Over and under watering looks the same. Soil does not look overly wet. Is it moist down an inch or two?
How much did you water. Till run off or a measured amount?
Suggestion #2 would probably be best.
Bottom watering. I think your soil is resisting wetting. Once you get it to absorb water it will be fine .
If you watered a day ago there is no way the soil on the edges should be as dry as you say.
Might be good for a couple others to chime in. But hydrophobic soil could be your problem.
I think it has simply dried out. And until it actually gets wet the water will simply run past and out of the pot.
Did you plant it with a peat pot? Some have reported those don’t break down adequately to allow the roots to expand into the new soil. Looks dry to me but really can’t tell from the top soil.
Pick the pot up is it heavy a dry pot will be light
When you water dry soil you should start slow allowing soil to get moist once moist it should absorb the water
She’s planted straight into the soil. I am going to try bottom watering because tbh I don’t think the soil is absorbing any water at all. Pretty much the entire amount I just put on is standing in the bottom of the catch tray.
She may droop after bottom watering since it soaks the soil and both over/under watering look the same. She looks very healthy otherwise so do not panic if the drooping lasts a little longer.
A slow watering near the stem may perk her up and then you can deal with the soil over the next few days. I would bet there are no roots in the dry soil but only in your original root zone.
@Countryboyjvd1971 yes that’s exactly what happens. The water either sits right on top of the soil in a pool or it drains to side and out the side of the autopot.
Hummmm
when soil is really dry it will have a hard time absorbing to water watering slowly should allow the soil to absorb the water
Start with a cup or two allowing that to soak in then water more
From your picture it look like your in cloth pots ?
If it’s over watering the leafs will droop while the stem will still be up. It’s almost like the water is weighing the leafs down. Under watering will make not only the leafs drop but the stem as well. It looks like you have a little drooping in the stems as well but it’s hard to tell. Something that has helped me is just keeping a calendar next to my grow, also you can get a soil moisture meter to help. I’m doing some new things and experimenting with my grow this time around and I’ve been running into a lot of under and over watering issues due to new mediums and environments (Which was expected, I learn the best with by making mistakes). Are you strictly growing inside?
SM90 is a water conditioner that caught my eye when they claimed it “ makes your water wetter”. I read up on it and tried it out. It gives the soil back that springy feeling so it will absorb moisture again