How Often Do I Need To Water Cannabis Plants?
For soil, water every time it feels dry an inch deep after poking. For coco coir, water every 1-2 days and adjust along the way as the plants grow mature. Watering should also depend on if the plant needs it or not. Make sure to only water Cannabis plants when the growing medium isn’t too moist already.
How Often Do I Need To Water Cannabis Plants?
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How To Know If Cannabis Plants Need Watering?
It’s easy to know when plants need watering because they give out signs. There could be a change of color in their leaves, a change of texture in their leaves, and they could droop.
1. Drooping, Weak Plants
Drooping in plants is easy to notice. The plant starts to fall and look lifeless. However, drooping could be tricky. It could also mean that you overwatered your plants. A plant drooping due to thirst has its leaves curl and bend downwards while maintaining a dark green color. Of course, if the soil in the pot appears dry, it’s likely to be underwatered.
Both underwatering and overwatering are bad watering practices. But slightly underwatering your plants is still better than overwatering them. Occasional underwatering doesn’t have harmful consequences. However, overwatering is a silent killer.
2. Yellow or Brown Leaves
The discoloration in leaves is a good sign to know that there is something wrong. Yes, it is normal to have brown or yellow leaves in some growth stages. However, it shouldn’t be that much.
3. Check the Soil
Check the soil by poking a 2" / 5cm deep hole in it. This technique is a good indicator of how dry the topsoil is. But weighing the pot by hand is a better way to gauge how dry the lower soil got. Take a mental note of how a watered pot and a dry pot weigh in your mind. Through numerous tries, you’ll get the hang of measuring the weight of containers and can detect if the plants need watering right away.
How To Water Your Cannabis Plants?
According to Royal Queen Seeds, “Water little but water well.” Instead of watering your plants frequently with less water, water them once in a while but make sure that it is enough. A “good soak” means watering 25-33% of the container capacity. This amount should be enough to give what the plants need without causing fungal issues on them. Make sure to water the middle substrate, then the edge of the container later on.
Pots these days have holes in the bottom to allow excess water to escape. But that shouldn’t mean that you would let your plants sit in runoff water. Trays placed underneath your plant containers should collect the runoff water. Afterward, make sure to discard it and not let your plant sit on it. Runoff water is an ideal breeding environment for bacteria, pests, and mold. Plants should never keep in contact with it for too long.
We learned that pH levels affect plants in a lot of ways. Make sure that your water’s pH level is within the window of 6.0 and 6.5. That should be good enough for the plants to absorb nutrients from the soil as planned. If the pH level is not right, your plants could experience a nutrient lockout. It could lead to nutrient deficiency and even death.
How Much Should You Water Cannabis Plants?
There are no specifics in watering weed. However, there are a lot of factors that growers need to consider. Factors like the growth stages, growing medium used, the container size, outside temperature, light intensity, and health of cannabis plants contribute to how much water the plants should receive.
1. Stage of Growth
Cannabis plants take time to grow as they go through a lot of stages in growth. Each part works a different function that helps the plants to develop before harvest. The germination and seedling stage, for example, require less water. Meanwhile, as development progresses into the vegetative and flowering stages, the plants will begin demanding more water. Remember that water transports nutrients throughout the plant much like blood does in humans. You should water your plants well, but not to the point where it drowns.
2. Growing Medium
here is a growing medium that holds water well, and there are some that don’t. Drainage coexists with watering as it is a way to gauge how much water a plant retains after watering. Even if cannabis plants love loose and airy soil types, those don’t do well in water retention. Growing containers with holes below also allow water to escape. Choosing compound mixes as a growing medium could also be a downside. If water retains too long, the plant could suffer from nutrient deficiency and root rot. Water-born fungus and molds, along with pests, will also be a problem if there is too much water retention.
3. Pot size
If a small plant sits in a large pot, filling up the pot with water drowns the plant. The pot sizes contributes to good drainage and retention of water. Make sure that you pick the right pot size according to the stage of growth. Start small and work your way up. Doing this will not only help you retain water but also help in avoiding issues like root binding and root rotting.
4. Sunlight, climate and high intensity Lighs
Keep in mind that temperature plays a vital role in water retention, too. If it’s too hot, water evaporates faster. It’s the opposite when it’s too cold. Take note of the weather and temperature every week to know how to adjust to your plant’s demands. During the vegetative and flowering stage, introducing lights to plants will help them develop and cue them to start flowering. However, grow lights often add heat to the environment. High temperatures lead to drying the soil around the plant. Observing the plant’s needs through the vegetative and flowering stage will help you know when to water and how much water they need.
5. The Health of Cannabis Plants
Sick plants don’t absorb water that well. If your plants are going through a disease, an infestation, or other issues that contribute to stunting, make sure to cure it first before creating a watering cycle for it.
How Do You Keep Your Cannabis Plants Hydrated?
Sometimes, watering alone is not enough. You could ask for a little help from these materials that help retain water further. Optimize your plants and make watering more efficient.
1. Perlite
Perlite, derived from obsidian, is a porous and organic material that is an ideal addition to your soil. It prevents the roots from clamping and promotes oxygen flow. Perlite as a grow medium strengthens root growth and acts as an insulator to protect plants from temperature changes.
2. Smart Pots
Pots made out of canvas and fabric help roots breathe and allow heat to escape. These pots also allow water to drain. All of these traits improve the quality of your plant roots and how they handle water.
3. Drip Lines
Technology made watering easier. Through drip lines, maintaining moisture in pots is as easy as filling up a container and letting it work. Drip lines prevent overflowing and evaporation when the climate gets too hot.
5. Timers
Timing is everything. If it gets less watering time, it’s not enough. But if it’s right, everything will grow fine. Timers also make sure that each plant receives the right amount of water.
What Is The Right Container Size For Cannabis Plants?
Plants should start in a small pot and move into larger pots as needed. You would know if plants need to change containers if their roots covered them without them binding to each other. Transplanting them in bigger pots is an ideal opportunity to check the root health and look for issues that may arise.