I've been waiting until completely dry to water
Uhh OK, you could try adding some more soil up to just below the tops, And only water one side of the seedling and next time water the other side. No added nutrients needed for tiny seedlings in soil.
What's a perched water table? I've only been growing since '78 so not up on the newfangled lingo.
PWT info can be found here:What's a perched water table? I've only been growing since '78 so not up on the newfangled lingo.
I've always watered my seedlings in tiny pots from the top so don't see an issue with that.
Thanks. In pots I use mainly ProMix HP that I allow to dry down really good then water to saturation so air can move in as the plants use up the water. I also use an airstone in my 5gal jug of RO water for at least an hour before mixing up nutes and watering the plants. I'm lousy at growing in real dirt so soilless with AN 3-part nutes works for me tho I have been experimenting with adding organics to the HP but that hasn't worked well. As I'm slowing down on growing and plan to turn most of it into oils for edibles I'm not going to dick around with the organics anymore and the wife can use all that Gaia Green stuff in her greenhouse for her peppers and such.PWT info can be found here:
Learning new things is good.
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"Perched water is water that defies gravity and remains in the soil after the soil stops draining. If you wet a sponge & hold it by a corner until it stops draining, the water that is forced out of the sponge when you squeeze it is perched water. From the plant's perspective, perched water is unhealthy because it occupies air spaces that are needed for normal root function and metabolism. Poor exchange of the gasses produced under anoxic (airless) conditions (CO2, sulfurous compounds, methane) are also an issue. The main issue though, is that roots deprived of sufficient oxygen begin to die within hours. You do not actually see this, but the finest, almost microscopic, and most important roots die first. The plant then has to spend stored energy or current photosynthate (food/ carbohydrate) to regenerate lost roots - a very expensive energy outlay that would otherwise have been spent on maintenance of the currently living mass, blooms, fruit, or normal growth. Perhaps the plant would have stored the energy for a winter's rest and the spring flush of growth instead of expending it on root regeneration necessitated by soil saturation"
Good infoPWT info can be found here:
Learning new things is good.
-----
"Perched water is water that defies gravity and remains in the soil after the soil stops draining. If you wet a sponge & hold it by a corner until it stops draining, the water that is forced out of the sponge when you squeeze it is perched water. From the plant's perspective, perched water is unhealthy because it occupies air spaces that are needed for normal root function and metabolism. Poor exchange of the gasses produced under anoxic (airless) conditions (CO2, sulfurous compounds, methane) are also an issue. The main issue though, is that roots deprived of sufficient oxygen begin to die within hours. You do not actually see this, but the finest, almost microscopic, and most important roots die first. The plant then has to spend stored energy or current photosynthate (food/ carbohydrate) to regenerate lost roots - a very expensive energy outlay that would otherwise have been spent on maintenance of the currently living mass, blooms, fruit, or normal growth. Perhaps the plant would have stored the energy for a winter's rest and the spring flush of growth instead of expending it on root regeneration necessitated by soil saturation"
I’m still doing it nearing 2 years later it’s a process lol
