Nutrients help

[Raymond fisher]

So I'm new to this and my plant is about 4 weeks out the ground. I'm starting to use nutrients in my water. 24-10-18 and says to add 1/2 teaspoon to 1 one gallon container of water. I added a little less to the gallon of water to slowly build it up but I was wondering how often do I use the nutrients in the water on the plant? and do I pour the whole gallon on the plant with the nutrients on it at once? I know there silly questions but I just wanna make Sure. I've only been watering at the base of the plant. Thanks for the help!

 

[Richard Drysift]

Only give them what they need; you don't have to give them the full gallon. I assume you are outdoors because you said "out the ground." If that's the case you should worry much about overwatering. In a container once it flows through & soaks the roots that's about all they need but in the ground the water/nute solution can go much deeper.
They will need more/less nutrient depending upon how rich the soil they are in is. If you put them in a good organic mix they will need minimal nutrition but if your soil is not very nutritious they will need a bit more. Note how the water/nutes drain through; good drainage is good- if it takes a long time to drain down the soil is compacted & that is very bad. Roots need air to breathe which helps push fast growth rates. It's a good idea to start giving nutes at half strength & work up from there gradually. They need very little nutes in fact less is better. I suggest giving nutes just once weekly for the first few weeks & then more often on up to giving them at every other watering. Give straight water in between & don't forget about macros like calmag. You should use your veg formula until 2-3 weeks into bloom phase then switch to the bloom formula. Stop giving them nutes 14 days before you plan to harvest.

 

[Raymond fisher]

It's actually inside and it needs nutrients so I'm wondering on how to water, if I mix it in 1 gallon of water and the plant don't use the whole gallon then doesn't that defeat the purpose of the nutrients? So should I pour the whole gallon on there to let the plant absorb whatever, then wait a week and just regular water during that week and use nutrients in the water after the one week?

 

[Richard Drysift]

Oh ok here's what you do. Save 2 empty milk bottles or other 1 gal containers & mix up the nutrient in one of them. Mark it as nuted with a sharpie or a piece of tape or something & keep straight water in the other. It's fine to store mixed nutrients for a week or so. Only give your plants what they need to keep the root ball moist but never soaking wet. Pouring more than they need will result in either big puddles in the floor or slow growth due to choking off drowning roots; air is super important or just as important as water.

 

[bryan oconner]

some good advice above . there are a lot of opinions about how often to add nutrients some add daily me others weekly . I suggest listen to Richard . great advice .

 

[Indacouch]

I water with my nutrient solution the same as I water with regular water ......if my garden takes let's say 20 gallons to water with normal water nothing added ....il mix up a batch of nutrients in 20 gallons of water on the day I feed .....but how often and how much you feed is different with everyone do to the fact some people gotta water more frequently than others ......a once per week feeding has always done good for me and if I see one of my girls looking hungry il give her a little more some plants/strains like more goodies than others ......that's why I keep a water/feed chart so I don't get confused .....I'd much rather under feed slightly than give to much ......your doing good starting off with less than recommended it's easier to give more than fix a tox issue ....good luck happy growing

 

[Bacala]

Only give your plants what they need to keep the root ball moist but never soaking wet. Pouring more than they need will result in either big puddles in the floor or slow growth due to choking off drowning roots; air is super important or just as important as water.

Definitely don't disagree with the thought behind this and don't mean to be picky, but since the OP is new I think the wording might be a little confusing. You don't have to worry about how much water you give at one time, just how much you give it over a period of time. You can pour 100 gallons through a five gallon pot if you want and everything that isn't needed will run out and you have no problem. But you can cause problems by watering too often. It can be soaking wet after you water, but it can't stay soaking wet.

Which nutes are you using? That's an unusual N-P-K ratio. Hard to say how often because a plant's needs vary due to many factors. Just need to try and get a feel for your plant over time and keep it happy. What does the label suggest? As already mentioned, much better to go with too little rather than too much.

 

[Richard Drysift]

Definitely don't disagree with the thought behind this and don't mean to be picky, but since the OP is new I think the wording might be a little confusing. You don't have to worry about how much water you give at one time, just how much you give it over a period of time. You can pour 100 gallons through a five gallon pot if you want and everything that isn't needed will run out and you have no problem. But you can cause problems by watering too often. It can be soaking wet after you water, but it can't stay soaking wet.

Which nutes are you using? That's an unusual N-P-K ratio. Hard to say how often because a plant's needs vary due to many factors. Just need to try and get a feel for your plant over time and keep it happy. What does the label suggest? As already mentioned, much better to go with too little rather than too much.

Op never mentioned what kind of container they use. Smart pots will just flow excess in the floor but a 5 gal bucket with no drainage holes will just stack up water in the bottom. A feed chart will have you giving them too much usually and they assume you use a hydroponic medium. Just go half strength & feed once weekly. Give more if your plants are light in color. Keep it simple; that's most important.