How DRY do I want my pot before watering?

So I'm at day #27... & 4 days since i last watered. The pot is certainly light, the soil however has a little moisture left in it. I can stick a finger straight into it & pull it out without anything stuck to it. Upon squeezing the soil just below surface, i can tell it has SOME moisture.

Am I looking for it to fully dry out every time? Or just mostly. Like I would call this pot 10-20% heavier than without any water at all.

Still haven't got the "feel" for it yet #Newb

they look pretty healthy. Unless my humidity is sky high i will usually need to water within 4 days regardless of pot size ( i use plastic).

Time to water.. Don't let the soil dry completely or the plants start to wilt.

yeah wilting means you waited too long and youre stressing the plants by damn near killing them.

madvillian420 said:

they look pretty healthy. Unless my humidity is sky high i will usually need to water within 4 days regardless of pot size ( i use plastic).

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I let this quarter inch of runoff just stay in saucer?

Ideally no, don't let the pot sit in the runoff
1/4" of runoff after being really dry won't hurt anything but don't make it a habit

DrDukePHD said:

I let this quarter inch of runoff just stay in saucer?
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I wouldn't let the plant sit in the water. Its okay to wait a few minutes but if the plant isn't pulling it up empty it. Leaving the water in the saucer is also a great way to get gnats. Good luck!

farmingfisherman said:

I wouldn't let the plant sit in the water. Its okay to wait a few minutes but if the plant is pulling it up dry and empty the dish. Leaving the water in the saucer is also a great way to get gnats. Good luck!

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I'd also invest in some plant risers to help with better airflow around the pot..

farmingfisherman said:

I'd also invest in some plant risers to help with better airflow around the pot..

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DrDukePHD said:

I let this quarter inch of runoff just stay in saucer?

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i personally do but as you see some folks take precautions against it. My relative humidity is usually under 30% and i have a lot of airflow, between that and the plants slurping it up it usually disappears within a few hours or by the next day. If not i might get rid of it by then.

I weigh my containers when I water

hillbill said:

I weigh my containers when I water

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Seriously?
Why not just lift it?

farmingfisherman said:

NX Level Pot ElevatorGroPro 13 Inch

Shop For The NX Level® Plant Elevators by Gro Pro® they are specially designed to help raise your fabric or plastic pot out of the bottom of a saucer. This elevates the pot out of potential excess water that gathers in the saucers.

hydropros.com

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Will the 13" fit a 5gal bag, all the bigger ones are sold out sadly

DrDukePHD said:

Will the 13" fit a 5gal bag, all the bigger ones are sold out sadly

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Should be fine. My 5gal fabric pots are 14”.

Not near as accurate, that’s all.

hillbill said:

Not near as accurate, that’s all.

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As the plant eats and grows, the pot is gonna get heavier and heavier. Same with you lifters,