I've normally only grown in 5 gallon Smart Pots with commercial soil, outside but this year for the first time I put three plants in 5 gallon buckets. I drilled several holes in the bottoms and I filled them with an interesting soil mix. When pruning some neglected juniper bushes, I found some very, very rich soil underneath them that had been created from years of aspen and maple leaves breaking down over the course of 20 years. I then mixed this with dried pine needles from my neighbor's pine tree for aeration. This soil was full of worms so it was kind of like a natural worm bin and leaf mold. The soil drains really really well but it is really heavy so it's just been hard to know when to water. So far everything looks good but I'm always unsure if I'm watering too much. What are some suggestions for knowing when to water?
Strategies for watering plants with native soil in 5 gallon buckets?
- Thread starter jokerlola
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Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Smart pots or hard sided pots, the rules remain the same. Water only when the plants have used all of the water in the container, all the way to the bottom. If you are unable to tell using the lift the pot method, get a soft wooden dipstick or a moisture meter, and figure out where the top of the water table is and watch it till it gets down into the last inch to 2 inches of the bottom and at that point it should be safe to water. Please read my article on how to properly water... it should give you some additional insights. The link is below in my signature lines.
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- #3
Yes, I'm trying to follow your method. That's a great idea of using a wooden dipstick! I've been just kind of flying by the seat of my pants and sticking my finger in the soil and watering them when my Smart Pot plants need water but I know it couldn't be accurate because of the different soils and vessels. Any water you put in them, drains out so quickly so they might need to be watered more often than the Smart Pot plants in potting mix. Any idea how to tell how much water to give them since they drain so quickly? Probably use the dipstick for that too?
So far the plants are looking good and have never wilted or looked over watered. I am feeding them water only and seeing if they can go the whole run with no fertilizers.
Thanks!
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
You should water to the point of runoff each time. You can not overwater by doing this... you can only overwater by watering too often. Good luck, but unless you have supersoil in the bottom of your containers, potting mix is NOT going to get you through the entire grow.
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- #5
Emilya,
I don't have potting mix in the buckets. I found some really rich soil under a neglected juniper bush I was trimming. It is from 20 years of aspen and maple leaves decomposing under the bush. It was also full of worms. I added dried pine needles for aeration (about 30%). It drains almost too good because water runs thru it very quickly but the mix is very heavy so it's hard to gauge when it's time to water and how much to give it.
These are clones I had originally made for a friend, then he couldn't take them because his HOA won't let them grow cannabis. So I decided to experiment with them and plant them in the buckets with this rich soil I found and see how they would grow. So far they have been outperforming my other clones that are in potting soil and fabric pots that I am feeding with organic nutes! If they start to look like they are having any nute deficiencies I will add them but so far they look great.
One trick on hard plastic containers (doesn’t work well on fabric smart pots) but tilt the container to steep 45 degree angle and prop it up so it won’t tip or roll over. Leave it propped up for 24 hours and the container will pee out some water and reset water table to lower level.
Another idea would be fill another 5 gallon bucket with same soil mix but do not add water and use bathroom scale to get weight for comparison with your clone buckets, the difference is the water weight
Another idea would be fill another 5 gallon bucket with same soil mix but do not add water and use bathroom scale to get weight for comparison with your clone buckets, the difference is the water weight
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Or just wait a few days until the plant uses all the water. Roots... they have an awesome ability to use up water in your container and the more you grow the faster it happens. Sure, you can tip the containers or hold them in your hands and twirl around in a circle like a washer on a spin cycle and you can remove the extra water sitting in your soil.... But why? Seriously, do you really want to have to water every day?
