Is there anything to be gained by letting things dry to the point of mild wilt from time to time?
If so, how often should they be allowed to dry to the extreme, and do you continue the practice into the flowering cycle?
Thanks

its ok to let them get a lil dry i do but not to dry. i never really use a wet dry cycle i just water. the point to letting them dry out is so that the roots search for water and to help prevent root rot. but ... if growing in organic soil you do not let the medium get dry dry or you are basically killing off the microbes. plants use water to continue their photosynthesis. if the plant is not using water then it will grow slower and i honestly believe that you will create probs if you dont keep the medium at least moist. bone dry to me is a scary thought.
oh and for flower MOIST ALL THE TIME when they flower they will use more water....bud production.

I have done this in veg before as well, many many years ago. It was supposed to provide a 'burst' of green growth when you fed (after water only when dry). I don't think I ever surpassed (or even reached) the plants full potential using this method.

I personally think it stresses the plant out to let them dry to the point of wilt, and the practice could introduce new problems into the grow room unnecessarily (hermies, bug infestations, etc). I tend to garden now as dank_one has indicated, keeping the medium moist and would not recommend letting the plants ever wilt if you can help it.

Good luck!

Thanks guys.
I don't intentionally let them go to the point of wilt, sometimes I just don't get to tend the garden for a day or 2. Not so much of an issue in the cooler months when the grow room is never warmer than 75. At this time of year, when the temp is never below 80, the watering interval becomes every couple to every other day. Missing a visit is noticeable - not full on wilt, but the huge fan leaves at the nodes become droopy, letting me know I'm late and they're pissed.

My mentor (who left CC long ago), told me about the practice and I made a note. The note was also made a long time ago, and reads rather cryptically now. lol
I finally got in touch with him and asked him to refresh my memory.That's pretty much what the Rev told me, too.
Said he gave up the practice of letting them dry til the containers feel feather light when you pick them up, and opted to go with a moisture probe to get a better handle on it.

As far as the invitation of infestation and disease, I'm not too worried because I'm sorta anal about cleanliness in general. My garden isn't hepa filtered, but has never experienced a fungal invasion. The only insects I've ever seen were the occasional fungus gnats that hitch a ride as eggs in the organics, but since I began routinely inoculating the mix with beneficial nematodes, I've seen nada.

He went on to say that from his observations, occasional exposure to drought is typically a good thing in the end, particularly when breeding, because parental exposure and adaptability to drought imparts drought resistance to the offspring.

Culling a bit of the microherd, he says, also tends to be a good thing....watering with organic tea and molasses feeds the surviving microherd, at the same time replenishing and diversifying the microbial population.
The dead microherd represent plant nutrients which are locked up, and food for scavenger species in the mix. As the dead microherd are digested, the plant nutrients are released back into the root zone. ....allowing the grower to use less fertilizer.
...always water twice. Once with plain pH adjusted water, allow draining time, then repeat with pH adjusted tea/molasses.

He also swears it improves potency a bit.
But does the perceived increase in potency come from adaptation to stress exposure, or is it the result of a very healthy and diverse microbial population in the root matrix which allows the plant to come closer to its genetic potential?
I personally think it's the latter.

I have also heard letting them dry out at harvest, plus lowering temps and rh% are key to increasing flavours, potency and bud density. I only wish I had that level of environmental control right now, both of my grow rooms are a work in progress

I may try this (letting one dry out extra) with one out of my next harvest to see if there is any noticeable difference for kicks.

As for the why...


The healthy root zone is critical in flower for sure, but I believe the dryness at the end would effectively kill the microbial populations for the most part. I think the combination of colder temps, lower rh% and dryness would make sense to send the plant into protection mode of its' most valuable resource - seeds. Least that's my thinking.

Once my rooms are up to full speed, I will def. experiment with these environmental factors.

Haley,

I have read on many sites that the herb should go from wet to visibly dry..I have never felt comfortable with that even though I have let it happen. In fact, I have been reprimanded in so many words for watering too much. I was told ( and have read) that moist soil will cause root rot.

I believe I shall up my watering schedule. BTW, I don't find a water prob to be that accurate. Probably need a newer one

Anyway, the reason for my note:

...always water twice. Once with plain pH adjusted water, allow draining time, then repeat with pH adjusted tea/molasses.


I use organics fertilizers (I used to own an organic lawn care company) and I have understood that you don't just feet with the fertilizer at the proper rate...that you combine it with water..so, I dilute it down to 1:4 or about 25% of the water I put on a plant. So it sounds like I should be putting my water on first..then my fertilizer ?

Since I use organic, the 3 numbers are fairly low..what I don't understand is how little the plants can actually take before showing signs of over feeding.

I also use a botanical foliar spray that in essence, is natures pesticide (rated at 4-1-1) and a ratio of 1:200 which adds extra nutes....and keeps the bugs off.

For the micronutes, etc..we have an open source for what that comes off a local mounting..btw, there isn't farming there..many use it for drinking..but the plants seem to like it over the RO water that you can buy.

Wet/dry means something totally different from the grower to the plant. A plant that has hit the wilt has already done some damage to the roots. Even before wilt, damage can occur when you have pockets of dry medium or low o2 concentrations.

A true wet/dry cycle to the plant isn't dry at all, we precieve it that way and can cause harm in the worst case or at least slow them down to re-grow the fine roots over again. In either cas not good for us.

If you watch you plants they will actually show you when to water in a wet/dry cycle. I think this is the droop you talk about, every strain will be a little different.

Its been my findings that going too far with the dry part of the wet/dry cycle only slows the cycle down.

Its a good practice but needs to be carefully done

IMO

I tend to withhold the last watering before harvest...the plants go 2 to 3 days longer than they should. But that's mostly because I think it shortens the hang time.
Lower temps and RH definitely go a long way toward potency and bud density as well as aesthetics like aroma, flavor, color. I don't have the ability to tailor the environmentals either, so there is night/day difference between my summer crops and my winter crops.Yeah.
Applying water/fertilizer to [comparatively] dry roots has been known to burn them. It's not very likely with a quarter strength low NPK organic fert, and fairly likely with a full strength synthetic 10-10-10 to 20-20-20 industrial strength soil killer. We organic growers know that you don't need heavy duty fertilizer if the soil is alive.

So mostly, the first watering gets the root zone evenly moist, eliminating dry pockets.Oh, how true. With this latest incident, I picked up the pots to gauge the weight, and they weren't all that much lighter than they are right after watering. That gauge probably works best with small plants that are just getting established.I think this is the main thing holding my new room back. I need to give them more water.I always interpret the droop to mean - water us NOW! Where the hell were you yesterday? I think I'm going to get a moisture probe so I can get a better handle on the watering interval.

Establishing a healthy wet/dry cycle is, imo, one of the most important parts of the entire grow process. Sir G explained it far better than I could, so if you have not read his post, please take a moment now and do so. I'll wait....

I was taught this by a many years ago by a greenhouse guru : when watering it is best to saturate the soil to the point runoff is produced. Use the weight of the pot/plant/water to determine when saturation is reached. This may take a little getting used to, but once you have this down, your watering woes are over! Ok, now that the plant is sitting in wet soil, leave it alone. Check daily by gently lifting the pot. Do not water again till its weight tells you it's time. Common sense should tell you not to let the soil become 'dry', watch for drooping etc.

By watering this way roots are stimulated to grow as the excess water is used or evaporates. As water evaporates from the top down, roots reach further towards the moisture at the lower levels of your pots. The 'trick' is to
put off watering until just before the media becomes too dry.

Another caveat: do not throw ferts onto dry soil.

Hope this helps someone.