Grrrr, rats, double rats!

[NCDude]

OK, this greenhorn is in the 3rd week of bloon, and everthing has been looking good...my ladies have looked healthy, with lots of cut little blooms..UNTIL TODAY..they all start drooping..ok. I search this forum and others: too much or not enough water? Bigger pots? OK, I repot into bigger ones (in my first pots, I didn't pack the soil down at all, so when I watered them, the soil sorta 'sank' a 1/4, maybe 1/3 ). When repotting, the soil seemed dry.....

Will I be ok????

 

[Ms.Fox]

Re: Grrrrrrrrr, rats, double rats!!!!

You wouldn't want to pack the soil down anyway. If the soil seems dry then water them. It's hard to say, because there's no other info. Like what kind of soil, water, and nutes you are using. Or how often you water. ;-)

 

[NCDude]

Re: Grrrrrrrrr, rats, double rats!!!!

I'm using the Happy Frog soil and am using "Holland's Secret" 3 part nutes...city tap water, am attentive to the proper PH levels...Ive been watering every 2-3 days...

Thanks Ms Fox...

 

[Lemon Paradise]

I think you will be fine... you mentioned the soil was dry when you transplanted.. sounds like you might be letting your plant get too dry before watering? My buddy uses the pot weight method to test to see if they need water,, but I don't think he accounts for the weight of the plant.. lol.. so his leaves will often droop before he adds water,,,, makes me cringe,, but they were his plants.. lol

watch them closely,, leaves should have perked back up within hours of you giving them water..

 

[NCDude]

Hello Herb Zen...they did perk up, you were right! In such a clutz, the only gardening I had ever done before was to plant some 'maters...

 

[Lemon Paradise]

no worries dude... all you need is a little (well a lot) of patience... it is addicting (growing that is) watching all the new growth every day, it is really a great hobby,, (and well the fruits of your labor is pretty tasty too )

 

[Lemon Paradise]

ps. once you transplant, lift the new pot (before watering it) and you can get a rough idea of the dry weight,, then give a good watering (until you get a little runoff on the bottom) now lift it,, you will see it is much heavier,, now just lift your pot every day, and when it gets 'close' to that original weight (plus a little for the weoght of the new growth) you will know it is time to water again..

I like to water in the morning, (old holdover from growing roses.. they tend to get root rot if water too much at night) and i wait until they are dry again before watering,,

what you don't want to do is let the roots sit in wet soil constantly, (like by doing a big watering everyday), need to get some air (oxygen) to them ,to help prevent root rot, but obviously you don't want them so dry that they start wilting either..