When should I water seedling?

[Danielsaaan]

Hey all,

I’m growing in 5 gallon pots and I’m using CoM Stonington Blend with a little bit of CoM Sprout Island in the center for the seedling stage.

I saturated the pots before planting on 09/07. Seeds were soaked for 12 hours or so before being directly sewn into the 5 gallon pots.

3 of the 4 seedlings have sprouted already. I’ve just been misting the topsoil with a spray bottle a few times daily to keep it moist. How long can I get away with doing this before I need to actually water? Should I wait until the pots are light and then water based on the size of the plant? Can anyone with CoM experience chime in?

Much appreciated!

Dan

 

[Lil Dab]

Should I wait until the pots are light

Water by weight I've been using CoM for a while now and doing it the way your are doing I can 7-10 days maybe even more out the gate. I don't water very much at all for the first 2 weeks. Definitely water by weight when the pot loses 50% of it weight and when you do water the entire pot otherwise the soil life dies and you defeat the purpose of TLS.

I had my notes open so i'll just leave this here but i think you've seen it before


"What you need to learn about watering will come with practice. Here are the basic rules: Never let the soil dry out. Soil and or coco can become hydrophobic if allowed to dry. This means it repels water. This in turn will create dry pockets in the soil and the roots and microbes will die there. If your soil - coco have accidentally dried out use a surfactant to help re-wet it. I like yucca powder. Don't let soil remain soggy by watering too much too often. Root rot, damping off, molds, fungus gnats and other problems start in soggy soil. When you do water water the entire pot. How to learn when to water starts before you plant the seed. Fill your container with fresh soil/coco and weigh it (heft it) this is the lightest weight and consider it a dry pot. Now slowly water until the soil/coco will no longer absorb the water and run-off begins; weigh the pot (heft it) this is the maximum water, the wettest the pot can get. The difference between wettest and driest is the maximum water weight, for ease of explanation lets just say the water weighs 20 pounds. When the pot loses 10 pounds (half of the water weight) it is time to water again. There is an art to watering."

I've just found this and it helps explain more of why we want to water this way


three really bad things happen when yo let a pot get too dry.

1. Root hairs are microscopic, they are responsible for intaking the nutrients the plant needs if they dry they die, they do not rehydrate and can no longer take in the needed nutrients so the plant must grow new ones. This at a minimum will stunt and at worst kill the plant. Next Root caps/tips can dry and this will kill the plant.



2. Soil microbes will go dormant or die, in either case it will take time for them to regenerate. Recharge and other similar products can help but only if the 3rd problem has not taken place.

3. Your media can become hydrophobic, it becomes water proof. This can happen in pockets or even an entire pot. You may think you are watering to run-off wetting the entire pot but those pockets are dry as a bone. Everything in those pockets is dead. If you think your pot has dried too far use a surfactant to help re-wet them. I use Yucca powder as part of my fertigation program. I has a minor microbe nutrient and helps keep my drip emitters clean. Commercial surfactants are also available.

Moral of the story: Water/Fertigate the entire pot and never let it dry out!

 

[Danielsaaan]

Water by weight I've been using CoM for a while now and doing it the way your are doing I can 7-10 days maybe even more out the gate. I don't water very much at all for the first 2 weeks. Definitely water by weight when the pot loses 50% of it weight and when you do water the entire pot otherwise the soil life dies and you defeat the purpose of TLS.

I had my notes open so i'll just leave this here but i think you've seen it before


"What you need to learn about watering will come with practice. Here are the basic rules: Never let the soil dry out. Soil and or coco can become hydrophobic if allowed to dry. This means it repels water. This in turn will create dry pockets in the soil and the roots and microbes will die there. If your soil - coco have accidentally dried out use a surfactant to help re-wet it. I like yucca powder. Don't let soil remain soggy by watering too much too often. Root rot, damping off, molds, fungus gnats and other problems start in soggy soil. When you do water water the entire pot. How to learn when to water starts before you plant the seed. Fill your container with fresh soil/coco and weigh it (heft it) this is the lightest weight and consider it a dry pot. Now slowly water until the soil/coco will no longer absorb the water and run-off begins; weigh the pot (heft it) this is the maximum water, the wettest the pot can get. The difference between wettest and driest is the maximum water weight, for ease of explanation lets just say the water weighs 20 pounds. When the pot loses 10 pounds (half of the water weight) it is time to water again. There is an art to watering."

I've just found this and it helps explain more of why we want to water this way


three really bad things happen when yo let a pot get too dry.

1. Root hairs are microscopic, they are responsible for intaking the nutrients the plant needs if they dry they die, they do not rehydrate and can no longer take in the needed nutrients so the plant must grow new ones. This at a minimum will stunt and at worst kill the plant. Next Root caps/tips can dry and this will kill the plant.



2. Soil microbes will go dormant or die, in either case it will take time for them to regenerate. Recharge and other similar products can help but only if the 3rd problem has not taken place.

3. Your media can become hydrophobic, it becomes water proof. This can happen in pockets or even an entire pot. You may think you are watering to run-off wetting the entire pot but those pockets are dry as a bone. Everything in those pockets is dead. If you think your pot has dried too far use a surfactant to help re-wet them. I use Yucca powder as part of my fertigation program. I has a minor microbe nutrient and helps keep my drip emitters clean. Commercial surfactants are also available.

Moral of the story: Water/Fertigate the entire pot and never let it dry out!

Still killing plants and trying to learn my man! So you would water a week old seedling til runoff if the pot is light? I feel like I’ve done that before to have people tell me it’s way too much water that early on. I swear all of the advice I see is conflicting. Ugh!

 

[Lil Dab]

Still killing plants and trying to learn my man! So you would water a week old seedling til runoff if the pot is light? I feel like I’ve done that before to have people tell me it’s way too much water that early on. I swear all of the advice I see is conflicting. Ugh!

Would I probably not but have I yes and plants have been fine. You can't drown them though and misting everyday multiple times a day is unnecessary IMO. I literally don't do anything till I still top dry to the touch which it will get crispy and lighten in color on the surface. when I do water I don't water directly under the plant I water I entire pot around and let the soil in the center absorb the water. when they are young I do tend to let them dry back a bit more but as they get older I don't earth boxes keep the soil pretty moist

Killing plants ?!?! Are you getting a decent harvest? and does it get you high? I wouldn't say your killing plants most all of us here our plants look like shit come harvest. Remember we are not smoking the leaves

 

[Shugrows]

Id tell you what I do but @Lil Dab hit the nail on the head with the water. One thing I do is around maybe day ten if in fabric or rs grow bags I water some not a whole lot around just the outside if the pot. The center of that pot will hold water for a good amount of time.

 

[Lil Dab]

Thanks @Shugrows


@Danielsaaan and as for the conflicting information you are going to find that a lot. Not all experienced growers agree with each other. You need to decipher and deicide what you agree with it doesn't have to be my way either

 

[BII]

I've gone over 3 weeks without adding water to pre-treated coco/perlite in 5 gallon pots.

Water/feed how you want, but just make sure the medium/soil is always moist throughout and the pot always weighs significantly more than when not optimally moist/hydrated.