Help with growing schedule for Edema

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flexy123

Once again, Edema time. I am going nuts.
 
I am growing a bunch of Jalapenos in my GH. I am using small  pots, 2,2l. A fan is blowing over my plants.
The reason for edema is overwatering, but the problem is my pots are small and the soil dries fast in the heat.
 
Someone on the forum said NOT to wait until the plants are basically wilting and then water - but instead water more frequently but less, and NOT wait until they wilt?
 
So in other words, should I just give a very small amount of water then every day? What can I do? (I have already many openings in my GH for air circulation, but I can't change that it's hot and humid here. I am getting that stupid edema problem every single year.)
 
ty!
 
Yeah, I found when the water evaporates fast and you water more often to compensate, the plants develop oedema. I think the solution here is to put them in bigger pots or under shade cloth, maybe add some mulch. Anything to slow the evaporation.
 
Yes, less water, more often...  but the caveat to that was, ***until you figure out how to water without overwatering***.
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It was also said that for the *first few days*, you'd water a little until the plant wilts.  And then, you'd try to establish some sort of continuity (without overdoing it) in your watering schedule.  The point being...  once you learn when the plant is needing water, you don't need to wait for it to wilt.
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Do you not observe your own process?  Have you ever lifted a pot to see what it feels like after it's been watered?  And again, how light it feels when it's wilting?
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Also... why on earth would you be growing in a greenhouse in Spain, at this time of year?  You literally have just about a perfect climate for growing outdoors.  I was there only a month ago - traveled all over the country - and I couldn't help but think what a perfect place it would be to grow peppers.  Especially if you're in one of the drier parts.  But if it's humid where you're at, you do your plants no service by having them in a greenhouse in the summertime...
 
b3md: In the GH I don't need a shadecloth. (I have CREE LEDs in the GH. Shadecloth is upstairs. See below reply to
 
Solid7,
Yes I have a sunroof and have already plenty grown upstairs. (It is SCORCHING up there). This is the first and only season I am only growing in the GH, which is on the balcony where it's shaded but I use COB lights. I usually have peppers in the GH and upstairs, or I am putting them upstairs after some time. There are some reasons I am not doing anything outside this season, one of them is we had a problem with a neighbor complaining about our cats which go on the sunroof every time I open the door and then onto the neighbor's porch. The GH on the balcony also more is more a protection thing for cats as they can't get to my plants :)
 
Anyway: Yes of course I observe my process, and I am aware 2,2L pots may just be too small. Right now, they are drying out almost every single day means they'd need water every day. I think I remember someone saying he then just fed a very tiny amount (20ml!!) of water, but every day. Not sure whether this was a typo and he really meant 20ml. Just want to double-check whether "more often but less" is the right way to go for edema
 
 
I just remembered when I grew my peppers in Hempy buckets some seasons ago. (Hempy buckets are simple passive hydro system, where you use perlite/coco or perlite/vermiculite as a substrate), with the plants roots always touching a small reservoir of water/nutrient solution at the bottom of the bucket.
 
I do NOT remember having edema problems when I grew in hempies, which is strange if you consider that with hydro the plants are basically ALWAYS watered. (So I guess the problem can not be just that the plants cannot transpire enough water, it must also have to do with that the roots are deprived from oxygen, one main problem with overwatering).
 
Has anyone who is growing in hydro (any sort of hydro) ever had plants with edema? Is my hunch right this only happens when you grow in soil?
 
Try placing a tray under the pots. Put a half inch of water in it to wick back into the pot and diminish the stress from over transpiration.

With pots so small I think edema is just a given in your current situation and watering needs..
 
flexy123 said:
I just remembered when I grew my peppers in Hempy buckets some seasons ago. (Hempy buckets are simple passive hydro system, where you use perlite/coco or perlite/vermiculite as a substrate), with the plants roots always touching a small reservoir of water/nutrient solution at the bottom of the bucket.
 
I do NOT remember having edema problems when I grew in hempies, which is strange if you consider that with hydro the plants are basically ALWAYS watered. (So I guess the problem can not be just that the plants cannot transpire enough water, it must also have to do with that the roots are deprived from oxygen, one main problem with overwatering).
 
Has anyone who is growing in hydro (any sort of hydro) ever had plants with edema? Is my hunch right this only happens when you grow in soil?
Click to expand...
 
I grew in a modified version of Hempy that I developed for outdoors.  You can find it somewhere on this forum.  I have NEVER had a problem with edema.  This is a problem that is more often encountered indoors.
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Is this in your greenhouse space?
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Edema should never be a problem where there is proper transpiration.  Which means that the substrate is porous enough to hold oxygen, even when it's fully wet.  This will commonly be a problem indoors, where insufficient air movement does not facilitate proper transpiration.  However, it's seldom an issue outdoors.  If you mix is built right, and you've got air moving over the plants, they won't drown.  Or, if the mix doesn't compact, they won't suffocate. (same issue, different mechanism)
 
My small starting cups and starting mix didn't drain as well as I hoped which cause edema in a few of my plant leaves (top few cm of soil seemed dry but the bottom became mud-like consistency), moving them to larger containers with extra perlite helped. No more edema observed since transplanting and keeping to a normal watering routine.
 
Why can't you buy bigger pots?  You can usually buy the big plastic ones at greenhouse stores for cheap in bulk.  With that said, the only solution to edema I've found is putting them outside.  I've grown peppers in my basement and there is no amount of air circulation that will prevent it for me.  With that said, they still grew just fine, just looked a bit ugly.
 
This is correct, I never had edema outdoors. As for my pots, I have a shitload of pots in all sizes, but I just tend to overdo it and want to grow "way too much peppers" for my available room, this is how I end up with the smaller ones.
 
That being said: Right now, it's not AS bad yet as I had it last year. And the last weeks,I did something really stupid: As it was scorching hot and I saw leaf drop, I wanted to cool down my plants. So I misted my plants with cold water. I now know that misting is bad, it is likely what triggered the edema. Fortunately, right now only 3 of my plants have it on some leaves. I will now water only every 2 or so days with little (20-30ml) to keep the substrate moist, to see whether "watering more often but less" will help it.
 
*SIGH* This is turning into a comedy of errors.
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The greenhouse is the problem right now, pure and simple.  You cannot cool plants in a greenhouse in humid conditions in the summer, without installing an actual air conditioner.  It just isn't possible.  Spraying water on edema afflicted plants in a humid greenhouse - bad to worse.  Not making the watering situation number one priority - probably the worst error of all.
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Can you just maybe put these plants outdoors, and let them dry out?  If you'd just give them the right conditions, and follow the basic recommendations already given, I think you'd be surprised at how nicely they'd bounce back.
 
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