watering my seedlings ... help please

ok so i have 3 Green O'Matic seedlings, 3-4" below a 125w cfl... they seem to be doing ok IMO (first time indoor grow), its around 76-78f constantly inside my cabinet and lights are 23/1.... soil is john innes seeding soil and about 30% crushed perlite

my question is about watering... i have been trying not to over water, and have been giving them a tiny amount of water nearly everyday... (50-70ml max) around the edge of the pot to encourage root spread... i get a small amount of run off too, so i know its getting right down to the bottom.... but within 24 hours the soil is crusty.... and the pot has next to no weight to it...

its not too hot near the bulb either ... i've put the back of my hand so its almost touching the tubes and i cant even feel a degree of difference... and my seedlings are 3-4" away from it.. so i feel confident its not that... fairly confident

can anyone tell me....am i watering too little at anyone time?.... is it the nature of autos to drink loads in the first few weeks?... is my soil no holding enough moisture?

there are recent pitures in my signiture thread ... if anyone could give there opinion i'd be thankfull

i probaby have less experience than you...but I would...

Water heavy before planting seed.

Then (pretty heavily) mist the top of the soil with a sprayer 2x per day until they get above ground.

Then, by then it should be about a week since the first watering. Water HEAVILY for the first time now, and let dry thoroughly.

You want to water heavily, then let dry (so 2" deep soil feels pretty dry) and then water again.

Watering small amounts daily makes you get pot-bound REAL quick.

troutie said:

can anyone tell me....am i watering too little at anyone time

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to little too much do like the other guy says, and you want them drying out as fast as possible because they love air getting down to their roots when it dries out.

frmrboi said:

to little too much do like the other guy says, and you want them drying out as fast as possible because they love air getting down to their roots when it dries out.

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well there just into there second week above soil... so what your saying is there doing what they should be doing and i'm not, so water a little heavier and less often as i know i have good draining soil so it won't bog up and stay wet.... i think i get it now many thanks +reps all round

Personally I've always kept my seedlings completely moist until the 2nd set of leaves after the cotyledons. After those grow out so all blades freely move, I water just enough to get run off from the bottoms of pots and then I let them dry out decently before watering again. Just my way but it's worked wonders for me. In regards to knowing if it's time to water, I've always checked the weight of my pots before anything. Just my two cents.