My outdoor plants are around three feet tall and in five gallon smart pots. I've been watering them twice per day, but recently it hasn't been enough. They are bone dry and wilting less than five hours after watering them. I'm watering them until there's 20% runoff, but they just dry out so fast in the 100+ degree (F) heat. I know the general rule of thumb is one foot of growth per gallon for smart pots, but I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to transplant them to 10 gallon pots? Will it help them retain water or will they dry out just as fast in bigger pots? Also, would it significantly lower my yield if I put them in the shade?
rsbigdaddy
Well-Known Member
Danthegrowinman77
Member
I had that problem too....just transplanted mine into 18 gallon totes from 5 gallon buckets as they weren't budding and I noticed growth slowed right down......as well as the leaves drooping, glad I did. They were root bound, and in just one day they are back to normal. I could almost hear them say thanks that's a relief lol
waterproof808
Well-Known Member
Water until your pots are heavy. Once your soil goes bone dry, it stops absorbing water as well and water just flows right through without really saturating the soil. You can use aloe or yucca extract as a wetting agent to help get your soil absorbing water better. Bigger pots will help, once you are in flower the plants will consume even more water.