need help, can pots be placed in water?

J

jeffius

Active Member
Ok, i have a problem, i am placing my pants in pots and in a sort of swamp, the ground is wet but not covered in water, if i dig a hole and come back in a day the hole will be filled with water.

So, my question is, would i be able to dig a small hole 1-3" deep just to place the pots in or would the small amount of water covering the bottom of the pot drown or kill my plant? i wont be alot of water just enough to cover like an inch or 2 of the bottom of the pot
 
stopcallingmedude

stopcallingmedude

Well-Known Member
bad idea, hoss. you'll get root rot if you allow your plants to sit in water constantly. also, any nutes that you give the plant will be leached out by the water sitting at the bottom of the container. :peace:
 
neMMMM

neMMMM

Well-Known Member
get a bigger bucket, and just put the bigger butcket in the holes, and then the pots in buckets so they can still drain but wont take in any swap water. You might want to consider flooding though, since in bad rain storms you wont want your plants floating down the swamp.
 
KP2

KP2

Well-Known Member
lol.

if the ground is always wet, just cut out the bottom of your buckets/pots, and fill with dirt on the ground. roots will seek out the water, and you'll never have to worry about watering them.

or, yes, you can dig a small basin, the pots can sit in water as long as the soil is not compact (lots of perlite) and there's plenty of soil above the water line. i do seeds by the hundred, and i never water from the top. i just fill the drain trays with nutes, and let them soak it up over the course of a week.
 
J

jeffius

Active Member
thanks guys, really clears some of my questions up :) but i got another question now, what would be the best way to do this, cut the bottom of my pots out and let the root system grow into the ground or, suspend the pots in the bucket. the area they are going is in a forest in a little marshy section, its not a real swamp, it is just a little wet.
 
KP2

KP2

Well-Known Member
i'd let it root to the ground. sounds like a good place for au naturale growing.
 
D

darookie2000

Well-Known Member
Would mixing perlite in make sense? Sorry, I'm a newbie indoor, never done outdoor, but if drainage might be an issue that could help prevent root rot.
 
D

darookie2000

Well-Known Member
Stussy said:
Perlite is always a good idea, I'd go with what KP2 said.
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Ahh, I see that now. I put a pot filled with perlite and a seedling in a rapid rooter into a bowl and put a little water in there when it started to dry out. I guess that's the same principle :)
 
KP2

KP2

Well-Known Member
jeffius said:
thanks guys!, guess im off to get some perlite :) +rep
Click to expand...
50/50 perlite/dirt is a good mix. just remember to water regularly (at least every two days) until roots extend into the wetter soil. after tips are down, the marsh will act as a reservoir, the soil will wick up some of that moisture as well.

good luck! :)
 
OregonMeds

OregonMeds

Well-Known Member
Sounds like an ideal setup for a wick system, a really simple setup that's maintenance free and will keep the plants at the correct moisture level. Google it.

Any other method isn't a very good idea IMHO. Too wet, root rot will soon come if you let the roots reach the swamp directly at all even if they pop out of drainage holes.

You need the wick system to isolate the roots from getting directly into the swamp water but still give the right amount of water to the plant.
 
KP2

KP2

Well-Known Member
OregonMeds said:
Sounds like an ideal setup for a wick system, a really simple setup that's maintenance free and will keep the plants at the correct moisture level. Google it.

Any other method isn't a very good idea IMHO. Too wet, root rot will soon come if you let the roots reach the swamp directly at all even if they pop out of drainage holes.

You need the wick system to isolate the roots from getting directly into the swamp water but still give the right amount of water to the plant.
Click to expand...
that's not true. the roots know where the water line is, and spread horizontally putting feeders down into the "res".

i do batches of 100 seeds at a time, and never water the pots. i just fill a tray full of nutes and let them soak it up for a week. when the pan is nearly dry, i fill it back up. lots of perlite means wick + air, great conditions for good growth.

root rot generally occurs from compacted wet soils that cannot breathe. can be caused by fungus gnats (from overwatering).
 
OregonMeds

OregonMeds

Well-Known Member
Time will tell... I have never tried to grow in a swamp but seen experienced growers time and time again dealing with root rot from experiments gone bad where there wasn't enough oxygen getting to the roots and they sat in evena n inch too much water.

I've not heard of the roots "Knowing" where the water line is, maybe you are right and it's just news to me. I certainly don't know everything, but I do expect a disaster.
 
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KP2

KP2

Well-Known Member
OregonMeds said:
Time will tell... I have never tried to grow in a swamp but seen experienced growers time and time again dealing with root rot from experiments gone bad where there wasn't enough oxygen getting to the roots and they sat in evena n inch too much water.

I've not heard of the roots "Knowing" where the water line is, maybe you are right and it's just news to me. I certainly don't know everything, but I do expect a disaster.
Click to expand...
i agree that many people do have overwatering issues. but, this is almost always caused by compacted soils. if the roots have breathing room, they can be saturated at all times (ie, hydro). however, cheap dirts, manure... these things will get very dense in a matter of weeks if not cut with perlite.
 
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