Quote Originally Posted by emilya
...two things popped out at me that I would not have done, and I wonder if it will cause problems for you in the future.

The first is your kitty litter tubs. I considered using those tubs myself because an aunt has lots of cats and seems to go through a lot of these tubs, but why no drain holes in the bottom of them? I realize it must be easier to transport them this way, but I am worried that stale water in the bottom of the tub will eventually cause root rot. You may be keeping this from happening now with your natural experience telling you how much water to add and when, but I am afraid that this is going to eventually cause you troubles as the water needs change. You have read my grow log and see how I use the point of runoff to determine the water needs of my plants. Also, I know that later there is a need to flush the plants if giving nutrients, and of course this is not going to work with a sealed tub. One could fix this pretty quickly with a large drill I would think but then you are going to have to collect the drainage somehow.
You're correct, it's easier to transport the buckets without water dripping out the bottom, not to mention lower risk of water leaking into the carpet. And you're also correct that not having a built-in drain raises the potential for root problems and complicates flushing and transplanting. That said, I don't overwater my plants...a half-cup of water every day or every other day isn't going to accumulate much in the bottom of a pot with 3 gallons of dirt in it. Besides, that's "compost tea" draining out of the bottom of the pot when one adds enough water for it to run out the bottom! Why steal nutrients from your plants?

Plants really need only enough water to drink in a few minutes, which they use for growth and transpiration. More than that can suffocate the roots...or if it doesn't, it doesn't do them any good. My dad, who owned and operated a retail greenhouse for the last 20 years of his working life, was fond of saying that drain holes are for lazy people who can't control themselves to give their plants the correct amount of water. Don't take my word for the technique, though, if you search the archives for "The Sealed Room" you will find a very successful grow log from someone who uses this very technique to great success.

Moreover, I don't transplant more than absolutely needed. My clones went straight into their final buckets directly from having a half-dozen roots poking out of a rockwool cube, and never having seen soil. Done correctly, I concede that transplanting doen't set plants back any appreciable amount. I just dont think it's required, so don't do it more than needed. I'm on what I like to call the 90-10 plan...I get 90% of the results of fully optimized growth with 10% of the effort.

In the end we'll see how well my veggie growing habits transfer to mmj.

The other is your RO water. I think in every case I have seen someone using pure water, I have seen along with it suggestions to use Cal-Mag to add necessary nutrients back into the mix. Calcium, magnesium, iron, and, trace minerals deficiencies can be avoided this way. Now It may be that since you are also using well water that you may be getting these nutrients from there. If it were me, I would be familiar with how these deficiencies present as problems in your plants and be ready to act on it. I do think that it is easier to prevent than to cure however.
Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough in my previous post...I only routinely give my plants RO water for a few days after transplanting. After that I give them unfiltered well water for all waterings and feedings. I haven't had the county do a Title 22 test on my well water for mineral content, so I may have that done so I know from now on exactly what I'm dealing with.

Cheers!