Water???

I have my setup working very well, I am 7 days in for the 1st time and have 4" babies, I have a 8'x 6' x 8' tall area vented and secure, thank you to everyone on for the advise on how to set this up. I had 2 questions:
1) my humidity is @ 20% due to the very dry conditions in the winter temp is fixed at 85% I have cfls and tube fl in the room with a heater (thus the dryness) I am watering to keep my medium at a level 3 on my water meter (1 is the low and 4 is the high), should I even be watering at this stage?
has anyone used a 1-4 water meter? and what level worked for you, if no one has- it came with a chart for common houseplants, what plant is the most like this type of plant.
2) the stems on the babies are a really bright red, is this ok, I have not fed them anything but water. other than the color they are doing very well.

serrated said:

I had 2 questions:
1) my humidity is @ 20% due to the very dry conditions in the winter temp is fixed at 85% I have cfls and tube fl in the room with a heater (thus the dryness) I am watering to keep my medium at a level 3 on my water meter (1 is the low and 4 is the high), should I even be watering at this stage?
has anyone used a 1-4 water meter? and what level worked for you, if no one has- it came with a chart for common houseplants, what plant is the most like this type of plant.
2) the stems on the babies are a really bright red, is this ok, I have not fed them anything but water. other than the color they are doing very well.

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Regarding humidity, the ideal level is somewhere between 40% - 60%, 50% being ideal. You want the humidity level at about 50% ideally as this level inhibits mould growth but allows the plant stomata to stay open allowing healthy water transpiration. High humidity (moister air) 60%+, allows mould to form, but importantly slows down the plants water transpiration through the stomata as water evaporates more slowly - this slows down plant growth. Lower humidity, (drier air) 40% and less allows the stomata to remain open, but only as long as the roots can take in sufficient water, if the water in the soil dries out too fast the stomata closes to prevent dehydration, water transpiration and slowing growth.

So, the upshot is, 20% humidity is okay, but you need to be aware that the plant will use more water than usual, which makes monitoring its water uptake more important. Throw the water meters away - do it manually. Roots don't like to sit in permantly wet soil, so water the plant thoroughly, allowing a good 20-30% run off out of the bottom of the pot - note the weight of the pot. When the pot feels 'light', the top surface of the soil is dry, it needs watering again. It's much better to do it this way than constantly topping the water up as this can cause dry spots in the soil and when that happens the roots get starved of oxygen.

Water the plant well fully saturating the soil, then let is dry out and repeat. Smaller pots needs more frequent watering than larger ones.

Regarding red/purple stems, that's fine - many varieties have red/purple stems.

MOre excellent stuff to remember. But I still can keep mine alive. Well one for 20 days and it is itsy bitsy But I am Growing along with it.