When watering plants, will the nutrients hurt the plants leaves if they get wet?

[UberMensch]

Definitely a Newbie kind of question...but not sure how else I'm gonna know unless I ask. When the plants were very small it was easy to water without getting the plants wet, as they have gotten bigger, keeping them dry is more of a challenge. Will the nutrient solution hurt the plant leaves as they dry under the lights?

Thanks in advance...

 

[No3odiesShad0w]

I don't think it should but I'm trying to find a decent answer for this question as well. Because I've read in a couple of places that you could add like a drop of nutrients to a spray bottle and just spray the leaves and they'll absorb some of the nutrients that way... But you can't put a lot otherwise you might burn the leaves It's literally like a drop for like a quarter gallon..... Don't quote me on it because I'm still trying to find an answer for this.

I keep having calcium magnesium problems and with the soil I'm using I can't exactly add just about anything to it I have to be careful otherwise it'll mess up the pH. I'm trying to find out if I could put the cal mag in a spray bottle and like once or twice a week spray the leaves and hopefully they'll get the nutrients that way

 

[Fjeff]

I have gotten nutrient water on the leaves and it will damage them.

 

[UberMensch]

Thanks No3odiesShad0w for confirming that at least someone else has wondered about this.

I suspect that it is not much of a problem, otherwise I think I would have seen it mentioned somewhere during all of the reading I have done. My fall back plan will simply be to spray the plant off with plain water after feeding them nutrients until I have a better education on this!

 

[No3odiesShad0w]

Yeah if you worry that the nutrients are concentrated you could definitely spray them with some water to rinse it off. Better safe than sorry honestly.

 

[UberMensch]

Thanks @Fjeff...I didn't see your response until just now. I will definitely continue to try to avoid getting the nutrients on the leaves, and will probably spray them off just to be safe.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hi UberMensch,

As I'm a retired auto mechanic, (among other things), I use what's called a transmission funnel to feed the plants, you can get it at any auto parts store for $5
Simply point and pour, I move it around as the water comes out so as to distribute the water around the plant.

Also, I keep a spray bottle of water handy and give them a healthy washing after each feeding, just in case, besides, I like to let the leaves get a little moisture every few days,

Just my 2 cents...

 

[UberMensch]

GrumpyOldMan - Thank you sir! That sounds like a pretty clever solution for applying water to a hard-to-reach pot at the rear of the grow tent. I will definitely keep this in mind.

 

[Ckbrew]

If the nutrients are high dose it may cause some burn. Also water droplets can act as a lens and cause light burn in the pattern of the liquid and this sometimes mimics insect damage. More common outdoors but still can happen indoors. In my situation I do everything I can to reduce humidity so spraying liquid on the leaves is out for me. To much dampness on the leaves leads to mold. That's why I run all the fans, keep the air moving to reduce moisture on the leaves. I think some people in a very dry areas may spray the leaves.

I use this as a funnel. 1.5 inch pvc about 1m long, a street 45, and a 1.5 to 3 adapter. I can guide it through the branches to the pot anywhere in the tent from the front.

 

[Rwise]

I mix it up and spray the girls with it, getting most on the under side of the leave. Yep I do foliar feeding, but dont do it with your lights on, the droplets act like a magnifying glasses and burn spots on your leaves. Also only in veg, never in flower it can induce bud rot.

 

[UberMensch]

Wow! Some great ideas were shared on this topic.
Ckbrew - I REALLY like your setup. I had to use a street 90 to solve a plumbing problem on my conversion van...I'm surprised that I didn't think of it for this application, I will definitely construct one of these.
Rwise - Thanks for confirming what I thought could happen with nutrients burn under the lights. I really think this won't be much of a problem once the plants get bigger...but for now it is definitely a concern.