Smart pot not draining! Need suggestions please!

[Spanky]

I made two four gallon pots out of landscape fabric. Filled with vermiculite and coir. Ran one gallon of water thru each. No plants at that point. Great drainage,

A few weeks ago I transplanted babies to each pot. Light waterings, no drainage expected. The watering I did four days ago was strange. One drained well. The other nothing from the bottom. Only two cups went in each.

Yesterday's watering, I decide to add enough to get waste so I could test run off pH. One pot started to drain from the sides right a way, and from the bottom as the medium absorbed water. The one that didn't drain from the two cup watering took six cups before anything came out and only a little came out! I poked small holes in the bag and pushed sticks down into the medium away from the plant to create some holes in the mix. Nothing happened. The medium doesn't seem to be clumping. It dries nice and fluffy at the top.

Each pot got the same mix when I filled them. And again, it drained well when I ran a gallon test. Of course the bad one is much heavier now and will take much longer to dry out. Both are made from the same fabric. I used the good one through a whole grow with no drainage problems.

Has anyone had this happen? Should I take the plant out and repot it in fresh coir? I just can't understand what is happening.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Morning Spanky, water real slow around the stalk till all the coco is good an moist

[Spanky]

Thanks. Not sure how that will help my pot to drain.

[Campesino]

I think he's thinking that your pot must not be fully saturated. There are no other explanations that come to mind.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Yeah, you got to get all the coco wet. Go slow, if you put enough water in there an it doesn't drain, I'd throw those pots away.

[Californiakid]

Moist medium(soil,coco) will take more water and hold on to it better/easier than dry medium. When I let mine really dry out I'll add some water and let it soak in and hydrate before I add the rest. I add slowly to allow it to soak in and saturate before it runs off.

[cyberaktif]

if you water too fast it will just run off and not have time to absorb into the medium...this happens with my medium (peat moss and perlite) it will just pour right out the sides if i go to fast.

[Spanky]

Thanks everyone. I think Californiakid solved it best. I did end up repotting. When I took out the coir vermicullite mix, I poured water in the empty bag and it drained right out. I added more vermicullite...next time I will use perlite..and repotted without adding water. The plant looked more perky the next day but then it got droopy again. The mix is wet when I check an inch down. I am assuming the droop now might be transplant shock and still too much water in the pot. So, I am going to wait until,it is drier and water a small amount to start off again.

This is is my first coir grow and my problem is how do I test runoff pH if I only water a small amount?