Hi everyone. This year I decided to take up gardening and thought I was on the right track. I bought all the supplies: lamp, trays, seeds, starter soil. I plant each in their little cell and go to water and it looks like the soil I chose is hydrophobic so it isn’t absorbing the water. Is there a way to fix this without having to start over? Photos if it helps. TYIA!
by dailymisosoup
11 Comments
water from below in the tray and capillary action should absorb water. next time moisten the soil a little bit before putting them in the trays and planting seeds.
edit: you can also use a spray bottle to moisten the top layer and that might stop the hydrophobic tendencies you’re seeing
Butt chug
In the future make sure the soil is damp before putting it in the trays. I’ll water it and mix a week before planting, you don’t want it wet. Just damp.
Then it will settle better in the trays and absorb the water better.
And like the other person said, water from bottom not top, and use a spray bottle to gently wet the top of the soil if it needs it.
When starting large amounts of seeds I fill a bucket with seed starter and pour warm water in and mix. Let sit for an hour or so while I get everything else ready then grab handfuls and put it in my cells.
I made the same mistake of not wetting it first this year lol.
Just take it out and put some water on it and knead the water in, that’s what I do. Messy but fast.
Get cheap generic large bottles of plain seltzer- wet the soil, then do it again the next day, and then the next till the potting mix holds water
The seltzer bubbles stay on the surface a long time giving the mix some time to absorb- you have to do this several times and the watering should be spaced out over 2 days
You can use a few drops of the most natural soap you own to make the soil accept water. Or you can buy surfactant (sticker spreader) from your local feed store.
Cover with plastic dome until you have sprouts breakthrough soil. Then uncover. Mist well with a spray bottle. I mix coco coir and seed starting soil and I never have the hydrophobic soil. 16 cups coco coir , 4 cups of seed starting soil and add a mychorrizal inoculation according to package directions for how much soil you have in a ratio for inoculant. Then make that mix pretty wet as well.
I make soil blocks.
https://preview.redd.it/uxcfthro9yqe1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2af652461c82972d3f1900e37fb1641d64f585c
I always dump the mix in a bin and add several large cups of water along with my other amendments. It can hold a ton of water before it even starts to feel wet. I still end up watering stuff in after I plant the seeds and then bottom water but that way the mix will absorb it.
Subirrigate it, add a wetting agent to the water
When you buy the soil, you want the lightest bag you can find, that way you know it isn’t water logged. But before you put soil in your trays, put some water in it, not a lot, just enough to stir it up and dampen it. You want it to feel like a rung out sponge. Fill your trays, plant your seeds, and water as needed. Don’t let seed starting mix or really any other soil for that matter dry out completely. Water will just sit on top and take its sweet time soaking in. The peat treats you’re using will also dry everything out quicker, so keep an eye on things and you’ll be fine. When it comes time to harden them off, don’t be surprised if you have to water them 3-4 times in a day. Wind and sun will make everything dryer than the Sahara.
Think of it this way: when you’re in a drought and you get heavy rain.. what happens? Floods right? Lots of standing water. The ground is so dry and compact that the water has no where to go. But if the ground has moisture and you get heavy rain, the ground is more willing to soak it in.