Poppy pod maturation and size and watering.

[modernmachine]

Hey just a hypothetical question, is there any way to tell how large a Poppy pod will be by the size it is after the petals fall off? Say if it has just lost all its petals and the pod is the size of a marble and the crown the circumference of a ten cent piece, how large would it be likely to get and after how many days after the flowers drop will it reach its peak size? Also if they're not supposed to be watered after the flowers drop but there are still buds developing to flower would the lack of water affect the pre-bloomed buds or do people have a technique of keeping plants hydrated without too much water affecting the pods? Be good to hear any one with knowledge enlighten on this topic. Definitely a common query but not much real info exist on this information. Seeya peeps

[Khala]

One to Two weeks after dropping flowers. Would recommend watering after to increase pressure, it dries up anyway.

My friend's advice anyway...good luck.

[Halif]

I don't think there's any set formula to predicting how big a pod will get based on its size at bloom. The increase in the size of the pod during maturation depends on the strain. Some strains have pods which triple or quadruple in size as they ripen, while others only get a bit bigger. Size isn't really important. Bigger pods sometimes just have more empty space inside them rather than having more seeds or being juicier.

And I don't think there's any harm in allowing the plant to receive water after it's dropped its petals. Excessive watering isn't great, but it will need some water in order to develop any other up-and-coming buds.