Runtz try three

I estimate about 1 teaspoon of runoff. Although the soil is somewhat hydrophobic.
That will happen when you don't water enough... Next time you water, you could try putting them in a tray filled with a half inch of water and letting them soak it up. Then remove them after about an hour and put them back in the box they're in now, to drain off any excess.

Still let it dry out some before watering again, but that should help with the hydrophobic-ness, and also give you an idea of what "fully saturated" feels like. Once peat gets hydrophobic, it can be very hard to rehydrate by top-watering.
 
Last edited:
I estimate about 1 teaspoon of runoff. Although the soil is somewhat hydrophobic.

Yeah I’d run 6-10 oz. Of water for sure you want more like 3 oz. Of runoff out of a solo if you’re going to run that MG container soil or they’ll stay way too dry. In my experience with it if you give good time to dry in between, really hard to overwater from volume.
 
Using the moisture meter a couple of the cups, at the very center/lower part of the cups measured 1.5 but along the sides had a 0.0. Some had no reading. The scale goes to 9.9.

They looked parched so I watered w/6 ounces each and gave them 5 minutes to soak up runoff. The cups are heavier and this may have resolved any hydrophobic conditions.

The pics are parched/sucking up water/returned.

The oscillating fan and light are both set to medium. Should I up either?
 

Attachments

  • 20230130_183000.jpg
    20230130_183000.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 14
  • 20230130_183656.jpg
    20230130_183656.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 16
  • 20230130_184712.jpg
    20230130_184712.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 14
Using the moisture meter a couple of the cups, at the very center/lower part of the cups measured 1.5 but along the sides had a 0.0. Some had no reading. The scale goes to 9.9.

They looked parched so I watered w/6 ounces each and gave them 5 minutes to soak up runoff. The cups are heavier and this may have resolved any hydrophobic conditions.

The pics are parched/sucking up water/returned.

The oscillating fan and light are both set to medium. Should I up either?
Sounds like you are a recovering over-waterer....in this case you might actually be overcorrecting a bit, if you're letting them get down to literally 0 moisture...

In that state, I would not hesitate to leave them in the runoff for at least 30 mins, even an hour or two would be fine. It can take a while to fully saturate peat after it gets hydrophobic, and overwatering is due to too much water too often, like the roots being too wet and oxygen-deprived for multiple days at a time. It won't hurt to totally saturate them when you water, as long as you let them dry out afterwards.
 
Sounds like you are a recovering over-waterer....in this case you might actually be overcorrecting a bit, if you're letting them get down to literally 0 moisture...

In that state, I would not hesitate to leave them in the runoff for at least 30 mins, even an hour or two would be fine. It can take a while to fully saturate peat after it gets hydrophobic, and overwatering is due to too much water too often, like the roots being too wet and oxygen-deprived for multiple days at a time. It won't hurt to totally saturate them when you water, as long as you let them dry out afterwards.
I personally believe it was the opposite, not watering often enough for the small amounts of water he was giving them + the low humidity. Check the photos from his older post the soil looks bone dry. Yucca was mentioned above I say go with that or a proven aloe vera mixture.
 
Last edited:
I personally believe it was the opposite, not watering often enough for the small amounts of water he was giving them + the low humidity. Yucca was mentioned above I say go with that or a proven aloe vera mixture.
That's what I was trying to say, that OP sounds like they've had problems overwaterering in the past and are being overly cautious this round, to the point of not actually watering enough.

I've been there before, sometimes it helps to let them get all the way dry so you know what it looks/feels like. And bottom-watering is definitely my preferred method for small plants, I feel like it keeps the soil more evenly moist and prevents dry spots. And it's easier to get a feel for how much water is needed for them to get "fully" saturated, for me at least
 
That's what I was trying to say, that OP sounds like they've had problems overwaterering in the past and are being overly cautious this round, to the point of not actually watering enough.

While no one can say for sure I think it's highly likely your assessment is correct and yes, must be this cautious.

Think of it like some of the growers here being NHL players while I'm out here on the ice sliding around like a three legged dog.
 
While no one can say for sure I think it's highly likely your assessment is correct and yes, must be this cautious.

Think of it like some of the growers here being NHL players while I'm out here on the ice sliding around like a three legged dog.
You'll get the hang of it eventually. It took me a while to develop good watering habits too. The two things that helped me the most were practicing feeling the weight of the pot to gauge when to water, and bottom-watering, like literally putting water in the saucer and letting them suck it up for an hour or so, then dumping the excess (this is much more convenient if you have individual saucers for each plant). But yeah, just keep at it and you'll figure out something that works for you
 
It's been about a day since watering and the plants perked up.

I have to figure out what the internal moisture meter reading has to be before watering again. The 1.x and below seems late. Maybe I shouldn't let the moisture dive < 2.3 in the center.
 

Attachments

  • 20230131_203711.jpg
    20230131_203711.jpg
    2 MB · Views: 14
The soil looks dry. When I use the MM it reads 1.8/2.6 in the very centers so may water 3 ounces tonight @ 9:00PM.

The light is still @ 50%. Thoughts on raising that to 100%? It's a 400W fixture.

TIA.
 

Attachments

  • 20230202_115447.jpg
    20230202_115447.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 11
  • 20230202_115452.jpg
    20230202_115452.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 11
The soil looks dry. When I use the MM it reads 1.8/2.6 in the very centers so may water 3 ounces tonight @ 9:00PM.

The light is still @ 50%. Thoughts on raising that to 100%? It's a 400W fixture.

TIA.

why wait until tonight, they are drooping and visibly dry. Before you water pick each one up to start getting a feel for how light they get.

I would leave your light at 50% for now.
 
Back
Top