Question about soil moisture / watering

[DJ Twist]

I have a question about watering...

I have 5 plants about 4 weeks old in soil. All look good, I've been watering well, only 1 showed signs of overwater one time.

Under 40w tubes, CFLs, Temps between 70-80, humidity 25-40%.

Right after I watered last (yesterday), I noticed that the top level of the soil was wet, but the soil underneath from 1" to 3" down was bone dry. Now it's dry down as far as my finger will go. It seems the the water may be running down the sides and out of the pot too fast or drying at the top too fast. I don't want to add more water, because the pots are good and heavy already. Any ideas?

I suspect my soil may not be firm enough or maybe I'm letting them get TOO dry before I water?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[sunnyside]

I don't want to add more water, because the pots are good and heavy already. Any ideas?

If the pot feels heavy...you have moisture.
To help moisten soils and increase penetration try adding a couple of mils of dish soap (unscented)...also you could try watering slower.

 

[DJ Twist]

Thanks.

I guess what I'm asking is: Does it matter if the first few of inches of soil are dry?

 

[lumbo]

How much perlite do you have in your mix, DJ? It should be 25 to 30 percent IMO.

If it is, I would put a plate or some other container under the plant and let it sit there for 5 or 10 minutes after you water. That way it will soak up more water. It's how I always do it now.

If you have little or no perlite in your mix, however, then I would be more careful. Perlite enhances drainage, so with the right amount, you don't have to worry about overwatering. In its absense, I think you run the risk of waterlogging your plants.

Another thing to try would be to put a layer of fresh soil mix around your plant and then water on top of it. At least the fresh mix should retain some moisture. You could also cut a piece of burlap or thick cotton and put it on the surface of the soil around your plant, and then water it. The fabric will slow down the water, though I'm not sure if that would have an effect on the soil in the pot. But if you do that and leave the fabric in place it will slow down evaporation of water from the surface, which should be a good thing in your situation.

EDIT: I missed your follow-up due to the server being down or overloaded or whatever. The answer is no, it doesn't matter if the surface is dry, though that's your cue to heft the pot to see how much it weighs.

 

[Guest]

What JJScorpio said is important.

You need to cultivate the top 1/2" or so of the soil before watering. This breaks up the "crust" at the top that normally water will run across and then drip down the sides. The other thing cultivating the top 1/2" of soil will do is to "fill in" the gap around the perimeter of the container, which forces the water to run down through the soil instead of draining straight down the sides.

I use a turkey baster. Cultivate the soil, then moisten the surface of the soil with one or two basters-full of water/nute solution. Let is sit and soak through for five minutes or so, then water normally.

.canine.

 

[lumbo]

That sounds like good advice. I'll have to start doing that.

 

[DJ Twist]

Thanks for all the advice! Very helpful.

K+ to everyone! (haha)

 

[Guest]

Sunnyside , I with you if you get into feeling the weigh of your pot(no pun) it is ezer to tell if they need water or not and great advice about the dish soap as a wetting agent I did that for years until they started to put a wetting agent in pro mix.

DJ, Lumbo's advice about a plate is a good one you can get some saucers a walmarts or home depot for cheap and try bottom watering and you may find it works better for you I am all for the added perlite I use pro mix HP which has lots or perlite and I always add more I like a fast draining mix it is so ez to give them more water but it can be a bitch to dry them out.

Peace to all and some super advice be safe dequilo

 

[Quispp]

If my soil becomes very dry and normal watering doesn't seem to be doing the trick, I'll set the growing pot into a larger container then water thoroughly...to the point of filling the larger container up to the rim of the of the grow container. Let it sit about a half hour, then let the grow container drain well.

 

[Opt1983]

Yes, just use a fork or something and chop up the top of the soil before watering, but be careful you dont go too deep and hit the roots. With my soiless mix i usually give them the a little shot of water just to break the surface tension, once i see that getting wet, water like normal and everything should just seep in fine, and right on sunnyside, adding some biodegredable dish soup will act as a wetting agent..that will help break the surface tension. -Opt

 

[LavenderCowboy]

Quispp has the right idea....However, you may have more problems if your potting mix doesn't have enough drainage...Like Lumbo says, about 30% perlite or better...If not, I wouldn't soak the plants in water.....LC

 

[santie99]

Well, your question has pretty much been answered. Just wanted to say that if your top soil is real dry, and you dump a bunch of water in... what will happen is most of it will run down the sides of the pots instead wetting the soil, which seems to be what happened to you. I just go slow and disturb the soil/poke some holes in it.

 

[groer]

If I get soil that too dry I will pour a little water on it to moisten it up first, wait a minute then pour the rest in. Or another way is if you get a bunch of runoff because the soil was too dry, just collect it and pour it back in.

 

[BudGood2006]

I usually "cultivate" the top layer of soil and then use a plastic watering can (el cheapo wally world type) with a sprinkler attachment for watering when the soil is really dry. It works great, just water a little in each pot, give it time to absorb and break the surface tension. If you listen closely, you can hear the water going into the soil and pulling oxygen in with it. It's cool

 

[Guest]

Killer idea, BudGood!

 

[Guest]

Am I the only one that waters from the top then also from the bottom?
I fill the runoff pans they're in with more water, by morning it's gone.
I never get topsoil crusting, use alot of perlite...Hi Lumbo

 

[Skunkenstein]

Not to beat a dead horse...Oh well. I always mist and work the top soil first.Pour in ''half'' of the h2o..give it some time to soak...pour in the rest. My soil mix uses about 3cups h2o/gal. of soil. 10% run-off out the bottom is acceptable. It's always useful to do a practice container to find out what amount of water will saturate the medium,,jst for a good ballpark figure. Watering requirements change as the plant grows..and we all know,certain plants are just h20 and nute hogs!!