KRASCH

If I understand your question correctly, you don't have any drainage holes in your plant containers. You should have holes in the bottom of any container you grow in. Allowing the excess water to drain out of the containers helps keep you from overwatering (you can still overwater even with the drainage holes, just ask me) and keeps the roots from sitting in old water/nutrient solution.

It also allows the flushing water to flow down through the planter, flushing built-up salts out of the soil and off the roots and out through the bottom.

Hope this helps clear up your confusion.


GROW GOOD!

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KidMikeWho

that clears up some of the mess, thank you. But in other words, i fill the 3 gallon buckets up with water 3 times, so it receives 9 gallons. Why doesnt this drown the plants? Do i put in new soil?


sorry guys, it probably doesnt take anyone this long to figure out something that seems more simple than i am thinking.


thanks -mike

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KRASCH

This will put excess water into the plants' bucket, BUT with the drainage holes, it will run out. You should pour the water in only until it reaches the top of the bucket, then stop until the level goes down enough to add some more water.

Rinse and repeat.

Just kidding. Keep topping off the plants until you have run about 8.5 gallons through each bucket. The last 1/2 gallon should be nutrient feeding at the level you are currently using. You should then allow them to drain until water stops dripping out the drain holes in the bottom.

This action will make the plants temporarily look "wilty", but they will recover very rapidly. The drain holes prevents water from standing in the bucket.

This approximates a heavy rain storm as far as the plants are concerned. In the great outdoors, rain will wash accumulated salts from the root system and wash them down into the soil, away from the plants. Rain water also contains dissolved oxygen and nitrogen which the plants greedily suck-up.

They will only drown if the water has nowhere to go.

Hope this helps.

GROW GOOD!!

__________________
There is an art, it says, or rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground - and miss.
- Douglas Adams -

KidMikeWho

I understand now, thank you all. Since you all have taught me this, i feel now it is time for me to use the ferts, i know that the ones i have are high in nitrogen approx 23-11-17, do you think this will be ok, since its all that we have at the moment. We are in our 3rd week of flowering. THe fert is called "Rapid Grow."


whats your opinions. -thanks again.


peace -mike

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"Music, so strong, so powerful, yet when it hits you, you feel no pain."
-Bob Marley