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Trying to understand watering symptoms

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Trying to understand watering symptoms

GhostRR 21 Replies 2,450 Views
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GhostRR

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Hi

I am confused bc I have a plant that just started flowering and while the pot was on the heavier side there were signs of underwatering and possibly overwatering although I might be misreading something.

Basically the leaves were droopy and the stems were droopy which I believe means it needs water. The leaves looked puffy though so that confused me to.

Anyway, I decide to give some water and now she looks happy and perky.

What I don't understand is how she needed water when she was still relatively heavy. 3gal fab pot. I was thinking that maybe there is an o2 issue.

This generally confuses me bc they say to let pot dry out completely but also don't let soil get completely dry. Soil can turn hydrophobic i heard.

Some places say to water when top inch of soil is dry. Am I the only one whose experience says this will cause overwatering??


I guess the summary of this post is that I still have no clue when to water.

The pot was not light but leaves and stems were droopy showing it needed water.
 

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Your roots may be bound to the center of the pot.
 
Your roots may be bound to the center of the pot.

Actually I meant to write that originally as this was also a suspicion of mine.

If this is this case, how does that happen and what to do now about it?
 
Actually I meant to write that originally as this was also a suspicion of mine.

If this is this case, how does that happen and what to do now about it?
Soil settled or was tapped down to much. Roots feel it like a wall and stay within limiting growth.
Only way to solve is to transplant and break up the root up. It may stress the plant for a minute but after a few days you will have vigorous growth.
 
Soil settled or was tapped down to much. Roots feel it like a wall and stay within limiting growth.
Only way to solve is to transplant and break up the root up. It may stress the plant for a minute but after a few days you will have vigorous growth.

Would that be smart as im at the end of the first week of flower?
 
Your plant looks super healthy. I have had plants droop that much simply from circadian rhythm of their night/day cycles. Would make more sense since you have good vigorous growth, I bet your roots are doing great.
 
Watering tip- Always wait for a dry back. Feel the top of your soil and about an inch down. Lift your pot and get use to its weight. When you complete a dry back, always water slowly until you get run off. If you feel like you have overwatered, get a fan and blow it against your fabric pot until your next dry back and water properly. It is possible you are mistaking normal drooping and watering when it is not needed.
 
A good way to find out what's going on is poke around in the dirt with a moisture probe and you'll see where your water pocket is.
Your plant looks super healthy. I have had plants droop that much simply from circadian rhythm of their night/day cycles. Would make more sense since you have good vigorous growth, I bet your roots are doing great.

Ah yes, the transpiration huff and puff. The stomata on the leaves open and close to take in CO2 and release oxygen during photosynthesis, and then they reverse in the dark taking oxygen isn and releasing CO2.
 
Watering tip- Always wait for a dry back. Feel the top of your soil and about an inch down. Lift your pot and get use to its weight. When you complete a dry back, always water slowly until you get run off. If you feel like you have overwatered, get a fan and blow it against your fabric pot until your next dry back and water properly. It is possible you are mistaking normal drooping and watering when it is not needed.

Actually you can even screw up doing this without much adverse effect by proper water placement, so it's even more detrimental to incorporate. Proper placement with a small plant in a large pot is to introduce water into the soil at the drip line, and with an established plant introduce it at the outside edges of the dirt. With cloth bags the water will drip out of the fabric and an equal amount wickers inward. Since cloth bags have side aeration it's even more important because that's where it will dry up faster.
 
A good way to find out what's going on is poke around in the dirt with a moisture probe and you'll see where your water pocket is.


Ah yes, the transpiration huff and puff. The stomata on the leaves open and close to take in CO2 and release oxygen during photosynthesis, and then they reverse in the dark taking oxygen isn and releasing CO2.
I was very curious also coz mine were doing the same and understanding now they go into this photosynthesis period. by next morning as long as there is enough moister in the soil they will perk up i'm guessing mine are like this
 

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I was very curious also coz mine were doing the same and understanding now they go into this photosynthesis period. by next morning as long as there is enough moister in the soil they will perk up i'm guessing mine are like this
Waay too wet.
 
I put my finger bout 1 1/2 deep and seems to be barely moist hmmmm confused
That’s honestly not a great metric to use you wanna go by pot weight every single time imagine you’re the amount of dirt in your solo cup is Styrofoam OK that’s how the light you want to feel before you water it again
 
That’s honestly not a great metric to use you wanna go by pot weight every single time imagine you’re the amount of dirt in your solo cup is Styrofoam OK that’s how the light you want to feel before you water it again
Interesting i think for me it’s hard to gauge so I will get a little scale to figure it out I don’t want root fungus
 
Interesting i think for me it’s hard to gauge so I will get a little scale to figure it out I don’t want root fungus
Those don’t work either man I would just increase airflow and wait like every three or four days before you water again I wouldn’t overthink it man understanding a proper wet dry cycle is a fundamental part of growing anything
 
Those don’t work either man I would just increase airflow and wait like every three or four days before you water again I wouldn’t overthink it man understanding a proper wet dry cycle is a fundamental part of growing anything
Also a plant that size won’t ever get anything close to a disease resembling fusarium or root rot what will happen is is it will die from something called dampening which is basically just a suffocation of the route zone before it has a chance to propagate any real growth above the soil
 
Over and under water looks simular, if soil is dark or looks wet do not water untilit begins to dry. If the soil looks dry, then water the plant using 10% _ 5% of volume of pot. The soil should change color from dark (wet)to light( dry) between waterings. Happy growing.
 
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