
Greenlizard
Well-Known Member
From my experiences so far I find it's best to try for that wet/dry cycle. However I have discovered that when plants are young such as clones only a week or two into veg they don't have the root ball to rely on and do not fully recover from wilt. I almost lost two plants a couple months ago due to not bouncing back like expected. Most of the wilt actually died and new growth took over. Once the plants had another couple weeks of veg and established a larger root ball this no longer was an issue. The benefits of wilt outweigh the minorly stunted growth. I believe that when the plants are looking for water they send all their energy to extending their roots in search of deeper water. This aids in root ball growth and in turn produces faster plant growth to make up for the very minor stunt. As a rule of thumb I like to water at the first signs of wilt and not a day later in effort to avoid needless stunting.
When in flower I never let my plants wilt. Once flower is in full effect (roughly 3 weeks into 12/12) I no longer look for wilt. I use the "lift" method and keep them watered before they show signs of wilt. I don't like needless stress on a flowering plant. Too much chance of hermi from stress, and perhaps less harvest weight due to being deprived of essential moisture during flower.
When in flower I never let my plants wilt. Once flower is in full effect (roughly 3 weeks into 12/12) I no longer look for wilt. I use the "lift" method and keep them watered before they show signs of wilt. I don't like needless stress on a flowering plant. Too much chance of hermi from stress, and perhaps less harvest weight due to being deprived of essential moisture during flower.
Barney86
Well-Known Member
Depends what you're growing in mate. If it's soil they need a wet dry cycle if it's Coco feed it every day and never let it dry out.
Leaves should be pointing up a bit though, known as "praying" if they're not praying then they are not transpiring propperly.
And if they're not doing that then theyre not feeding properly.
Leaves drooping at any point while the lights are on, other than the last couple hours is a bad thing. If they're pointing to the roots then there's a problem at the roots.
Some strains do just naturally go to sleep a bit before lights off though.
Healthy roots means healthy shoots. Remember, were not feeding a plant here, were feeding a root system. The bit you can't see. If the plant looks bad the root system is worse.
Leaves should be pointing up a bit though, known as "praying" if they're not praying then they are not transpiring propperly.
And if they're not doing that then theyre not feeding properly.
Leaves drooping at any point while the lights are on, other than the last couple hours is a bad thing. If they're pointing to the roots then there's a problem at the roots.
Some strains do just naturally go to sleep a bit before lights off though.
Healthy roots means healthy shoots. Remember, were not feeding a plant here, were feeding a root system. The bit you can't see. If the plant looks bad the root system is worse.
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
It is never good to stress out your plants to that point, where they have actually wilted. As others have said, you lose some time of growth when this happens, and do it enough it would logically affect the final size. As strongly as I advocate for the need for a wet/dry cycle and quip that it must be as dry as the sahara before you water, I don't call for wilt. I don't consider wilt a disaster, but I describe a point about 12 hours before the water actually runs out and the plant can no longer develop enough water pressure in the xylem to hold the plant up, where the bottom leaves start to droop. At this point the plants put out a perfume pump too, and this is the perfect time to water. If you can time this for lights on, even better.
As long as this is timed correctly and the plant does not go into full wilt, lots of stuff is happening below ground even if it looks like top growth might have slowed. When the water is starting to run out and oxygen is being pulled deep into the container, the roots are going crazy. This is the time of maximum root growth and is the most important time, indeed the entire point as to why I stress the need for a wet/dry cycle with these weeds during veg in order to build a robust root system.
As long as this is timed correctly and the plant does not go into full wilt, lots of stuff is happening below ground even if it looks like top growth might have slowed. When the water is starting to run out and oxygen is being pulled deep into the container, the roots are going crazy. This is the time of maximum root growth and is the most important time, indeed the entire point as to why I stress the need for a wet/dry cycle with these weeds during veg in order to build a robust root system.
Greenlizard
Well-Known Member
Just to clarify within my last post... When I say "wilt" I don't mean any stems are actually wilted. I am only referring to the lower leaves just starting to sag a bit. I do not "wilt" the majority of my plants as that may have been misinterpreted.
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George Mc
Well-Known Member
I have probably let these plants Wilt a little too much sometimes. I'll try to water and feed a little sooner from here on out. I am growing in soil
