I was advised not to water to runoff until my plant was a little bigger after transplanting into 5 gal Smart Pot. The plant is currently at 24 days above soil. It is about 9.5" tall and a leaf spread of 10" which is to the edge of the pot. I am afraid to water too much but the soil gets dry finger deep about every 2 to 3 days. I watered this morning and felt like I gave it a lot but no runoff. The leaves always “reach up” toward the end of the day after watering in the morning so I don’t think the soil is too wet.
How much water does it take to get runoff in a 5 gal pot?
Should I be watering to runoff at this point?
I am in Fox Farm Ocean Forest with about 25% extra perlite. I also have the Smart Pot on a riser. Girl Scout Cookies Extreme Autoflowering.
This will change as the plant occupies the entire pot. I think you are fine now but watch the plant: if your watering frequency increases (and it will) then increase your input amount. Eventually you will get runoff. I full canopy that is at least the diameter of the pot is kind of the minimum to water to runoff IMO.
I noticed last night the leaves on the top were lower on one side than the other and some of the new growth looked like it was leaning slightly. Now everything is standing up straight again. That’s a good indicator the plant is thirsty I assume? Thanks.
I hope it is ok to post this link. It is funny this morning after I watered I wondered if I should do more so I have noticeable runoff. That led to question why… and I found this article I found to be informative.
Perfectly fine: I did move it so it would populate better.