Over or under watering issue

[ChasinTrichomez]

So the pictures are two different plants one in a solo cup one and a 10 gallon fabric pot that I just transplanted this morning I’m using my own mix of soil started them in basic potting soil and now flipping them too. They’re super soil 10 gallon pots the one in the 10 gallon I just transplanted like I said so I know shes a little unhappy for the transplanting, but she looked basically similar to how she looks now in the 10 gallon before I transplanted that’s why I did do that because I didn’t know if it just needed a bigger pot it was root bound, but when I took her out of the cup, the roots touched the bottom of the cup, but they just started too, so it was good so I’m leaving the other one in the cup to see if I can figure out the watering issue but just can’t tell if it’s over under I didn’t water them for like a day and a half or two days then just gave more water and it looks like it got worse why I think it is Overwatered mainly opinions would be nice.

 

[compostmike]

That looks more like a root zone/oxygen issue than true underwatering to me. When they get worse after a drink, the plant is usually saying the roots are already sitting in a zone that’s staying too wet or too dense, not that it needed more.

Solo cups can fool you because the top dries while the bottom is still wet. Same with moving a little root ball into a big 10 gal of active soil, the plant doesn’t have enough root mass yet to work that whole volume, so the wet zone can just sit there. Roots need air just as much as water, and in living/super soil the biology also slows down when the pore space stays saturated.

I’d quit trying to “fix” it for a bit and just observe weight and recovery. Don’t judge the top half inch only. Lift the cup/pot, feel how heavy it is, and let the plant tell you when the root zone is breathing again. The transplant one may sulk anyway, but the fact she looked similar before transplant makes me think watering rhythm/medium structure started it before the move.

Does that solo cup have plenty of drainage holes, including low on the sides/bottom? And is that basic potting soil one of the moisture-control types? Those can stay wetter than they look.

 

[Gmix]

Also looks like your spot watering
Like a trickle.
That won’t do anything
You need to fully water then let dry rinse & repeat
Poke your finger in the cup is the bottom still moist or dry
Get used to the weight of a dry cup vs a wet one
Or
Use a empty cup that has nothing in it bar soil ( so your not messing around with the plant )
fill it with dry soil weight it on some scales
Then water it properly & weight that
Take notes
It’s not the best answer however if you’re struggling to get used to watering if will give you some idea.

 

[ChasinTrichomez]

That looks more like a root zone/oxygen issue than true underwatering to me. When they get worse after a drink, the plant is usually saying the roots are already sitting in a zone that’s staying too wet or too dense, not that it needed more.

Solo cups can fool you because the top dries while the bottom is still wet. Same with moving a little root ball into a big 10 gal of active soil, the plant doesn’t have enough root mass yet to work that whole volume, so the wet zone can just sit there. Roots need air just as much as water, and in living/super soil the biology also slows down when the pore space stays saturated.

I’d quit trying to “fix” it for a bit and just observe weight and recovery. Don’t judge the top half inch only. Lift the cup/pot, feel how heavy it is, and let the plant tell you when the root zone is breathing again. The transplant one may sulk anyway, but the fact she looked similar before transplant makes me think watering rhythm/medium structure started it before the move.

Does that solo cup have plenty of drainage holes, including low on the sides/bottom? And is that basic potting soil one of the moisture-control types? Those can stay wetter than they look.

Do u think the one I transplanted will be okay here she is now.. Am also gonna send a pic of my solo cup one too. haven’t watered since before the main post hopefully they come back u we’re definitely right.