I check pH with each batch of feed and every few days if I happen to have a large volume which is rare. I am generally at around 6 but will lower or raise depending on what I want to push. I totally agree though that pH problems will manifest in very similar ways. That's a big point too, if you don't know and keep a record of what you have been putting in it's hard to do a proper postmortem. I appreciate your input.
As they say in my country, let me try and split the justice. I may be wrong, but I think you are coming at this from the standpoint of extremely hot and dry conditions where the surrounding soil is relatively dry so it would act as kind of sponge absorbing water from the pot or at least not limiting drainage. On the contrary, I believe @Creeperpark is concerned about a situation where the surrounding soil cannot 'equalize' the water in the pot and it stays too wet because it can't drain optimally. Both points have equal validity based on prevailing conditions in the respective environments.
