Course 03 · Quiz 1 of 2 · Check, then water well

Quiz 1: Check, then water well

Why water demand changes, reading moisture below the surface with more than one check, and watering so the whole root ball wets and drains, applied to decisions about when and how to water.

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8 questions, each worth one point. Some ask for one answer; others ask you to select a stated number of answers.
For questions with several answers, each correct choice earns an equal share of the point.
Pass with 80%: at least 7 of 8 points.
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Question 1 of 8 ScenarioThe small backyard in mid-June: the household's ficus came outdoors from a sunny window in the house in late May and, once hardened off, has stood in full sun on the open lawn since last week. Indoors it needed water about once a week, so it is still watered on Sundays. On Wednesday morning its pot feels unusually light, a chopstick comes out dry and pale along its whole length in two spots, and the mix at the drainage holes is dry. Sunday's watering drained freely, the mix has not shrunk from the wall, and the leaves are still firm.What should the owners do this morning?
Mist the leaves now and water fully on Sunday, since it has done well on one watering a weekAdd a little water to the surface, then check tomorrow, so its roots cannot become too wetWait until its leaves start to droop, since firm leaves show its roots still have enough waterWater thoroughly now in slow passes, then lift to confirm, since outdoors it dries far faster
Question 2 of 8 ScenarioThe small backyard in early July: the new juniper, in its 4 L (1 gallon) nursery pot in full sun at the patio's lawn edge, came with a nursery tag that reads “Water daily in summer.” It was watered thoroughly yesterday morning, and the day turned cool and cloudy. Today is forecast sunny and breezy, with a high near 32 °C (90 °F), and the owners are home all day. At 7 am the pot feels heavy, and a chopstick left a few minutes partway between trunk and rim comes out damp and cool on the lower half. The owners plan to water it, as the tag says.What should the owners do this morning?
Water it thoroughly now, since a pot this size in full sun can dry out before the afternoon endsNot yet: check again this afternoon, since the chopstick in the root zone reads moist nowWater it as the tag says, since the nursery that grew it knows how much water this tree needsGive it a small drink now, since the chopstick shows its upper half has already dried out
Question 3 of 8 ScenarioThe small backyard in late October: the trident maple's leaves have begun to turn orange. Two days of steady rain ended yesterday, and the week ahead is cool and gray, with highs near 14 °C (57 °F). It was last watered thoroughly five days ago, before the rain, its longest gap since spring. This morning its nursery pot feels heavy, a chopstick left a few minutes partway between trunk and rim comes out damp and cool on the lower half, and the pot is not standing in water. The owners plan to leave it until tomorrow morning's check.What should the owners do this morning?
Not yet: check again tomorrow morning, since the lift and the chopstick agree that it is moistInvestigate before watering, since the lift and the chopstick still read moist five days onWater it thoroughly today, since five days is far longer than it went between summer wateringsSkip its checks until next week, since cool days and falling leaves mean it needs no water now
Question 4 of 8 ScenarioThe small backyard in late August: moss has spread over most of the trident maple's surface this summer, on its bench in the western third. The trident, in full leaf in its 18 cm (7 in) black plastic nursery pot, was last watered thoroughly two mornings ago. Early this morning the moss is bright green, cool, and springy, and the owners plan to skip the trident's check, since the moss looks well watered. They know how this pot feels right after a thorough watering and when it is dry.Which two checks should decide today's watering? Select two.0 of 2 selected
Tilt the pot to see the holes, since damp mix there shows the root ball above is still moistLift the pot and compare it with its two references, since weight shows how much it holdsRead a chopstick left a few minutes partway between trunk and rim, since it reaches the rootsWatch the leaves today, since a trident droops as soon as its root zone starts to run shortPress the moss with a fingertip, since cool, springy moss shows the mix beneath it is moist
Question 5 of 8 ScenarioThe bright window in early February, with the heating on: the ficus was fed last week, and a friend has lent its owner a probe moisture meter. Pushed in partway between trunk and rim, it reads “WET,” though the surface looks pale. The owner knows how the growing pot feels right after a thorough watering and when it is dry, and lifted out of its outer pot this morning, it feels light. A dry chopstick left a few minutes in the meter's spot comes out damp and cool on the lower half. The pot drains freely, and the outer pot is empty.What should the owner do next?
Not yet: check again tomorrow morning, since the meter and the chopstick both read moistWater it thoroughly at the sink, since the pale surface and the light pot both say it is dryRead a chopstick in a second spot, across the trunk, since the lift and the chopstick disagreePush the meter in at three more spots, since the average of several readings is reliable
Question 6 of 8 ScenarioThe gift juniper in early May: new roots have begun to grow out of the old root ball into the ring of coarse fresh mix around it. This morning, with the foliage lifted aside, a fingertip near the rim, in the ring, finds dry mix, and the pot feels lighter than after watering. Tilted, it shows damp mix at the drainage holes.What should the owner do next?
Water it thoroughly now, since its new roots are growing in the ring, and the ring has driedNot yet: check again tomorrow morning, since damp mix at the holes shows water is held belowPush a chopstick in at the fingertip's dry spot, since a deeper reading there will settle itPush a chopstick into the old core, partway between trunk and rim, since most roots are there
Question 7 of 8 ScenarioThe bright window in late October, three weeks after the heating came on: the owner is back from a weekend away, when no one checked the ficus. This morning its growing pot, filled with the peat-based mix it came in, felt light, and a chopstick came out dry and pale along its whole length, drier than its checks have found it all year. At the kitchen sink, the owner gives the whole surface one slow pass, and within seconds water runs from the holes. Lifted, the pot feels barely heavier than before.What should the owner do next?
Let it drain and set it back, since a slow pass that reached the holes wetted the mix on the wayGive it more small, slow passes or a soak in a bowl, so the dry peat has time to take water inSet it back with a cup of water in its outer pot, so the dry peat can draw it up through the dayRepot it into fresh mix this week, since dried peat that sheds water like this will never rewet
Question 8 of 8 ScenarioThe west balcony in early September: the owner is home after two hot, windy days away at short notice, when no one could come in to check the pots. The nursery juniper's pot is light, its dark, bark-based nursery mix has shrunk from the wall, leaving a gap at the rim, and a chopstick comes out dry and pale along its whole length. In the kitchen, the owner lowers it into a basin until the water reaches the surface of the mix. Ten minutes later the bubbles have stopped, but a chopstick left a few minutes in the middle still comes out dry.What should the owner do next?
Leave it in overnight and check it at dawn, so the dry mix has all night to take up waterLift it out and pour the whole can over it on the shelf, so water reaches the middle from aboveLeave it in longer and check again, since the bubbles can stop before the middle is wet throughLift it out and let it drain now, since the bubbles stop only once water has filled the mix

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