Pots make it easy to control water, but only if you measure it. These photos follow blackgram pots from young seedlings to a side-by-side comparison of plant condition.
In November 2024 the seedlings were moved into individual pots, each with a stake and a label, and kept in rows under cover so every pot could be tied back to the field book.
On a single midday round in December 2024, a soil moisture probe went into four pots within about eight minutes. The readings spread from a dry 15% up to a wet-soil reading on the meter. Pots that look the same on the surface can sit far apart in moisture, so the number on the meter is worth more than judging by eye.
The cover photo (February 2025) puts three pots next to each other. The plant on the left is full and green, the middle one is thin and sparse, and the one on the right has dried leaves. Keeping a probe reading with each photo makes a comparison like this much easier to interpret later.