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When I water my potted peppers, they all get pretty much the same amount of water, as I have a small jug that I've discovered provides just enough water to soak through the soil and just start seeping out the bottom of the pot.

Well, at least this is the case for 3 of my 4 plants. One of them seems to hold less water than its peers, because when I give it the same quantity of water, it ends up with much more water in the dish under the pot. I get the same result even if I wait longer between watering sessions, and there's no "flooding" on top of the soil, so I don't think it is a case of that pot being over-saturated.

Also, the plant itself seems healthy and has started flowering in the last few days (it's the third of the four to start) and is of comparable size (in height and leafiness) to its peers, so it seems to be keeping up, it just seems rather strange that it takes less water.

2 Answers 2

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I agree with gunbuster: as all four plants seem to be flourishing, I don't think there is anything to worry about. However, if you used the same potting mix for all of them and, in the one pot you describe, the water is running straight through the soil, without thoroughly rehydrating it, the plant may be pot-bound (i.e.its roots are filling the container and it needs to be moved into a larger one to remain healthy); if the soil has shrunk away slightly from the sides of the pot, leaving a narrow gap, this is definitely the case.

If your potting mix is peat-based (and you have good drainage), I would pour several jugs of water over the soil each time, to ensure that it is thoroughly wet, as peat dries out very quickly and is hard to wet again.The soil, between waterings, should be slightly damp to the touch, but never wet

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    The latter point is one of my thoughts: When the soil dries out you get cracks/holes - channels that water can quickly pass through (ie. down to the tray). Once the soil/compost has been wetted, it will absorb water better. I saw this with a houseplant a few days ago. First glass went straight down into the tray - as did the second, but within a matter of hours the pot had soaked it all back up again with osmosis. (Big picture, also agree with gunbuster: if it is doing well, then there's probably nothing to worry about)
    – winwaed
    Jul 25, 2011 at 13:48
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Your plant have a soil with good drainage ability, that is the reason why the water come out of the pot so quickly. Actually this is good because too much water retained in the soil is bad for the plant most of the time.

The drainage ability of the soil depends on the ingredients of your soil. Soil made of sand, peat, stone, vermiculite, etc has good drainage ability.

Don't worry about the plant.

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