In 5 gallon containers, how often do you water?

1 and 3 gallon containers were very easy to gauge when they were do for a watering but in 5 gallon containers, I'm having a bit of trouble determining when I should water them.

Is it a bad idea to wait until they really need it and leaves are just drooping a bit? What's the rule of thumb on this?

prolly better if ya dont let ya gals wilt. start lifting the containers, or at least one side... the weight can become a good gauge of when to water. vague answer: you want it light, but not too light. 1st wk of transplant you dont want to overwater, or underwater. you got this jonny. them girls drink diff amts at diff stages in flo cycle.

^^^^^^^^^^^^this!!!

^^exactly what I was going to say

My personal opinion- It's best to maintain a damp soil constantly rather than plan for dry periods. In a well aerated soil dry soil simply means microbes are dying. Keeping a more even moisture level is more productive. My opinion.

abe supercro said:

prolly better if ya dont let ya gals wilt. start lifting the containers, or at least one side... the weight can become a good gauge of when to water. vague answer: you want it light, but not too light. 1st wk of transplant you dont want to overwater, or underwater. you got this jonny. them girls drink diff amts at diff stages in flo cycle.

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Not so important in the larger containers, but I noticed they drink more during different times of the day even, (can be very important when they're younger.)
My 2 last time around, outside, Indica wanted water more than Sativa same age, same size pot, right next to each other.
I would water the Indica about every 4-5 days, and the Sativa every 6-7 days.

Pick up a cheap moisture meter. They are accurate enough to help guide you. Check each plant as you go. Each one will be a little different so the gauge will help you learn the right weight at which to water the container. The meter will also help you to see which stains drink more and hopefuly not have to find out which are not forgiving when it comes to over watering. All the previous advice is very sound aswell.

Moisture meters are garbage. Like said lift a wet pot and then a dry. Get the feel then water accordingly!

i wouldnt buy a moisture meter. you need to learn when to water yer plants by look and feel.....one thing ive learned is the more roots the more water they need. i had ak 47 in 3.5 gal containers and had to water every night..only other strain i have experience with is northern lights and they dont drink like that at all.....i dont think theres any way to tell you how to do this. somethin you learn with experience.

moisture meters are nice if you have a bunch of plants crammed together that are not easily accessible. though I usually look for slightly wilting leaves on the bottom of the plant to determine when to water.

Whats wrong with your fingers and knuckles for a moisture meter? Wouldnt it be dependant on the medium you grow in how moist or not you keep the soil or medium?

VTMi'kmaq said:

Whats wrong with your fingers and knuckles for a moisture meter? Wouldnt it be dependant on the medium you grow in how moist or not you keep the soil or medium?

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First time on a real grow bro. The top layer is completely dry but if you stick your index finger down into the dirt, you can feel some moisture. Not drenched....just moist. I also poked at the drain holes at the bottom of the pots and they're still a bit moist. I suppose it's time for a watering then. Thanks for the info

I go by weight of the pot..

stumpjumper said:

I go by weight of the pot..

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That sounds like the best answer I've heard yet and damn near considered it a couple weeks back but thought I was overkilling a simple process.

I did go ahead and water today and, boy, lemme tell ya, when they are fully saturated and wet...them bitches way a LOT. Now I can safely gauge when to water with better accuracy. Never been in pots this big before so all is new to me. My little 3x3x6 jardin tent is at max capacity and I'm in dire need of killing off a couple males so that the females can overgrow the tent. I know all it really takes is 1-2 but I'd love 4 just for the sake of thoroughness!

Time will tell and pictures to come.

LOL when the dirt is dry....Sorry I got water in my eyes, and for sure by weight.Lift a bucket full of dry soil lift it so you git a sense of how much to water,it takes a little while but you'll get it.

I lift the pots to tell but typically it's every 3 days in 5 gallon pot during full flowering. In veg it might be once a week.