Help, bubbly wrinkled leaves

Let's talk about evaporation and I propose an experiment.

95% of the water used in a container is used by the plant. It does not evaporate until it has been pulled up into the leaves by the roots, and then is cast off as transpiration or water on the leaves. Water does not generally evaporate from the container, even in cloth grow bags. The plant uses the water. If a plant is using water slowly, it is due to the roots not pulling it.

Do an experiment. Take a similar container filled with soil (no plant) and water it to runoff. Using the lift method, let me know in 2-3 weeks if it is still light enough to water again. That is how little evaporates, even if you poke some holes in it with knitting needles.

The poking holes no doubt damaged a few roots, no matter how careful you were, but you did force oxygen deep down into the soil by doing this. This oxygen has reactivated some waterlogged roots, so you are seeing some added vigor. You didn't do much harm when poking the roots, for anything you cut will split into two and keep growing, but there is an easier way to aerate your roots.

Picture the water sitting in your container. Gravity will pull it down as low as it can go, and essentially you end up with a lake under the surface. The top of this lake is a diaphragm that will very effectively suck oxygen down deep into the soil as the water table level falls down to the bottom. Drying the plant all the way to the bottom between waterings is the very most efficient and effective way to pull oxygen down where it is needed... much better than knitting needles.
 
Hey @sf415guy and welcome to the forum!

Your plants are looking great. I'm guessing they've since dried out, and now you are back to a proper wet/dry cycle. When you water or fertigate, go for plenty of runoff. I water my 5 gal pots with 2 gal of water... or sometimes 1.5 gal. I water my 7 gal pots with a full 2 gal. Then I check them regularly by just lifting the pot – it' very easy to know when light weight means they need water. Just check the weight just after watering to get a baseline weight. If you are late on watering, the leaves will droop a little, and will perk up immediately after watering. It's best to be on the dry side than on the wet side. Overwatered plants – especially in high-nitrogen soil – are vulnerable to pathogenic fungi in the soil.

I personally would not use the tapered 3 gal pots you are using. This plant here would be very happy in a typical, more squat (less tall) 5 gal black plastic nursery pot...

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Like this...

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Not...
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Less tall will help facilitate better drainage, and believe me, you want good drainage. Add 1/4-1/2" holes on the very bottom of the nursery pot (if it doesn't have them already). You can also add a 2" layer of perlite on the bottom, to help with drainage.

happy growing! 🪴
 
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