olegren
Well-Known Member
Reviving this rather than starting a new thread. So, to recap:
Today is day 9 since germination in soil. Sprouted on day 2, took off real well. Aside from misting once or twice, I have not watered since germination. The guide I followed said to water the soil to runoff; then pop the seed in and let it go. When I started this thread, many of you astutely pointed out that it was plenty wet -- so I left it alone. Sure enough, I saw some good progress since then. Both have good color, are standing straight and seem happy.
Things have gone quiet since about last Friday. Minimal additional growth since then. A second set of leaves has begun to appear on both seedlings but isn't really growing at all. I have resisted the temptation to change much of anything and am instead just checking to see that they continue to drink from the ample moisture in the cups. The cups are getting lighter, and the seedlings are still green - so something must be going on.
The real question is this: I have since learned that softened water (we use pellet salt) is incredibly bad for plants. Sure enough, that's what I did that initial watering with. The rookie is strong with this one. Anyway, RO is not an option for me right now (budget is busted for this month), but I have bypassed our softener and have some water straight from the well. I also didn't realize PH was important in soil, so I have acquired some PH down (Ours is high - drops suggest 7.5-8ish) and a pen to adjust mine down to an appropriate range. I will take care of this before their first watering; probably tonight or tomorrow.
Can anyone give me any pointers on damage control for using that soft water? Again, this was only for the initial watering -- but that's pretty much the only water they've had for the first 9 days of their lives. The salt problem sounds like a cumulative thing, so I'm hoping the damage will be minimal. Then again, if I just need to start over, I don't mind. I Just don't want to give up on them prematurely.
Today is day 9 since germination in soil. Sprouted on day 2, took off real well. Aside from misting once or twice, I have not watered since germination. The guide I followed said to water the soil to runoff; then pop the seed in and let it go. When I started this thread, many of you astutely pointed out that it was plenty wet -- so I left it alone. Sure enough, I saw some good progress since then. Both have good color, are standing straight and seem happy.
Things have gone quiet since about last Friday. Minimal additional growth since then. A second set of leaves has begun to appear on both seedlings but isn't really growing at all. I have resisted the temptation to change much of anything and am instead just checking to see that they continue to drink from the ample moisture in the cups. The cups are getting lighter, and the seedlings are still green - so something must be going on.
The real question is this: I have since learned that softened water (we use pellet salt) is incredibly bad for plants. Sure enough, that's what I did that initial watering with. The rookie is strong with this one. Anyway, RO is not an option for me right now (budget is busted for this month), but I have bypassed our softener and have some water straight from the well. I also didn't realize PH was important in soil, so I have acquired some PH down (Ours is high - drops suggest 7.5-8ish) and a pen to adjust mine down to an appropriate range. I will take care of this before their first watering; probably tonight or tomorrow.
Can anyone give me any pointers on damage control for using that soft water? Again, this was only for the initial watering -- but that's pretty much the only water they've had for the first 9 days of their lives. The salt problem sounds like a cumulative thing, so I'm hoping the damage will be minimal. Then again, if I just need to start over, I don't mind. I Just don't want to give up on them prematurely.
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