Top soil turned orange, had issues with overwatering so I transplanted and watered minimally 2 days ago, may be related to it? Or my light? It’s a maxsisun pb2000 (allegedly lm281b) at 2’ of the plants.
Initially I water from the top on seedlings but soon they all turn into bottom feeders. I put the small pots in a tray. Fill it and leave them sit for a few hours. Go back and drain off what theyve not wicked up...done watering for days.
Now pick up that wet pot. Remember the weight. In a few days lift it again. Not light yet? Leave it alone. Next check it's significantly lighter...time to water again. Don't wait till the medium withdrawals from the sides of the pot and definitely don't trust that finger you poked down in there to check for moisture. Use the weight to determine water needs. Works every time.
The trick with soil, is to water in 5-10% water to soil volume. Small plants 5%. As they get bigger, 10%. You don't really want any runoff, unless you're watering in nutrients, otherwise you wash out nutrients, and microbes.