water What is worse, overwatering or underwatering?

[Dr. Weird]

Obviously neither is good, but i planted quite a few varieties in my yard this year with minimal work on the soil.
I will be improving that next year, but for this year i'll have to make do with what i have them planted in already....
I am using drippers and most are not taking off like i had hoped, so i wondered what would be the lesser of the two evils, overwatering or underwatering?
The soil is patchy so it's hard to gauge what is the right amount of water.... what would you professionals recommend?
 
Thanks

 

[ThomasDeco]

Hi Dr Weird,
 
I'm nowhere near being a professional, but here goes my 2 cents:
 
I prefer to underwater. The result of lack of watering is very easily visible because of the wilting of the leaves. Easy fix: water.
 
When you overwater though, the effects take longer to be noticed. By the time you realise the plant isn't happy, quite some time has passed, prolonging the effects.
Plus, there's no easy, fast fix. You just have to wait it out.
 
Good luck!

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Hi Dr Weird,
 
I'm nowhere near being a professional, but here goes my 2 cents:
 
I prefer to underwater. The result of lack of watering is very easily visible because of the wilting of the leaves. Easy fix: water.
 
When you overwater though, the effects take longer to be noticed. By the time you realise the plant isn't happy, quite some time has passed, prolonging the effects.
Plus, there's no easy, fast fix. You just have to wait it out.
 
Good luck!

 
Note my support above - see pix below for confirmation.
 

 

 

[Dr. Weird]

Thanks for the replies.
 
I think i have been over watering.... a lot of them just have that stagnant look to them, like- alive, not wilted but pale and stuck on pause.
I shall let them dry out until i notice the first signs of wilting.

 

[solid7]

Repeatedly allowing your peppers to wilt, increases the chances that your flowers will drop and/or your pods will exhibit Blossom End Rot.  Some varieties worse than others.
 
You are using the term "soil".  Does that mean that you are planted in the earth?  If so, it's really hard to overwater, unless you have a super clay or loamy soil that holds water.  Watering 3X a week is sufficient in many/most areas, with typical soils.
 
If you've used the term "soil" incorrectly - and meant "container mix", that's different.  You will need to get a feel for how to water.  There is no silver bullet method.  That's part of paying your dues to the garden gods.
 
Either way, this topic is one really good example of why choosing the "lesser of two evils" is not equivalent to making a good decision. (there is no right answer)

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

Thanks for the replies.
 
I think i have been over watering.... a lot of them just have that stagnant look to them, like- alive, not wilted but pale and stuck on pause.
I shall let them dry out until i notice the first signs of wilting.

 

Can you over-water pepper plants?
Pepper plants are particularly susceptible to over-watering; in fact, too much water can kill them. Giving them less water can improve both the quantity and the quality of the chili peppers a plant produces. Signs of an overwatered pepper plant include wilted leaves, which may seem to indicate that the plant needs water even though it is actually getting too much of it. When considering how much water is too much, think about the fact that chil peppers originated in dry Mexican climates.

 

 

[Dr. Weird]

Thanks for the opinions peoples.
I think the problem could be lack of nutrients.... i thought they had enough, but with using drippers the dynamic lifter pellets i have sprinkled in top of the soil don't really get washed down into the roots properly, so i'm going to try keeping a sprinkler on for a few hours to see if they come to life.
Even though i have been watering regularly the soil drains pretty well, so i don't think it could be overwatering. 
I'm kind of new to growing things in larger numbers in the ground, so learning, learning.... 
I think i'm going to have to change my irrigating system completely next year, it's a bit of a Frankenstein of connections and different types of dripper tubes and drippers.

 

[Takanotsume]

I feel like I screwed up by assuming that fabric pots would drain well enough to keep the plants from getting overwatered during a heavy rain as the aji limons I originally had in the shade got pretty pounded about a month ago and have been looking progressively worse ever since then.

 

[solid7]

I feel like I screwed up by assuming that fabric pots would drain well enough to keep the plants from getting overwatered 

 
Even after all that discussion about things like "perched water table"?
 
Well, at least we have one more person who can attest to the fact that it's not just a "Southern thing".  But yes, drainage is a function of the media, not the container that you put it into.

 

[acs1]

 
Either way, this topic is one really good example of why choosing the "lesser of two evils" is not equivalent to making a good decision. (there is no right answer)

 
Exactly, it was the first thing I thought of when reading the thread title.
 
Kind of like, would you rather get shot or knifed.... We need a 3rd option: NEITHER
 
jmo

 

[Takanotsume]

I suppose if you are going to leave container plants out in the rain, they need to be in a medium that drains extremely well like shredded bark.
 
Have a couple tabascos in the stuff that are looking fine and dandy despite getting hit with rains multiple times a week, though as with all of my plants, they could be producing a lot better.

 

[solid7]

I suppose if you are going to leave container plants out in the rain, they need to be in a medium that drains extremely well like shredded bark.
 
Have a couple tabascos in the stuff that are looking fine and dandy despite getting hit with rains multiple times a week, though as with all of my plants, they could be producing a lot better.

 
Container plants are never ideal for places that have lots of rain.  If you have that situation, it would be best to put them under a dedicated structure, and out of the deluge.