Ok so let's continue!
Here we are at the end of July. The smaller plant is basically SOL I told her "good luck girl you're on your own now.." LOL
The larger girl is showing some deficiencies/root stress but this tends to happen regardless of feeding when you have this much root mass in such a relatively small pot. She is clearly root bound as there's roots everywhere and she's over 7' tall from the deck (again, should have upsized but planned not to). Root bound plant + black pot + some hot California sun = unhappy rootzone! LOL
As I stated before my backyard doesn't get too much direct sun though, maybe a few hours touching the actual pot.
Needless to say shes drinking like a fish at this point. My set up and schedule doesn't really allow me to keep up with her! Shes drinking everyday and pretty dry in the morning.
Another thing! Dry pot + high ambient temperatures also = unhappy rootzone! You must realize that in nature(in the ground), the majority of the rootzone its protected from heat by the topsoil, and the topsoil usually receives some protection from the foliage(or natural cover crop)!
The reason that plants in the ground usually do so much better are usually contributed to 3 things!
1. The temperature of the root zone is cooler and much more consistent! And as goes with most things involving plants, gradual changes are best. Less shock!
2. More root space! (The obvious one huh?LOL)
3. More consistent water levels! Ground water is usually available even when the topsoil dries out, and as long as the soil drains well overwatering is uncommon.
So ya a fast drinking/evaporating rootbound black potted plant like this is bound to bring some problems. LOL
That brings me to a couple of other points.
1. Mulch would have definitely helped at this stage, or in general during the heat! It slows evaporation and helps keep the topsoil moist. I should have placed some even earlier in the grow, but again this grow had minimal inputs.
2. As I keep repeating, black pots are your enemy in hot sun with a rootbound plant! A plant without roots along the edges(such as a seedling or new transplant) can actually benefit from the increased soil temps and drive root growth. But that's because the plant doesn't drink as fast so the pot stays more consistently moist/cool and roots aren't getting fried!
Also, black pots can help during the cold season or colder climates for the same reason. A method I've experimented with in the past is painting my pots white! It definitely helps during the hot season! Try it out, set 1 white pot and 1 black pot out in the sun and feel both of them after some prolonged sun exposure. Doesn't take a genius to realize the black pot will be much hotter! The black pot will actually burn to the touch while the white pot will just stay warm.
The problem with both black and white pots is that they are both a double edged sword. White pots will keep the rootzone too cold in the cold, and black pots will make the rootzone too hot in the heat!
My newfound solution to this problem (dont know why I never thought of it before LOL) is to use panda film! You can wrap the pots with the white side out for a cooling effect, and either wrap the black side out or remove the film altogether for a heating effect. I find this even more effective for cooling than a white pot because of the airspace between the film and pot.
You can also use it as a mulch that will condensate all moisture that has evaporated.
You can also use it for great benefits with fabric pots! Let's face it root pruning is a sound practice for container growing but they really aren't so practical without adjustments! The outer edges of the pot just dry out so fast from air/light exposure that dry pockets/channels occur and the roots hardly make it to the edges! Unnecessary stress. With the panda film wrap the edges are protected from light/sun and the airflow is reduced, so the edges remain moist, yet there is still an adequate air gap for root pruning to take place! Amazing LOL
Anyway, one stoned thought leads to another and I said I'd post any useful information that I think of!
I topped all the lateral branches I believe a week before this to reduce the width so she doesn't take up the whole backyard