water Under Watering

[zappa883]

Seems there a lot about the symptoms of over watering. I'm wondering about under watering. The standard of leaves drooping or obvious signs are not hard to detect. What if one knows according to weight that it MUST be dry and yet the plants appear to be in good shape / happy ?

 

[MGOLD86]

I try to go by weight when they are in pots, and I have a cheap-o moisture meter that I use for the in ground ones. Even if they look pretty good, and are super dry (light), I usually water just the same amount as if it were wilted. In my experience, they seem to wilt pretty badly in the next few hours following a really light pot.

Now if it is slightly weighty, and they look good, I will wait another day and feel again. If it wilts, then I water. If it is as light as dry soil, I water. It has worked for me to do it this way instead of putting them on a schedule.

 

[Joseph Stalin]

I was actually thinking of buying a scale and compairing just watered plants weight, and them my wilted plants weight. Too bad im to cheap to buy a scale. I'd love to know. Overwatering and underwatering that been a trouble for me. Using jiffy pellets they dry out so fast and the stem bends, the leaves shrivel up, its terrible. The first time I saw this I'm nearly certain I overwatered due to panic. Now that there in trail cups ( foxfarms while little and normal topsoil when little, see who growsfaster and better) watering has been easier, way easier. I just lift and dig about a half or an inch down and if its dry, i water, if its wet, i water, but only slightly. Currently trying to get them all on the same day, same time watering scale. Not as easy as you would think. Good luck and happy growing!

 

[mrz1988]

Watering before they wilt is fine, especially if you have learned the feel and weight of a dry pot. The important thing is that you have good drainage. A lot of newer growers have poor drainage, over water, or both. A well-draining soil with good drainage holes in its pot will fare much better than one that stays wet, especially indoors. If you let them wilt every time it stresses the plant a bit as well, so if I know they need water I'll just hit them up before the signs come. Of course, if you're looking to grow the hottest pods on the planet, good super-hot genetics coupled with under watering and other stresses is what tends to get the job done.