Need watering ideas

[nouvellechef]

Yeah. It dont need to be big $ soil. Roots and FF run about $9 a cf. Pro mix runs about $5 a cf. you only need the base medium. You can get peat bales at the depot, some lilly miller soil sweet lime for prob around $2 a cf.

 

[ston-loc]

More great info and ideas. Just out of quick info if known, how mUch soil would fill a 33gallon? Cf wise? Ill do the math. Just if you know off the top of your head...
Not sure what I'll do yet, but the brains a thinkin

 

[nvthis]

I know this sounds like a weird question, but are the pots actually drying out during the day? If it is really hot where you are, or maybe the sun is reflecting off the side of your house or whatever, the plant may droop even in a wet pot...

 

[ston-loc]

Soil is bone dry in the pots

 

[drfting07]

You need 33 gallons, which equates to just under 5 CF. Each 3.8cf bag of promix is $30 at my supplier and expands to ~7 CF. There are ~7 gallons per cf, soooo...... 7cf x 7gallons per cf equals ~50 gallons per bag. add 1 cup dolomitic lime per cubic foot of pro-mix or 7 cups per bag.

I also use mushroom compost in my mix to add to the beneficial microbes. Wet down well with water, ( i add molasses as well, @ 1Tbl per gallon) and mix throughly. I use the mix after a week or so, so the dolomitic lime is activated and my PH is stable.

 

[drfting07]

Spearchucker is right, i bet it will lower the temperature of the root ball by ten degrees or more. Good cheap idea.

Ive done this and it seems to help. I water about once a week, maybe twice if its been especially dry and hot. Haven't once dealt with droopy plants.

 

[nouvellechef]

7.4gal in cf. Your not far off drifting Dont forget to subtract the rootball that will go into the new pot. Thats close too 25% of total volume in a 33gal. But like I said in a PM to Ston. Black, tall, above ground cans can present some major problems. For the same cost at $12. A 70gal baby pool at toys R Us is a much much better choice. Then just the peat bales and some super sweet fine grade lime from the depot and your set. Total cost for 3 baby pools and enough medium too fill it, would be less than $150. Thats a deal for what those monsters will yield.

 

[orangesunshine]

morning NC what am i missing---a baby pool is only about 2' deep---are you talking about keeping the existing buckets and a wick set up

 

[drfting07]

A wick idea is a good one too. Good tip Orange.

Hoping i wont have to deal with this, but come july or august im going to. Heres to finding a solution stone, because what works for you i will be doing!

 

[nouvellechef]

The 70gal pools are 12" deep and 4x4 across. You take plant put of bucket, set down in medium, bang rootball to loosen up and top off baby pool. My dad uses the pools and has the same ones for like 7 years. He grows plants in them the size of a large SUV. He trellis them with 4 cynder blocks, 4x4 posts and camo snow fencing.

 

[orangesunshine]

sorry---a bit stoned and slow here---what exactly are you topping the 70 gal baby pool with---and trellis with cinder blocks----whaaaaaat

 

[nouvellechef]

Topping off with just whatever medium. Cynder block in 10x10 square, one in each corner. Then heavy duty staples to hold the netting tight to each 4x4 post in the blocks. A monster scrog basically.

 

[orangesunshine]

the monster scrog sounds awesome---as usual thanks for the edumacation

 

[4u2sm0ke]

:ciao: ston-loc


Great info up in here...let me throw my .02

As I agree with placing pots/containers in a hole to cool root mass...But this WONT help with the rootbound..A few years back i had a 5 gallon bucket grow outback and she got RB by july..and was pretty big at the time ..I was affraid I couldnt get her out the bucket...So what Did ole 4u do????.....I cut the bucket bottom off and placed the exposed roots in the new container..Which happen to be a 32g garbage can...mojo for you my friend

:48:

 

[ston-loc]

Ok, so numbers wise, I'm confused. A 3.8cf bag of promix expands and is actually 7cf of soil?

So I bought these today. 30gallon totes. Lower than the 33 trash cans to keep my height down. So I've never messed with mixing soil, and peat bales, etc. What general mix would you recommend for me with these 30gal totes? Promix and added lime I get. Where do peat bales come in? What are peat bales even? Haha.

Didn't have the time to stop at the depot today, but plan to tomorrow. Got home today, and the girls are all droopy already again. Gotta get this worked out ASAP! Thanks for all the great input everyone!

 

[Rosebud]

Peat moss that come in bales. It comes in big bags too.

 

[nouvellechef]

Drill lots of holes everywhere. Peat bales are stocked at the Depot this time of year outside on racks. Yes they expand to 7cf or so. The manf is "premiere". Same manf of Pro-mix. Just without the lime and myco. So just add in the lime mix good and wet it down. It really is best to wait a couple weeks at this point. But your short on time. So plant away. Doubt you will run into any probs.

 

[ston-loc]

Awesome thanks.

 

[Rosebud]

Get that peat really mixed in well. It is like watering powder, but eventually it incorporates into the mix. You can do this ston'.

 

[ston-loc]

Alrighty,,, plan made. 112cf of peat moss. Not sure the size the lime is sold in, but from what you are saying I need 112 cups. Anything else beneficial I should add at this point?

Now with this being the plan, back to watering. My tap water is in the low 7's when I PH test it. With these 5 and 7 gallon pots, I've been giving 1 1/2-2 gallons of ph adjusted water daily. When having 30 gallon pots, how much water do you big container growers give? And how often? Roughly, obviously. I mean, do you wait for the entire container to seem almost dry? Like same basic status quo of smaller containers?