How long can you go between waterings?

nickwin

Well-Known Member
I am getting my first grow set up, which is going to consist of a 4x4 grow tent and a 600w hps. I should be seeing about 250 actual cfm in the room. Medium will be FFOF in smart pots. I don't mind watering more frequently on a normal basis, but I would like to be able to really soak my pots down and be able to leave them for 3-4 days without watering if/when I need to. Basically I want to be able to leave them for a full weekend without needing water. I plan on vegging for a month and flowering for 55-70 days so my plants should be relatively small. Do you think If I put them in 3 gal pots I could leave them that long without watering? if not what about 5 gal pots?
 

fdd2blk

Well-Known Member
plants can go days without water. even after they start to wilt they can still survive another day or two with little to no ill effect.

i find lack of watering can promote root growth. ;)
 

kizzzzurt

Active Member
I actually let mine start to SLIGHTLY wilt before I even think about watering. Just an opinion though.
 

kizzzzurt

Active Member
How long does this take? And how big of pots... thanks
You kind of answered the question yourself. The bigger the pot, the less you should have to water.

I grow my plants in pots smaller than party cups or up to 5 gal containers. Just depends on what I feel like trying.
 

zvuv

Active Member
It's really the ratio of plant size to pot size that determines how often it needs to drink. During veg, a 3ga pot ought to be able to go three days perhaps more without water but when the plant is in mid flower, it will dry out fast. You can keep increasing container size if this happens.

I do like the others have said, I prefer to let my plants show a bit of water stress before watering them. With MJ plants its better to err on the dry side. Sodden soil, choked roots and fungus can bring an MJ plant down quickly. And yes, some water stress will promote root development. Smart pots help with that but because the sides are porous, they dry out faster.

If you really want to be able to leave your plants unattended for days, consider a simple wick/reservoir scheme which is often used for houseplants on vacation, or set up a drip feed system.
 
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