How Often Should I be Watering My Cannabis Plants?
Water is essential for life. Water can be taken by roots and includes dissolved nutrients.
When a cannabis plant is watered, nutrients are transported to the leaves and circulated throughout the entire plant.
The cells are filled, which makes the plant stand up upright.
You likely have some questions that you want to ask if this is your first time growing cannabis plants on your own.
There are several variables that will influence this, and today we’ll focus on the most crucial ones.
How Frequently Do I Need to Water Indoor Weed Plants?
You should be aware that watering weed plants is by no means an exact science, especially when it comes to quantity and frequency.
Some cannabis plants can require daily watering, while others might only require it every 2, 3, or 4 days.
The point here is that a number of variables can impact how frequently weed plants need to be watered, so let’s discuss each of these immediately.
Schedule For Watering Cannabis: Influencing Factors
Let’s take a deeper look at each of the six primary elements that, generally speaking, will influence how frequently your cannabis plants need to be watered.
- Size and Growth Stage of the Plant
The size of the plant and the stage of growth it is in are two of the first things to consider when determining how frequently to water your weed plants.
For instance, a newborn seedling has a little root system, isn’t very big, and doesn’t need a lot of water, therefore watering it every two days or even every three days should be plenty.
- The Planting Medium Being Used
The type of media you have your weed plants planted in is another important consideration that will affect how frequently you need to water them.
Given that container plants prefer growing media that are rather fluffy and have adequate drainage, there is a bit of a trade-off to be aware of in this situation.
Since fungus, mold, and root rot can all develop in soil that retains water for an excessively long time and never dries out, even slightly, it is crucial to have proper drainage. These conditions can seriously harm your weed plants.
On the other hand, extremely light and fluffy soils and growing media do retain water for a longer period of time.
Combining rich, high-quality potting soil with some pearlite and coco coir for drainage is a fantastic option (if you need some good suggestions, then check out this article).
If you do, it’s likely that watering your weed plants every two days will be sufficient. Just keep in mind that you require a healthy balance between water retention and drainage.
- Temperature, Humidity, & Light Intensity
The temperature, humidity, and light intensity of the grow room, as well as other elements, will all have an impact on how frequently your cannabis plants need to be watered.
The weed plants will require more water and grow more quickly the stronger your lights are. Moreover, warmer grow rooms are typically a result of brighter lights.
The idea is that the hotter it is, the more water the weed plants will require. There are other elements that can alter grow room temperature.
- The Overall Health Of The Weed Plants
The overall health of the cannabis plants is a different aspect to consider in this situation. Very healthy plants will expand quickly and require more water as a result.
A sick plant that is growing slowly or stunted will need a lot less water.
- Ventilation & Airflow
How well-ventilated and what sort of airflow you have in the grow room are other factors that affect how frequently your cannabis plants need to be watered.
Although it’s not always true, it stands to reason that if your growth space is well-ventilated and has a lot of air flows, a lot of moisture will be lost owing to that breeze, necessitating more frequent watering for your pot plants.
Remember that your growth space’s general airflow will also influence the temperature and humidity levels, which will, as we discussed previously in this post, determine how frequently your cannabis plants need to be watered.
Telling If Your Cannabis Plants Need Watering
Although we have a whole post on the subject that explains whether your cannabis plants require water or not, it is still vital to note, so let’s simply give a quick summary here.
There are a few simple techniques to determine whether your potted plants are thirsty.
Soil
Does the soil hold to your fingers, or is it completely dry? If the top inch of soil is dry when you stick your finger into it, the potted plants probably need some water.
You should hold off on watering them if the soil is really wet, even to the point where your fingers are adhering to them.
Plant Look
How do the actual plants themselves appear? The majority of the time, shriveling, brown, and dry leaves are a very good sign that your cannabis plants aren’t getting enough water.
What Kind Of Water Is Best For Weed Plants?
You do have a few options available when it comes to the best water for weed plants, and which one is best will mostly rely on your needs.
Now, many may argue that distilled water is preferable because it has been purified of all impurities. This also means that it doesn’t have any nutrients at all for your plants. However, if you add nutrients and require precise control over what your plants receive, this may be a good thing.
The next option is rainwater, which is absolutely free and may be collected. However, you should verify the pH level of the water because pollution does alter the chemical composition of water. However, normal tap water is one of the better alternatives.
Just bear in mind that, if you are in a city or have access to public water, you will need to take the necessary precautions to ensure that the water you provide to your weed plants does not include fluoride or chlorine.
Overwatering
Overwatering your plants is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, usually made by novice growers.
The roots get way too wet, and they can no longer absorb oxygen, and they’ll eventually die off.
Consequences of overwatering are yellow leaves that fall off, and sometimes leaves that aren’t yellow will fall off. The leaves will start to wilt, just like in case of under-watering.
But if you just watered your plants, and you have wilting leaves shortly after, it’s definitely not from under-watering…
Prevent overwatering by getting a good feel for your plants and by feeling and weighing your plants every day in the beginning.
Conclusion: How Often Should I be Watering My Cannabis Plants?
All things considered, as you can see, there are a few distinct variables that will decide how frequently your weed plants need to be watered as well as a number of techniques to know if they do or not.
Just keep in mind that both insufficient and excessive watering can have very negative effects.
If you want to learn more about how to grow your plants, you can schedule a consultation with one of our Master Growers. Just click here and set your appointment.
