It's important to water the entire surface of the container. The roots grow quickly and deep...within one ,month your container should be full of roots to the bottom. Once the roots grow enough, they can pull water from deeper in the container. If you don't water the entire container, the roots can't expand into the dry soil. I have never had any problems with over-watering. I grow in 5 or 6 gallon buckets and use
Promix. I have 5-6 holes in the bottom of the buckets to allow any excess water to drain out. I typically water with 1-1.5 gallons of water/daily. I used a
smart pot someone gave me and it seemed to drain out the excess water well, but the soil mix has a LOT to do with water retention.
Promix drains very well, maybe too well sometimes. I add composted manure at about 20% and it supplies the micronutrients and helps to hold a little more water. I should point out that my system isn't hydro, just
Promix in 5-6 gallon buckets and 20-20-20 fertilizer weekly...other setups act a lot different. I sprout from seeds and put them directly in the buckets under 1000W MH lighting...I keep the light about 4 ft above the initial seed level until they go to alternate growth...then its a scramble to keep enough room to allow the light to penetrate. Good luck...FWIW, I agree that the plant needs more water. A lack of overhead light can also cause some strange looking plants with the leaves drooping...the drooping allows them to get as much side lighting as possible, although I don't think that is the case with yours.