Watering Technique - newbie questions...

[D&S Mabel]

Ok, I'm brand new to S/H, having repotted several plants last weekend and the following may seem REALLY dumb but here goes... I did my first regular watering today and found it to be a bit of a pain. I am looking for ways of making it a bit easier in the future so any suggestions are welcome.

All of my plants are on benches measuring 2' x 4' and about 24" off the ground. I would like to be able to water them in place. With this in mind, I am finding it hard to locate the holes in the pots (I am using First Ray's pots with the two holes close together) so that I can block those holes in order to fill the pot during watering, hold the liquid there for a few seconds and then uncover the holes to let it drain down. I figure I can make a mark on the lip of the pot directly above the holes to make them easier to locate, solving that but, what is the best method for actually covering the holes?? Two of my fingers are too big to fit well and one is too small - and, in either case, it seems to works best if I pick up the pot and set it on a taller surface in order to cover the holes with my fingers. To not cover the holes just puts a whole lot of liquid on the ground while trying to fill up the pot.

I was thinking maybe a sponge on a stick or some other arrangement could be used to cover the holes without having to actually move the pots around.

Am I making mountains out of mole hills here? How do you handle this task?

[Gin]

I have a few in s/h and water or Fert. from the top flushing the pot well to remove left over Fert. salts that will in time cause root burn also to remove root debris . Just let the water flow thru the pot ..Gin

[rtsingleton]

I bought an open top watering can that lets the water flow into the S/H pot faster and fills it up before the holes can empty it out. Messy, but effective. (or is it affective?)

[cirillonb]

I am also using firstrays pots and I just pour solution (water or water/fertilizer) very fast so that it fills up then it drains our at its own speed. I do bring them to a sink but that is because I have nowhere for the drainage to go.
Nick

[ChrisJGreen]

I use normal pots and water with a spray bottle every day or so, sometimes leaving gaps in watering of a few days every now and then.

[Ray]

IF you put trays on your benches, add drainage tubes to them to collect the overflow, water becomes very easy.

I am not a big fan of plugging the holes, but it's OK. Some folks put the pots into another one with the holes misaligned, so the outer pot blocks the holes in the inner pot. Remove the outer pot right after filling and allow it to drain.

Have you considered putting the labels on the opposite side to help locate them easier?

[D&S Mabel]

I struggled with is the fertilizing part of the watering. I was mixing the fertilizer in a bucket, transfering it to a watering can and then watering. To do all the plants I have was taking a bit of time - and mixed water and that's when I thought about plugging the holes. It was really just to save me having mix so much food.

What I ended up with - and still not probably the best solution - is a hose end sprayer with a modified tip that acts like a soaker rather then a sprayer. Some of the plants I potted didn't have the greatest root systems and water flooded in under a little bit of pressure tended to move them around in the pot. This is getting to be less of an issue with the roots growing and the modified sprayer tip.

I still hate "wasting" the fertilizer - Dyna-Grow isn't cheap - but the faster pot filling does cut down on the waste.

[Sandy4453]

I have a very tall Dend. nobile recently put in s/h. I don't like picking it up primarily because, it's still not established in the LECA. It sits on an opened, meshed shelf with 2 shelves below it. I put a bucket on the middle shelf, right under the plant and water away. Depending on how fast you're flushing, the water should fill up in the pot without putting your fingers over the holes and will drain till it reaches it's final resting place