Over Watered Or Under Watered? Help

[Hala]

Hi. This one was born on Feb 13. About 5 days ago it started showing signs of having droopy leaves and kinda curled in. Wondering if she has a chance for survival. She is a purple auto by white label. Can someone tell me whats wrong with her and how to make her happy again as she was very happy up until about 5 days ago. She lives in 7 gal smart pot, which I know is too much for her but too late now. I really hope she can survive. She seemed so happy. The temp is about 72 F. Thanks Guys.

 

[Mr Bee]

How often have u been watering and wen was last?Is your medium wet/dry?need more than a pic for an answer

 

[Mr Bee]

It looks under watered to me .could be wrong.
Just water then let medium dry out a good bit and then water again.

 

[Hala]

How often have u been watering and wen was last?Is your medium wet/dry?need more than a pic for an answer

Have been watering almost every day just a little but the last time I watered I doubled the amount of water. The soils surface is dry and I don't think it's that wet deep inside either but could be. Yesterday I added little bit of water hoping it would make her happy but nothing happened. I think it got little worse.

 

[Hala]

It looks under watered to me .could be wrong.
Just water then let medium dry out a good bit and then water again.

That's what I thought yesterday and gave her some water but no result today. It still looks sad. :(

 

[Dunge]

Grab the loops on that bag and heft it.
When it feels lite, it needs water.
I just killed a bunch of mid sized seedlings by over watering.
I was shocked.

 

[UncleRomulus]

Just reading the title without looking or reading.. over watered. Lol. New to growing folks never under water. It’s fun to mix nutes and water plants. I’m guilty too haha

 

[UncleRomulus]

If you just recently transplanted it that could explain the droop also

 

[MIMedGrower]

At this point i suggest watering in the whole pot evenly and carefully to runoff.

Then wait until it is very dry to water again. As the soil dries the roots will branch out searching for moisture and nutrients. Thats how to fill the pot with a dense rootball. Right now they are likely dry and fragile. So go slow. But make sure the whole pot is saturated.

Then seriously wait until it is very dry and light to do it again.

 

[Jimster]

I see two potential problems. The first is that it is underwatered. Depending on your medium, it might be dry underneath. I would water it thoroughly, to the point of saturation. If it is low on water, this will show results within 8 hours. The 2nd issue is overfeeding. Too much Nitrogen or other nutrients ca upset the osmolality of the plant, as the nutrients are typically salts of the nutrients. Too much of these will start to pull water out of the plant, causing it to look thirsty despite plenty of water in the medium. Leaf clawing is also a sign of this.
A third option could be the stress from transplanting. Depending on how much of the roots were included, it could take a while for them to regrow...a copious watering should fix that as well. What type of growing medium are you using? FWIW, I pop my seeds directly into a 6 gallon bucket after they sprout...don't worry that you did it too early! Many mediums can't be overwatered because they drain so easily. I always provide a lot of water and have never had any problems as long as there was good drainage. Let us know how things progress!

 

[JWM2]

If underwatered a foliar spray or two will help perk it back up pretty quickly. When watering in a pot too big for the plant it’s best to water around the root mass to allow it to get some moisture but to also seek and find more moisture as the roots grow. In a properly sized pot this wouldn’t be much of an issue as the soil would dry out quicker due to the roots filling the container more evenly. The only downside is that keeping the right sized pot requires uppoting periodically as they get root bound.

I would lean toward underwatering as the soil seems very dry and you’re in a breathable pot that allows air to pass through it some so they tend to dry out quicker than a plastic nursery pot.

A good way of knowing is lifting the pot or sticking something in the soil and checking it when you pull it out. A thin metal tent stake works great and can also be used to aerate the soil from time to time. Shove it in the soil and pull it out. If it feels wet or you have wet dirt sticking to it then it’s got plenty of moisture if it comes out dry then it’s needs watering.

 

[SoLowDolo]

IMO, I think it's over-watered for a couple reasons.

1. You said you water it daily. There is usually no reason for that unless you're in coco. Try more water, less often.

2. And this is just my opinion, but your leaves are not drooping in the same way as if they were under-watered. My leaves always appear a little more flat and deflated looking when I haven't watered them. Yours still look a little swollen and puffed up like they are holding some water still. The same way mine look when I over-water.

 

[Buzzer777]

 

[Hala]

If underwatered a foliar spray or two will help perk it back up pretty quickly. When watering in a pot too big for the plant it’s best to water around the root mass to allow it to get some moisture but to also seek and find more moisture as the roots grow. In a properly sized pot this wouldn’t be much of an issue as the soil would dry out quicker due to the roots filling the container more evenly. The only downside is that keeping the right sized pot requires uppoting periodically as they get root bound.

I would lean toward underwatering as the soil seems very dry and you’re in a breathable pot that allows air to pass through it some so they tend to dry out quicker than a plastic nursery pot.

A good way of knowing is lifting the pot or sticking something in the soil and checking it when you pull it out. A thin metal tent stake works great and can also be used to aerate the soil from time to time. Shove it in the soil and pull it out. If it feels wet or you have wet dirt sticking to it then it’s got plenty of moisture if it comes out dry then it’s needs watering.

 

[Hala]

Hi. Did all the tests but i am still thinking it was over watered. I lifted the pot and seemed quite light, i pinched a whole and it did seem dry again so i went ahead and soacked the whole thing until good 20% came out of the bottom and am waiting to see the results. How long should it take? I will not water again for the whole week and hopefully it will recover. I have not been using any nutes. Just biohumus water. It is in vermicompost soil. So i am not planning on using any chemicals.

 

[Hala]

H

I see two potential problems. The first is that it is underwatered. Depending on your medium, it might be dry underneath. I would water it thoroughly, to the point of saturation. If it is low on water, this will show results within 8 hours. The 2nd issue is overfeeding. Too much Nitrogen or other nutrients ca upset the osmolality of the plant, as the nutrients are typically salts of the nutrients. Too much of these will start to pull water out of the plant, causing it to look thirsty despite plenty of water in the medium. Leaf clawing is also a sign of this.
A third option could be the stress from transplanting. Depending on how much of the roots were included, it could take a while for them to regrow...a copious watering should fix that as well. What type of growing medium are you using? FWIW, I pop my seeds directly into a 6 gallon bucket after they sprout...don't worry that you did it too early! Many mediums can't be overwatered because they drain so easily. I always provide a lot of water and have never had any problems as long as there was good drainage. Let us know how things progress!

 

[Hala]

Hi. Thanks for feedback. I have not been using any nutritions at all. Just biohumus water. The medium its in is vermicompost so no need for any chemicals. What do you think? I think it was over watered although the pot seemed very light and the soil dry. So i saturated it with water anyway. How long do tou think it will take to recover? 2 weeks?

 

[Hala]

IMO, I think it's over-watered for a couple reasons.

1. You said you water it daily. There is usually no reason for that unless you're in coco. Try more water, less often.

2. And this is just my opinion, but your leaves are not drooping in the same way as if they were under-watered. My leaves always appear a little more flat and deflated looking when I haven't watered them. Yours still look a little swollen and puffed up like they are holding some water still. The same way mine look when I over-water.

I agree with you 100%. It was over watered. I was giving little bit but every day which turned out to be not right. I just flushed it with water just in case and do you think it still has a chance? I will not give it any water for the whole week.

 

[Hala]

Grab the loops on that bag and heft it.
When it feels lite, it needs water.
I just killed a bunch of mid sized seedlings by over watering.
I was shocked.

I did but i still think it was over watered. :(

 

[simcoesod]

IMO, I think it's over-watered for a couple reasons.

1. You said you water it daily. There is usually no reason for that unless you're in coco. Try more water, less often.

2. And this is just my opinion, but your leaves are not drooping in the same way as if they were under-watered. My leaves always appear a little more flat and deflated looking when I haven't watered them. Yours still look a little swollen and puffed up like they are holding some water still. The same way mine look when I over-water.

there is no way that plant is over watered!