Like all other plants, cannabis needs water to survive and grow. However, giving your cannabis water isn’t enough unless you do it correctly. That doesn’t mean you need special science to water your plants correctly for optimal functionality. They are constantly growing, and their climatic conditions fluctuate.
This post sheds more light on this sensitive part of growing your feminized cannabis seeds. It explores different dimensions of proper watering plus its benefits. Remain on this page to learn more.
How to Tell If Cannabis Plants Need Watering
Watering your plants properly is impossible if you don’t know how to detect plant “thirst.” Therefore, let’s start by identifying whether your cannabis needs watering. While there are no one-size-fits-all ways of determining when to water cannabis, you can detect a thirsty plant by doing the following:
- Stick a finger 1-2 inches into the soil to determine if it’s wet or not. Wetness means you don’t need to water your plants, while dryness means they require watering right now.
- You may also pick up a pot and evaluate its weight to establish if it requires water. Please note that this method needs some experience. So, lift your pots after watering to feel their weight when full of water. This way, you understand how light, dry plants feel like.
- Underwatered marijuana plants look droopy and weak, with yellow or brown leaves. Their leaves are weak and look lifeless.
After establishing when your plants need water, our growing experts at Askgrowers.com recommend noting how often you water your plants. We also recommend writing everything down in a log to establish a watering schedule.
The Best Watering Time
So, which is the best time to water your plants? The ideal time slightly differs based on various factors. Please note that marijuana plants retain water better at cool, moderate temperatures. In warm seasons, water your plants early in the morning before the sun is hot and high in the sky.
You also need to water your plants late in the evening during sunset. Watering during the day is ideal in cold months because cold water could stress the plants’ root system.
What Determines Water Quantity and Frequency?
How often you water your plants depends on several factors. In most cases, your watering approach will depend on the plant’s growth phase.
Seedling Stage
Once you have planted the best cannabis seeds, water your cannabis twice daily. However, focus on watering frequency over volume.
Vegetative Stage
This development phase requires daily watering, especially if you grow your plants in small pots. If you cultivate your cannabis in large containers, watering every two days is ideal.
Flowering Stage
Flowering cannabis needs water every 2-3 days.
Below are other factors to consider when determining your watering frequency.
- Your region’s climatic conditions.
- The number of sunny days during warm seasons.
- Average humidity.
- Growing method (based on whether you grow your cannabis indoors or outdoors).
- Plant size.
- Outside temperature.
- Overall plant health.
The Correct pH for Watering Cannabis Plants
Determining the accurate pH for watering your plants is critical. Your cannabis plants can optimize water absorption if it’s slightly acidic, at pH values (representing acidity) of about 6.5. You may also use a pH meter to gauge whether your water is overly alkaline or acidic. If it’s too alkaline or acidic, the plant roots won’t be able to absorb nutrients from the cultivating medium. Eventually, plant growth slows down, endangering your yield.
Cannabis Watering Methods
So, after you buy cannabis seeds and plant them, how do you water your plants? This section examines the three main watering techniques for indoor and outdoor cultivation, plus their advantages and disadvantages.
Manual Watering
This method requires using bottles, hoses, watering wands, and watering cans. Its main advantage is that it makes more contact with plants and allows individual treatment. However, its shortcoming is that it takes more time than other methods.
Flood Irrigation
Flood irrigation is where plants absorb water from watering or flooded trays. Its primary benefit is speed. Its disadvantages are uneven water and nutrient distribution.
Automatic Watering
Automatic watering systems are hydroponic or aeroponic, using water tanks, pumps, pipes, and drippers to spread water to plants. Some automatic watering systems have timers, automating them 100%.
Its primary advantage is speed and ease of control. The method’s shortcomings are that it’s expensive and difficult to set up. Also, accurate pH and EC control is mandatory.
Top Benefits of Correct Cannabis Watering
Water is life in its every literal sense. Without it, your cannabis won’t survive, let alone produce any meaningful harvest. Here are the top benefits of watering your plants correctly.
Nutrient Availability
Your cannabis plants need water and food from the soil to survive. The soil where you grow plants contains water and nutrients cannabis can absorb with their roots because water solubilizes the soil nutrients and avails them to plant roots. Thus, water shortage denies your cannabis the necessary nutrients, making them wilt and die.
Transpiration
Watering your plants regularly and correctly helps them handle transpiration or plant sweating. Therefore, regular watering ensures the plants replace the water they lose during breathing.
Easy Photosynthesis
Regular and proper cannabis watering promotes photosynthesis in your plants. Otherwise, they would have no energy to store or use for flowering and growth.
Mechanical Support and Rigid Shape
Sufficient plant watering gives firmness to the plant’s stem and gives it mechanical support. Otherwise, the plant will wilt and lack the necessary mechanical support to stand straight.
Cell Ingredient
Cannabis plant cells and body are 90% water. This huge water percentage clearly shows why watering is essential for your plants’ survival and productivity. So, pay closer attention to it when you choose or buy cannabis seeds for cultivation.
Food Translocation
Lastly, water is necessary for food translocation throughout plants’ bodies. Food translocation means that the food prepared in the leaves moves to different plant parts like roots, flowers, and stems. Water carries these nutrients to ensure the full plant’s health and vitality.
Conclusion
Watering your cannabis is critical for growing healthy plants that will give you desirable yields. However, it isn’t as simple as it seems. The good news is that you can learn everything you need to master how to do it.
Just like you need to pay special attention to the cannabis seeds for sale you buy for growth, failing here means aborting a vital growth process. We hope this post’s insights will help you water your plants correctly.
The article’s author, Denys Svirepchuk, is a cannabis lover, SEO marketing expert, and blogger at AskGrowers. He specializes in writing about cannabis strains, terpenes, and responsible weed usage. He writes reviews on different marijuana products, such as edibles and concentrates. Denys has strong bonds with different cannabis brands.
