Possible soil problems..?

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Carlo

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Hello All,

I'm growing several seedlings at this time. I used the mg seedling starter mix and a bit of perlite.

Although, the soil is able to easily absorb the water it does not seem to keep much moisture?

Common sense tells me that I should have been watering more frequently especially because of the perlite/soil mix and because it was rather warm here in Arizona last week.

I didn't want to over-water, but now it seems like if i add a fair amount of perlite to the soil, then i have to water much more frequent, possibly every other day?

However, if i use less perlite, then the soil should maintain its moisture longer and I don't have to water as much. Does this sound right?

My plants are not looking that well. I may have to start over due to under-watering. I'm trying to see if they can survive.

Once gain, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
 
My soil mix is usually 1/3 perlite 2/3 soil. With seedlings i water maybe once a week, soil stays moist much longer and i always leave it to dry out just a little between waterings.

Seen many people use the seedstarter mix with success so might not be your soil mix. Whats the humidity like there?
 
Jericho the problem may be that i added closer to about 40% perlite. The humidity in the closet is on average about 22%, as i live in southern arizona. The temperature in the closet averages from 80-85 degrees.

Even after i water, maybe 10-minutes later, the cup feels very light already. I had only watered twice, i feel like it should have been done every other day.

If these don't make it, i'm going to reduce the amount of perlite with the next seedlings.
 
Hi Carlo- My experience with light soil mixes is that they need a good drenching. Are you getting run-off when you water? Should take at least a minute of two before it starts coming out the bottom of the pot. If not, keep watering. You could also try watering by setting the plant in a tray of water and letting it soak up the water from the bottom.

Hamster Lewis should be able to help you with that soil mix- I think he uses it regularly. Good luck! :)
 
Carlo, i think your problem is the temps are to high, and your humidity is to low. If you are running hotter temps then you need to run at a higher humidity. Your high temps and low humidity will also cause your soil to dry very quickly. Invest in a humidifier, they are'nt that expensive, and try to get the temps down. ENVIROMENT IS EVERYTHING! (sorry for yelling hahaha)
 
Thanks guys. I can take a yelling...lol... 1) The water runs-off within 7-10 seconds. Therefore, I'm going to assume the soil is way too light. 2) would buying a humidifier, making the soil heavier, and watering a little more frequent resolve the issue?

I'm on my way to check on the plants right now before I start my day. The 1 auto that is doing well just looks very small for growing for about 9 days now.

On a side note: My younger brother challenged me that he could grow a better plant without having all of the 'stuff' i've bought (good soil, lighting, nutrients, etc.) and he would simply grow it out of his little closet and keep the door closed.

I have him 1 feminized orange bud seed and his 9-day old plant looks beautiful! The leaves are green/strong and its grown pretty big. He does give the plant bottled water and has 1 cfl light that gives of 8,000 lumen.

I know its still early, but he's kicking my butt. My ego is a little hurt but i plan on making a major comeback!
 
Well we cant let him win, that would make us all look bad. LOL. When i water from the top i use a spray bottle to dampen the surface of the soil 5-10 minutes prior to watering. when i water it can take as long as 45min, you want to take your time and make sure the soil is fully saturated. I can usually tell when they're good by lifting them and feeling how much heavier they are.

Also, what kind of water are you using?
 
How big are your containers Carlo?
 
Some good news... I just returned from looking at the seedlings and although 2 of the 3 autos continue struggling, the 3 non-autos that barely sprung out of the soil yesterday, grew almost 1-inch in height. Their stems look strong but their leaves are somewhat droopy.

The orange bud seedling looks much stronger than both the northern light and white widow seedlings.

Right now, I've grown the seedlings out of the red party cups that I've seen most indoor soil growers in this forum use to grow the seedlings...I'm planning to transplant once they get a couple of inches tall and seem more sturdy.

What is the proper pot size for indoor plants? 3-gallon pots give me extra room in closet, but 5-gallon pot would give the plants plenty of room...I'm not sure which to go with.

Can watering really take a long time? I use room temperature bottled water and fill the cup until i see a pretty decent run-off. It takes me about 1-minute... Should I just give a little bottled water at a time?

I'm really starting to believe that my soil is too light. I'll reduce the amount of perlite next time so that the soil can retain the water longer.
 

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