water How long between waterings?

B

Boans

Hey you all, I've stripped down, re-potted and brought inside my Carolina Reapers for the winter.  I'm basically very new at growing anything and you all have helped tremendously with all of the little hiccups I've had along the way.
 
I noticed some springtails on my last watering and a few people said to limit my waterings to the bare minimum to control them.  Since I don't know how to tell when the plants need water I figured I'd post a pic of my setup and hoped a couple of you might be able to give me a ballpark on how long to wait between waterings.
 
This is my setup below (included a dollar for scale) - basically around a gallon of soil, kept at 77% (room temp in my home), 1 - 75W grow light kept 24/7, and no fans generally running in the room:
 
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I was thinking around once every 2 weeks to start, but given I'm so new at this it's hard to tell by the weight of the pot or the look of the leaves.
 
let them wilt a bit between waterings.
 
Is that the only light source they have and how long will they be limited to that set up alone?
 
Didn't read down far enough, :doh:.
 
what are the outdoor temps at in NO? I would think them temperate enough to sustain some pepper plants. I know outside of a few instances and with a few precautions when I lived in SC I would have been able to grow them all year long.
 
Capcom is right on that you should let them dry out a bit before watering.  As long as you can check on them often, it is more a matter of observation than timing.  After a bit, you can get a feel of how long it takes to get dry but it all depends on temperature, medium, container, and a bit on plant size.  Peppers love to dry out a bit.
 
I have 3 plants in a long window planter, they probably suck up water faster than one plant with plenty of room for roots to grow. That being said I only have to water my plants every 8-10 days.
 
CAPCOM said:
what are the outdoor temps at in NO? I would think them temperate enough to sustain some pepper plants. I know outside of a few instances and with a few precautions when I lived in SC I would have been able to grow them all year long.
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Thanks guys.  We will get a light freeze out here once in a while, but the problem is it will be in the 40s which is the usual low and then we'll get a weather report that a light freeze is coming that night.  The temp can change so fast I figured I play it safe and get them in for a few months.
ajdrew said:
Capcom is right on that you should let them dry out a bit before watering.  As long as you can check on them often, it is more a matter of observation than timing.  After a bit, you can get a feel of how long it takes to get dry but it all depends on temperature, medium, container, and a bit on plant size.  Peppers love to dry out a bit.
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Thanks ajdrew, sorry I'm a little new at this, but what do you all mean by let them wilt / dry out a bit?  Do you mean the leaves actually droop down a bit rather than being perky?
 
Boans said:
 

Thanks ajdrew, sorry I'm a little new at this, but what do you all mean by let them wilt / dry out a bit?  Do you mean the leaves actually droop down a bit rather than being perky?
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Yep, exactly. Thats your pepper plants telling you they are thirsty. And it is now time to water /feed them.
 
The first sign that the leaves (usually many at once) are angling downward (noticeably in a short period of time, like within a day... or less sometimes) that's about when you want to water/feed. But I wouldn't wait any longer. If you get this far and happen forget to water them, they can start to take on some damage.
 
 
Newly limp leaves that just seem sad, but not discolored or crispy, should come right back within an hour of watering them. If they start to go limp and then begin to dry out, the most effected parts are not likely going to be able to recover back to 100%. So, like @ajdrew said, "As long as you can check on them often, it is more a matter of observation than timing."
 
PS: if you master drying out your pots, pick them up and try to really get a feel for the weight of mostly dry soil. Your muscle memory will build up and eventually you'll be a pro at knowing when to water just by a quick feel. Oh, and stick your finger in the top 1-2 inches of soil, [reasonably] often. You'll start to notice the difference between slightly moist and freshly dried, by feel alone.
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mrgrowguy said:
The first sign that the leaves (usually many at once) are angling downward (noticeably in a short period of time, like within a day... or less sometimes) that's about when you want to water/feed. But I wouldn't wait any longer. If you get this far and happen forget to water them, they can start to take on some damage.
 
 
Newly limp leaves that just seem sad, but not discolored or crispy, should come right back within an hour of watering them. If they start to go limp and then begin to dry out, the most effected parts are not likely going to be able to recover back to 100%. So, like @ajdrew said, "As long as you can check on them often, it is more a matter of observation than timing."
 
PS: if you master drying out your pots, pick them up and try to really get a feel for the weight of mostly dry soil. Your muscle memory will build up and eventually you'll be a pro at knowing when to water just by a quick feel. Oh, and stick your finger in the top 1-2 inches of soil, [reasonably] often. You'll start to notice the difference between slightly moist and freshly dried, by feel alone.
.
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Thanks a bunch!
 
 I only water once a week during this time of year. But watering depends on numerous things, pot size, growing medium, plant size, temp, humidity etc etc.
 
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