water Water only when drooping?

[AJ Drew]

If the ponds are low, I might wait till plants show droop before using county water.  But I dont think that is best for plants.  Its because I have no clue what is in the county water and because I am a cheap bastard.  Still, I read a lot of folk advise to water only when the plants show they are too dry.

Since new growers almost always seem to over water, I wonder if the whole water only when they droop thing might be more of an easy way to prevent over watering than what is best for the plant.

 

[D3monic]

you tend to get a lot of edema when you water like that because the soil is completly dry so you over water to try and compensate. At least in my case it seems to do more harm than good for the most part. better to water small amounts frequently imo 

 

[AJ Drew]

I wonder if maybe it is an in ground vs. container thing.  Our produce stock is in the ground.  Our seed stock is mostly in containers.  The containers are bottom fed with a constant supply of compost tea.  So the containers never get completely dry where the field stock is dependent on weather and how much the ponds leak.  It does seem like the containers tend to grow faster compaired to the field stock during dry seasons.

 

[Powelly]

Lek is master of this, when it droops he gives a small amount of water each day for 3 days instead of a big water

 

[karoo]

With constant supervision and mild temps , you can wait till it droops.
I don't like to do that , because with 40-45 degrees Celsius afternoons and sometimes 2-3 days unattended, I might get damage.

 

[juanitos]

I do a more balanced watering. letting them droop is more to help with noobies to keep them from overwatering i guess.
 

Fruits in the rapid expansion phase (⅓ to ½ of full size) are very susceptible to water stress. Even a temporary water stress in this period can induce blossom-end rot because water preferentially goes to the leaves

ref

 

[Gorizza]

Wilt-watering is a great way to ensure drought stress, which is going to make your pods that much hotter

 

[Elpicante]

I'm in Tucson AZ and most of mine get droopy every afternoon. I only water in the am. I'm running a soaker house around some and spot water around most. I have cubanellas that are looking like blossom end rot then some look super. They are all in a raised bed. Question is do some peppers require different amounts of water

 

[ShowMeDaSauce]

I prefer to water when i see the slightest droop, Sometimes thats just not effective on really hot days. In my grow bags ive been bottom watering and paying attention to how much and how fast the bag takes up the water out of the pan. This is working very well in estimating how much i need to water. It saves a lot on the water bill and run off too.

 

[Geonerd]

A dehydrated plant is not going to be doing as much photosynthesis as it should.  IMO, if they're getting this way several times a week, their productivity will suffer.

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

A dehydrated plant is not going to be doing as much photosynthesis as it should.  IMO, if they're getting this way several times a week, their productivity will suffer.

In general I believe this analogy is a good guide, plants that are well tended the happiest. Some studies have shown results that can provide a different observation, Impact of Drought Stress on the Accumulation of Capsaicinoids in Capsicum Cultivars with Different Initial Capsaicinoid Levels


Yield performances of the high pungency group did not decrease under drought stress, whereas those of the low pungency group did decrease. In conclusion, capsaicinoid levels increased for all cultivars studied when subjected to drought stress, except for the cultivars in the high pungency group. A yield response under drought stress for the medium pungency group varied and was not found to be associated with drought stress.
 
 
Of course, YMMV

 

[lek]

In general I believe this analogy is a good guide, plants that are well tended the happiest. Some studies have shown results that can provide a different observation, Impact of Drought Stress on the Accumulation of Capsaicinoids in Capsicum Cultivars with Different Initial Capsaicinoid Levels


Yield performances of the high pungency group did not decrease under drought stress, whereas those of the low pungency group did decrease. In conclusion, capsaicinoid levels increased for all cultivars studied when subjected to drought stress, except for the cultivars in the high pungency group. A yield response under drought stress for the medium pungency group varied and was not found to be associated with drought stress.
 
 
Of course, YMMV

 
I believe proper exercise is still needed for pepper plant.  
Of course, YMMV.