Watering cannabis under the flowerpot itself is a technique that can come in really handy when planting certain kinds of plants or if you’ve planted a large amount of cannabis plants and you don’t want to have to be watering them every day and having to move them all around.
The substrate that you use for your cannabis plants is a porous material, meaning that if the water reaches it through the bottom rather than the top, it will still all be absorbed through the bottom and go up through the substrate making for a balanced humidity level. The bad thing about this system is that you need to keep an eye on how much you’re watering, because if you go too far and water too much you can easily end up rotting the roots and ruin the whole grow.
Cannabis plants tend to grow most of their roots around the edges and the bottom of the flowerpot, which is exactly where it will get humid first, and where most of the water will sit, so your plants will have quick access to water and nutrients as soon as you water them.
One of the advantages of using this system is that it avoids salts accumulating in the soil as much as they do when you water from above. If you water them too much you could actually cause the reverse effect; you might end up soaking them and drowning the roots. You need to use just the right amount of water for a couple of days, and if the plants aren’t soaking the water up then don’t insist on watering even more.
It’s important that if you’re going to grow in this system you should do some tests to see if it works, and especially some tests after the first under-pot watering to make sure it needs water – lift the pots up a little bit and see if they need more water before continuing with the waterings, as you can easily soak them which can lead to heavy root rot. It works rather well when you plant clones in their flowering pots – this kind of watering stimulates root growth downwards and you won’t have to worry about over-watering the top of the pot and causing dwarfism. To ensure that it works properly you should put your flowerpots on an expanded clay base so that it can soften the humidity levels a bit.
A good way to not water them too much is to use a certain amount per plant so that they practically dry up the next day – this way you know exactly how much they’re drinking and how fast. You can slowly raise the dosage as you notice the water disappearing faster. Keep in mind that not all cannabis strains are the same, and even plants within the same strain are the same, so you might find yourself with a plant or two that simply doesn’t agree with this system and doesn’t like it.
You can do this in various different ways; with plates, with trays or with water resistant plastic. You can use plates in small grow tents or small grow rooms in general. If your grow gets any bigger then you should use trays, as you can fill 9 to 16 plants at once just by filling the tray up a little bit. If your grow is really big you can use the plastic paper to act as a sort of pond for your plants.
The trick to this system is doing it little by little until you finally figure out just the right amount to give your plants; it seems easy but this system is generally done by professionals. It tends to be done in large commercial grows that produce cannabis for associations, clubs, dispensaries and coffee shops. Go ahead and get practicing with your plants and you’ll master this technique in no time!
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Author: Javier Chinesta
Translation: Ciara Murphy
