Watering Cannabis
Water provides hydrogen for the cannabis plants growth along with carrying
nutrients throughout the plant during transpiration.
The amount of water and how often to water the plants varies, depending upon
different factors; The size of the plants, the pots, type of soil, temperature,
humidity and air circulation are just a few variables, but overall watering your
cannabis plants is mainly common sense and here are a few facts and pointers.
During germination keep the soil surface moist and warm, as discussed in the
germination section, but once the baby seedlings are established, let the top
layer of soil dry out before watering again. This helps to prevent any chance of
stem rot. Try to water around the stems rather than directly on them to prevent
the force of the water knocking them over.
In general, throughout the grow, when the soil about two inches deep feels dry,
water so that the soil is evenly moist but not too much that water runs
'heavily' out of the drainage holes and carries away all the nutrients with it.
Well draining soil 'will' allow some water to run through it. After a few
waterings, you will soon get an idea as to how much water your pots will hold.
Some people judge this using the lift the pot method, i.e. simply judging how
heavy the pot is when needing watering which they then use as their guide.
Over-watering
is probably the most common problem for inexperienced growers as the one bit of
knowledge they often have is "plants need water!" Cannabis plants prefer a
regular watering cycle, but should rarely be watered every day. A large pot that
was saturated during germination may hold enough water for the first couple of
weeks of growth. Using common sense it is clear that a six-foot heavy drinking
plant in a 5 litre pot will have to be watered far more regularly than a 2 foot
plant in a 20l pot. Always water enough to moisten the soil all the way through,
don't just wet the surface layer.
Cannabis plants do not like constantly saturated soil. Plants grown in
constantly wet soil are slower-growing, have less potency, and are more prone to
stem or root rot.
Under-watering is less of a problem, since it is easier to recognise for many
people. When the soil becomes too dry, the plant starts to wilt. Plant cells are
kept rigid by the pressure of their cell contents, which are mostly water. With
the water gone, they collapse. First the bottom leaves droop, and the condition
quickly works its way up the plant until the top itself gets droopy. If this
should happen then water immediately, they can still recover well. Some strains
will survive for several days in this condition and recover with the watering,
tho yields will quite likely be affected. The typical cannabis grower will water
approximately twice a week.
So, don't keep the pots constantly wet, and don't wait until the plant is
drooping. Work to a wet n dry cycle, allowing the soil to almost dry out before
watering again. Not bone dry tho, soil that is too dry will not absorb the water
properly which in turn means no nutrients being passed around the plant properly
too. If you find that your pots have dried out a little too much, add a little
amount of washing up liquid to the water, this will help the soil absorb the
water. Use room temp water it is absorbed easier and also prevents the shock
that cold water might bring. Try to water during the plant's morning hours if
possible and don't leave the pots sitting in water, use pebble or clay balls or
something to prevent this.
Just regular old tap water?
I have no problem suggesting people use tap water despite some people suggesting
to use filtered or RO (reverse osmosis) water. Tap water in different areas will
differ sure and sometimes some tap water might be very high in Chlorine. Over
the years we have found no major problems caused by slightly higher Chlorine, it
might lock out some micro nutrients here and there but in most cases, simply
leaving the tap water out for a few hours before using it to water the plants
will allow most of this Chlorine to dissipate.
Hard tap water usually contains a number of minerals, like Ca, Mg and K which
are essentially nutrients to the plants. Water softeners remove these minerals
by replacing them with sodium, which forms slightly salty water. It is
preferable if you have a choice to water with hard water.
It is not true that the more water given a plant, the faster it will grow.
Certainly, if a plant is consistently under-watered, its growth rate will be
slower.
