SIMON SAYS
If in winter, an outdoor potted plant takes a week
before it needs to be watered again, but in summer
it only takes two days, how much higher should
the EC of the winter nutrient be compared to the
summer nutrient?
Chris
I am going to assume that you are growing the plant outside and
that you don’t live in a climate where the plant would be pretty
frozen and need no water in the winter! Plants are driven by
photosynthesis and most water loss would relate to the volume of
nutrient solution they are extracting from the soil and the amount
of transpiration (water loss) occurring through the leaves.This water loss is why desert plants have many adaptations to reduce water
loss due to transpiration, and why nearly all plants will close their
stomata (gas exchange sites) in periods of extreme heat and or low
water availability.
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Maximum Yield USA | January 2012
In your case the fact that the water uptake of your plant in the winter
is far less than the summer indicates the plant has lower photosynthetic activity levels.This is probably related to the fact the plant is
not getting as much energy from the sun and therefore does not
require as much water and nutrition from the soil.
Given that your plant has slowed its metabolism, the winter feeding
should be much lower. Elevating your nutrients at this time, especially soluble chemical nutrient, would be the worst possible thing to
do and would have very negative consequences. Consider a milder
nutrient solution that you would feed in the summertime. In fact
if growth of the plant slows too much I would avoid adding in any
fertilizer at all.
I think your best option would be to wait until the temperatures
increase and you see an increase in growth, and then apply a quality
fertilizer to help get the most out of your plant next season! MY