I planted 2 seeds in Solo cups on August 14th after soaking them for 2 days in water. I saturated the soil potting mix in the cups with water a couple of days before planting the seeds. They sprouted on August 16th. By August 18th the soil on top was dry so I sprayed both cups with 10 sprays each of water. Tonight the soil on top is dry again. I don't know what the dry weight of the cups are with dry soil but right now the cups weigh around 194-200 grams each. Should I spray the soil again or wait for the cups to get lighter? The seedlings look healthy except they got a little leggy.
Should I water 4 day old seedlings?
- Thread starter jokerlola
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Lady T
420 Member
I can't help you. I grow directly in 3 gal fiber pots. Are you growing auto's or photos?
Freak Brothers
Well-Known Member
No harm in giving em a little,,but adding a little at a time ,before u know it u sunk it 
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- #4
Photos. They are regular seeds (Not feminized).
Do you have an empty cup & more soil ? Fill a cup & weigh it to see how much it weighs dry. Here's a little trick I use when using solo cups.
Put a clear solo cup with drain holes inside a solid colored solo cup. You can lift the clear cup out to see how wet it is & to check root growth so you know when to up-pot.
Your plants are less then a week old. They should only need about a shot glass of water every 3 days.
Put a clear solo cup with drain holes inside a solid colored solo cup. You can lift the clear cup out to see how wet it is & to check root growth so you know when to up-pot.
Your plants are less then a week old. They should only need about a shot glass of water every 3 days.
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- #6
I'm going to have to try this next time. This is my first year of growing from seed and I've had some damping off problems so I don't want to over water them.Do you have an empty cup & more soil ? Fill a cup & weigh it to see how much it weighs dry. Here's a little trick I use when using solo cups.
Put a clear solo cup with drain holes inside a solid colored solo cup. You can lift the clear cup out to see how wet it is & to check root growth so you know when to up-pot.
Your plants are less then a week old. They should only need about a shot glass of water every 3 days.
You can always add more water if they don't get enough. Taking the water out is the hard part.
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- #8
I think I'm might to throw a shot glass amount into each cup and see how they do for the next day or 2. I'm trying to follow Emilya's watering method and get them into a good wet/dry cycle but this is the critical time I keep messing up. Once I can get them past the first week, then I've been able to have good growing, strong plants. I think your cup in a cup method may be the key, the next time I pop seeds. They still have some weight to them at around 195 grams so there is moisture in the bottom of the cup. It's the surface and at least the first inch that's dry.
I'm just wondering if I should let them get lighter before I add any water yet? I'm going to put some dry soil in a cup and weigh it to see where my starting point should be.
I'm just wondering if I should let them get lighter before I add any water yet? I'm going to put some dry soil in a cup and weigh it to see where my starting point should be.
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
For the first 2 or 3 days above ground, give them just a little bit right down the middle once a day... not nearly enough to soak the soil... imagine you are watering to about 4 inches down.
During this "critical" time the plants are still not firmly rooted and they can swim around if you give too much water. Don't do this. While they are still not established in place, only give small amounts of water. When that second set of leaves come out it is then time to water the entire cup one time, to runoff. Then after that, don't water. Let the plant go 4 or 5 days if necessary, but get that weight down to about 80 grams and the soil will be dry all the way to the bottom. When this has happened, water again.
You seem to want to water too much in the beginning. Stop that... this is why you are having repeated dampening off problems. Let them dry out.... all the way.
Think about this for a second.... it is impossible to overwater this plant by giving too much water in one watering session. Any excess water simply runs out as runoff. The only way to overwater is what you are doing... by watering too often.
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- #10
Thanks Emilya!
My so called seed starting mix is heavier than 80 grams in the cup. I just weighed a cup with dry mix in it and it is 170 grams. Right now my seedling cups weight around 190 grams so they have about 20 grams of water in them and how ever much the plants themselves weigh.
I know a shot glass full of Silica weighs 30 grams & I would think it's heavy than water since it's thicker. So I'm going to guess that at 190 grams you have about a shot glass of water in your soil. Now see how long it takes for your cup to weigh 170 grams again & you will know approximately when to water while the plants are just starting out.
I'm starting seeds tomorrow; but I'm starting in 1 gal. pots. I totally wet my soil with tap water one day. Next day I wet it with pH 6.4 water. I get quite a bit of run off. Next day I plant my seed. I usually don't have to water again until after the seed has sprouted. My soil is good & moist all the way through; but not wet. It takes about 5-7 days before I'll need to water for the 1st time. I use to have issues starting seeds. I was about 75 - 80% in Solo Cups & the paper towel method. But doing it this way I've had better luck & closer to 95% success.
I use to have issues with clones too. But ever since I followed @Emilya DIY Bubble Cloner I've had 100% success.
I use to have issues with clones too. But ever since I followed @Emilya DIY Bubble Cloner I've had 100% success.
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- #13
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
I am totally against the idea and would never even consider abusing my plants in such a way. Weeds have a top set of roots that will not be done any favors with this method, getting their only water from that which manages to seep up through the soil. You also totally lose control of the water cycle, having no idea how much water your plants are using and therefore also have no idea how good or bad the roots may be. It is nearly impossible to build a rootball in the entire container using this method, so very large producing plants are hard to create. Stagnant water in the grow area is always a problem and this method requires it. Gnats would no doubt have a field day in that room. Constantly wet soil can be a huge problem and you will have to take care to avoid dampening off, molds and mildews. Lastly, how in the world do you get oxygen into the roots using this method without also oxygenating this water pool?
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- #15
Ok.
I’ve seen a lot of videos advocating it for seedlings and it is used with the “double cup method” that Buds Buddy suggested. They say that it help prevent damp off by keeping the top of the soil around the stem dry.
I’m talking about seedlings only and I’m not talking about leaving them sit in water all the time but just giving them their dose of water from the bottom by letting them wick it up then taking them out of the tray or cup of water and letting the excess drain away. In the double cup method, people fill the solid cup about half way and then float the cup with the seedling in it until it absorbs the water. Then they drain the excess away.
squarewaves
420 Member
I have a question. I potted up a solo to 200 grams (clear inside opaque), planted seed and sprayed the top to 227 grams. Zip loc bagged the top and Im waiting to sprout.
Emilya mentions above to let the cup dry out "all the way". Does this mean wait to return back to the weight the soil was in the cup directly from the bag? (200 grams) Or does this mean let it dry out until it appears to be dry (visibly light) through the sides of the clear cup? My soil gets extremely hydrophobic when its "light colored/bone dry" and then when watering even a small amount it just runs through channels and out the base, even when its 1-2 oz of water. Alternatively I can use the spray bottle I use in early stages but not when I need to add micronized amendments like bud bread when the seedlings need to be fed.
Could you comment on this? How dry is "dry"? These are questions I'm struggling with a little in the seedling phase.
Thanks in advance for all your thoughtful advice here
skirk
Well-Known Member
When I used solo cups to germinate, my rule of thumb was to keep 20 grams below wet weight and add water when I got to within 10 grams of dry weight. As you can see in this case I was adding just over an ounce of water when needed to stay within those parameters. This kept my soil moist, not saturated, providing plenty of air pockets for the young roots to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. These air pockets are essential. If I hold your head under water for 10 minutes, the water doesn't kill you. The lack of oxygen does. Roots are no different. As I've taught folks on this forum, there is no overwatering, it's watering too often keeping the medium saturated, removing air pockets. Also for the OP. A 48hr. seed soak will greatly contribute to damping off. 4hrs is plenty to begin the first stage, (imbibition) of germination.
squarewaves
420 Member
Thank you that's very helpfulWhen I used solo cups to germinate, my rule of thumb was to keep 20 grams below wet weight and add water when I got to within 10 grams of dry weight. As you can see in this case I was adding just over an ounce of water when needed to stay within those parameters. This kept my soil moist, not saturated, providing plenty of air pockets for the young roots to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. These air pockets are essential. If I hold your head under water for 10 minutes, the water doesn't kill you. The lack of oxygen does. Roots are no different. As I've taught folks on this forum, there is no overwatering, it's watering too often keeping the medium saturated, removing air pockets. Also for the OP. A 48hr. seed soak will greatly contribute to damping off. 4hrs is plenty to begin the first stage, (imbibition) of germination.
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- #19
When I used solo cups to germinate, my rule of thumb was to keep 20 grams below wet weight and add water when I got to within 10 grams of dry weight. As you can see in this case I was adding just over an ounce of water when needed to stay within those parameters. This kept my soil moist, not saturated, providing plenty of air pockets for the young roots to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. These air pockets are essential. If I hold your head under water for 10 minutes, the water doesn't kill you. The lack of oxygen does. Roots are no different. As I've taught folks on this forum, there is no overwatering, it's watering too often keeping the medium saturated, removing air pockets. Also for the OP. A 48hr. seed soak will greatly contribute to damping off. 4hrs is plenty to begin the first stage, (imbibition) of germination.
"Also for the OP. A 48hr. seed soak will greatly contribute to damping off. 4hrs is plenty to begin the first stage, (imbibition) of germination."When I used solo cups to germinate, my rule of thumb was to keep 20 grams below wet weight and add water when I got to within 10 grams of dry weight. As you can see in this case I was adding just over an ounce of water when needed to stay within those parameters. This kept my soil moist, not saturated, providing plenty of air pockets for the young roots to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. These air pockets are essential. If I hold your head under water for 10 minutes, the water doesn't kill you. The lack of oxygen does. Roots are no different. As I've taught folks on this forum, there is no overwatering, it's watering too often keeping the medium saturated, removing air pockets. Also for the OP. A 48hr. seed soak will greatly contribute to damping off. 4hrs is plenty to begin the first stage, (imbibition) of germination.
Yes, I've been reading that and from now on, I'm not going to do it. I've mentioned before that back in the day I used to plant bag seeds directly in an old pot with old dried potting soil and added a little water, stuck it in a window and always wound up with a healthy seedling. I wasn't being careful and it was just for fun.
Great explanation !When I used solo cups to germinate, my rule of thumb was to keep 20 grams below wet weight and add water when I got to within 10 grams of dry weight. As you can see in this case I was adding just over an ounce of water when needed to stay within those parameters. This kept my soil moist, not saturated, providing plenty of air pockets for the young roots to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. These air pockets are essential. If I hold your head under water for 10 minutes, the water doesn't kill you. The lack of oxygen does. Roots are no different. As I've taught folks on this forum, there is no overwatering, it's watering too often keeping the medium saturated, removing air pockets. Also for the OP. A 48hr. seed soak will greatly contribute to damping off. 4hrs is plenty to begin the first stage, (imbibition) of germination.
