Some pots dry while others on the same line stay wet
Develops as emitters clog with scale, biofilm or particles..
- Also called
- drippers clogged
- uneven watering on drip
- one pot not getting water
- emitter blocked
Likely causes, most likely first
Ranked for this sign on its own. Your stage, medium and readings change the order, so run the checker for your plant.
PossiblePump, timer, air or emitter failure in a hydro, aero or drip system
Fix: Restore flow or air immediately: check power, timer, float switches, filters and nozzles. Mist exposed roots by hand or lower plants into solution while you fix it. In HPA and NFT, fit an alarm and a backup pump; roots die fast when misting or flow stops.
Recovery: Plants regain turgor within hours if roots were not dead; brown, collapsed roots mean rot risk next.
How to confirm it
- Check pumps, timers, nozzles and drippers. Watch one full cycle: the pump starts on time, every nozzle mists or every dripper delivers, NFT channels have flow end to end, air stones bubble. Clear clogged emitters and filters. In HPA, a failed pump or blocked nozzle can kill exposed roots fast, so check this first when plants on one system wilt together.
Look for
Emitter output into cups for one cycle, side by side..
The full guide: Drain-to-waste drip and crop steering (generative vs vegetative dryback)
Guidance, not a guarantee. The checker weighs common causes against what you tell it; confirm with the tests before you treat, change one thing at a time and watch the new growth.
