Overwatering or needing nutes?

[Azimuth]

Seedling mixes are usually pretty mild as normal levels of nutes can easily burn the new roots.

Once the plant has established a good root structure down low you should be fine as even if the hotter mix you're adding burns any new roots up high in the new mix, there will still be plenty down low to power the plant.

Generally the upper roots are considered feeder roots and the lowers more water roots, though I'm not sure there's all that much distinction. The finer top roots spread out and try to smother out competing plants for available light water, like early morning dew on the grass, so they are quite capable of sucking in water as well as the lowers at least on a soil plant.

 

[Emilya Green]

That's awesome. Since these are auto, It's already in the final pot so I will add more soil once it goes bigger. So after doing that there will be small part of seedling mix sandwiched by the tomato veg mix. Hope that isn't an issue.

layering and having pockets of something else in the soil is a good thing. It lets the roots that grow into that area specialize a bit, to take advantage of what is there.

 

[Azimuth]

layering and having pockets of something else in the soil is a good thing. It lets the roots that grow into that area specialize a bit, to take advantage of what is there.

That's a good point, although when topping up the soil level I would put the seedling mix in a 2-3 inch cylinder around the stem for the new, delicate roots to come out into, and put the hotter tomato mix beyond it. That combination will let the new roots decide for themselves when they want to venture out into the more robust environment.

And then topdressing that with a mulch cover can also help.

 

[Bill284]

I am thinking of growing one in oscomote tomato veg mix and other one in coco.

I certainly did put less soil in the small auto plant. Don't know if I can add more soil anymore as the young plant has already grown. I firstly put tomato veg mix and made a space about the size of the pot I use for seedling. I kept that space with seedling mix and just watering the seed mix part of the pot for now.The tomato mix is hot and is slow release .

For coco, I gave got a coco coir brick about 15l. I was hoping I could replace coco with the seedling mix but looks like I can't do that.

I am little confused if I should buy the cana coco for first time use or just use the brick.
Cana coco is considerably expensive but it's already pre buffered and clean.
I am thinking of expanding the coco brick and buffer with cal mag I got (4-0-0)
I am only gona use 3 gal pot due to size restriction. I will go trough the above post about how to fill the pot medium. Thanks!

Canna coco every time if you can afford it.
Bricks are not washed or buffered.
If you don't treat it correctly you will have issues you can't figure out.
So do you have the seedling mix in one pot and coco in the other?
Completely separate?
Or mixed together?
It's OK to put some coco in your soil mix.
Lots do it .
But if you put soil in a coco mix it completely changes the parameters.
Feken pain in the ass as far as I'm concerned. Sorry.
I can walk you through a coco grow no problem.
But soil issues are the domain of everyone already pitching in.
And have you read Emilyas thread on watering.
Very helpful information in there I think you would benefit from it.
All in her Sig.

Stay safe
Bill

 

[Azimuth]

And have you read Emilyas thread on watering.
Very helpful information in there I think you would benefit from it.
All in her Sig.

Here's the aforementioned link.

 

[kisshell]

Canna coco every time if you can afford it.
Bricks are not washed or buffered.
If you don't treat it correctly you will have issues you can't figure out.
So do you have the seedling mix in one pot and coco in the other?
Completely separate?
Or mixed together?
It's OK to put some coco in your soil mix.
Lots do it .
But if you put soil in a coco mix it completely changes the parameters.
Feken pain in the ass as far as I'm concerned. Sorry.
I can walk you through a coco grow no problem.
But soil issues are the domain of everyone already pitching in.
And have you read Emilyas thread on watering.
Very helpful information in there I think you would benefit from it.
All in her Sig.

Stay safe
Bill

So atm I am using oscomote seed and cut mix. I was going to transplant this to coco with 25% perlite for one of the plant. Seed mix and coco are separate. This seed mix does have coir peat .

Scotts Osmocote 25L Seed And Cutting Premium Potting Mix

Find Scotts Osmocote 25L Seed And Cutting Premium Potting Mix at Bunnings. Visit your local store for the widest range of products.

www.bunnings.com.au

I was thinking that I could transplant it to coco but now I am not too sure.

 

[Bill284]

So atm I am using oscomote seed and cut mix. I was going to transplant this to coco with 25% perlite for one of the plant. Seed mix and coco are separate. This seed mix does have coir peat .

Scotts Osmocote 25L Seed And Cutting Premium Potting Mix

Find Scotts Osmocote 25L Seed And Cutting Premium Potting Mix at Bunnings. Visit your local store for the widest range of products.

www.bunnings.com.au

I was thinking that I could transplant it to coco but now I am not too sure.

You can transplant a solo cup of soil into Coco.
It will grow into it and be a coco grow no problem.
25% perlite is good.
Like I said coco in a soil grow is good.
Just don't add soil to coco.
Coco is totally dependent on what nutrients your feeding.
Nothing from the pot at all.
Putting soil in there can cause ph and nutrient issues.
Straight coco will give you control of her diet.
You can pound the nutrients to her with out guessing what nutrients are in the pot.

Stay safe
Bill

 

[Nunyabiz]

The problem is never really over watering, the problem is the soil.
If they were in a medium like Coco or a proper living Organic Soil and you watered exactly as you have been they would most likely be too dry.
That soil you're using clings to water purposely.

Go with coco if you're going to bottle feed and water every day with 1/4 strength nutrients.
If you can fit large pots of at least 15 gallon fabric then you can try LOS and also water pretty much every day about 5% of soil volume.

I wish everyone would forget the term over watering and replace it with lack of oxygen because that's the real problem IMO.
Soils that don't drain properly and don't have at least 30% aeration like pumice and biochar that hold onto oxygen so that all through the pot there are pockets of oxygen for the roots and microbes are soils that should just never be used.
Look for a medium that holds oxygen not water.
Then feel free to water like a drunken sailor without the worry of starving the roots of oxygen.
Its also a good idea to oxygenate your water so when you water everyday your flooding the root system with dissolved oxygen.

 

[kisshell]

Go with coco if you're going to bottle feed and water every day with 1/4 strength nutrients.
If you can fit large pots of at least 15 gallon fabric then you can try LOS and also water pretty much every day about 5% of soil volume.

What does LOS mean?
Is 3 gal too small for coco. I have a small tent and height is only 5 ft.

 

[CultivationArt]

Iv just started using coco a few months ago. And I’ll be using it 90% of my garden now. Very forgiving.

Also. Iv grow a clone for quite some time in a solo cup. A lot bigger than if in soil. Idk why. But don’t be afraid of it. Just make sure you ph is always on point and ec is within an acceptable rage.

 

[SmokingWings]

What does LOS mean?

LOS is Living Organic Soil.

 

[Azimuth]

I wish everyone would forget the term over watering and replace it with lack of oxygen because that's the real problem IMO.

You are right, of course. We use the shorthand of "overwatering" to really describe a lack of oxygen to the roots. Still, it does suggest the most likely root cause of the issue; too wet a soil with no air pockets is often caused by watering too frequently with non-aerated water, which causes soil saturation.

If overwatering were actually accurately describing the issue, hydro wouldn't exist since in many of those forms the roots sit submerged in water for the entire grow.

But I hear ya. It's not technically correct, but we still call it that anyway.

 

[Nunyabiz]

You are right, of course. We use the shorthand of "overwatering" to really describe a lack of oxygen to the roots. Still, it does suggest the most likely root cause of the issue; too wet a soil with no air pockets is often caused by watering too frequently with non-aerated water, which causes soil saturation.

If overwatering were actually accurately describing the issue, hydro wouldn't exist since in many of those forms the roots sit submerged in water for the entire grow.

But I hear ya. It's not technically correct, but we still call it that anyway.

Yeah but thats the whole enchilada.
In Hydro its literally grown in water, so watering is moot, same with coco, you water every day sometimes multiple times a day.
The entire key is oxygen, you oxygenate the water in Hydro and coco can always hold I thinks its like 11% oxygen even saturated.
A properly done Living Organic Soil is about the same as coco.
Especially if you oxygenate your water to get high dissolved oxygen levels.

My advise is always use only soil/medium that you can water everyday.
Makes the whole process much easier.
Dry soil is meant for cactus.

 

[kisshell]

If the plant can't dry itself out you may have to help it before it's too late for the roots. Maybe repotting in dryer soil, or at least taking the whole thing out of the pot and setting it down on a wad of paper towels, which will help draw out some of the excess moisture.

I did repot today to a dryer mix but I don't know if it was alright. I took out the plant and all the soil just dropped off and exposed the root, so I quickly kept it in another pot. The root was long on the half side and less on the other half.

I think I should have watered the pot before transplanting I guess. Does this look like under or overwater?
It's too small and long compared to the young plant. The younger plant is looking good but I am confused if I should add quarter nute next time I water.

 

[Azimuth]

That first one still a bit wet with the leaves curling down. I'll bet if you pick it up you can still feel water weight in it.

Second one is better.

It's hard to do, but you really want to let them dry out between waterings.

I did repot today to a dryer mix but I don't know if it was alright. I took out the plant and all the soil just dropped off and exposed the root, so I quickly kept it in another pot. The root was long on the half side and less on the other half.

Yeah, not enough roots yet to hold the soil together. I learned a lot quickly about watering and roots when I changed my early potting method. I switched to a double solo cup. The first one is the clear ones with drainage slits in the bottom for the plant and soil. That one then slips into an opaque red one that prevents light from getting to the roots which they supposedly don't like.

That way I can look at the roots every day without disturbing them, and also see the moisture level and whether or not it is dry enough to water again.

 

[kisshell]

And have you read Emilyas thread on watering.
Very helpful information in there I think you would benefit from it.
All in her Sig.

Emilya's thread was one of the first thread I went to and got a lot of info. I also read Bunning Coco grow.
Now, I realize I didn't really understand it properly, and reading through it again.

I am still trying to figure out what it means by"3x" the plant diameter. Is that the diameter of the canopy or the height of the plant? And how do we know the water has gone deep "3x" the height of the plant for the main root growth,
Also, I am a little confused if that guide is only for soil and not coco.

 

[Emilya Green]

Emilya's thread was one of the first thread I went to and got a lot of info. I also read Bunning Coco grow.
Now, I realize I didn't really understand it properly, and reading through it again.

I am still trying to figure out what it means by"3x" the plant diameter. Is that the diameter of the canopy or the height of the plant? And how do we know the water has gone deep "3x" the height of the plant for the main root growth,
Also, I am a little confused if that guide is only for soil and not coco.

Thank you for reading it, and a second time at that! The guide is only for soil, not coco. The 3x flush means to use 3x the volume of the container. If it is a 3 gallon container you need 9 gallons of water to flush that soil. A 5 gallon container takes 15 gallons.

 

[Emilya Green]

I just realized you were talking about the 3x the diameter of the plant. The plants slowly spread their leaves and if you drew a circle around the entire plant, while looking at it from above, that would be the diameter I am talking about. Extend that out 3 times to see if you have hit the edge of the container.

 

[kisshell]

I just realized you were talking about the 3x the diameter of the plant. The plants slowly spread their leaves and if you drew a circle around the entire plant, while looking at it from above, that would be the diameter I am talking about. Extend that out 3 times to see if you have hit the edge of the container.

Aah! Now I get it. So both the plant is alright to water the whole pot.
I will have re-read your post again and its great

I let it dry for 3 days but looks like that's still not enough. I am waiting for it to dry for 5 days now.

I have a quick question as I want try your watering guide with this and tomaote veg slow fert medium.

Do you consider this oscomote seedling mix as a soil. I would love to grow one of these plant on this seedling mix medium using liquid nutes. This mix is not so hot as the oscomote tomato and herb slow fert planting mix. I used the hot planting mix with my first autos. The second plant I will grow in coco and learn that method.
I really want to try all these medium and choose one for my future grow.

I do think if I do a mother plant I will do that in soil.

 

[Emilya Green]

Aah! Now I get it. So both the plant is alright to water the whole pot.
I will have re-read your post again and its great

I let it dry for 3 days but looks like that's still not enough. I am waiting for it to dry for 5 days now.

I have a quick question as I want try your watering guide with this and tomaote veg slow fert medium.

Do you consider this oscomote seedling mix as a soil. I would love to grow one of these plant on this seedling mix medium using liquid nutes. This mix is not so hot as the oscomote tomato and herb slow fert planting mix. I used the hot planting mix with my first autos. The second plant I will grow in coco and learn that method.
I really want to try all these medium and choose one for my future grow.

I do think if I do a mother plant I will do that in soil.

I prefer soil. Coco demands that you be a slave to your plant, watering 2x a day, and I am not into that. I like it that I can water my soil plants and walk away for 2 or 3 days.

The oscomote soil is ok, but its nutrients are not at all what is needed for a fruiting plant such as ours. You will need to get bottled nutes for this one too, since the nutrients in that starter soil is only going to be appropriate for the first 3 or 4 weeks. You are going to need to start feeding the plants a lot more, very soon.