water How often to water in raised beds/pots

calchilihead

calchilihead

Hey guys,
 
Since I am a newb this year, I did make the mistake with my first couple of plants to overwater and kill them (2 plants).  Since then I have backed way off the watering. 
 
I did buy 2 different soil moisture gauges (just to see which I like better).
 
So I have been testing my soil religiously everyday.  I allow the peppers to get to "dry" before watering.  However over the past couple of days it seems that its almost everyday or every 2 days.  This is reading down to about 4-5" down.
 
The only difference being that my peppers are starting to fruit/bloom.  
 
The peppers are in well drained raised beds and 5 gallon pots with a mix of Kellog Garden Soil and Kellog Potting mix (about 50/50 ratio)
 
Does this sound about right?  I just dont want to overwater again.
 
What say ye for the noob?
 
Overwatering gets a little harder to do once they are in the ground. During the heat of summer here in east TN I water at least one a day sometimes morning and evening. Let the plants tell you when to water, not you telling the plants when they need it.
 
^^^^^^^ What he said! Good advice right there. As for the pots you can lift em up and see how much they weigh dried out compared to watered. ThaTS a good indicator right there.
 
I agree... with pots the best way to tell is by weight.  When they are in the ground/raised beds its a little more tricky.  A little drink a day keeps the doctor away.
 
Like Mill said, it is a little harder to do once they are outside.That sun is way more powerful then lights.  You also loose a bunch of control as well when mother nature decides to dump buckets of water on you. I think I've only watered once since the plants have been out. It seems to be raining almost every other day so far this spring.
 
for pots, if you have good drainage its really impossible to over water during hot summer days. ofcourse if u have a bucket with no holes thats a different story. The point of withholding water is to make the peppers hotter, but if you want optimal production I would suggest water generously.
 
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