| I also am partial to clay. I can tell when a plant is dry by feeling the outer surface. If it's room temperature to the touch, the medium is probably pretty dry (as there's no more water evaporating from the clay surface and cooling it). Often, when I'm watering, especially small pots, I occlude the drain hole with my finger and allow the medium to soak for a moment before I let the water run out. (This would not work for a large collection.) I haven't found any particular advantage to the azalea pots with slots around the sides. Also, like Ofc, I don't tend be an underwaterer. - Bill |