So I got a badseed to actually work and the root started coming out after leaving it in a baggie with a damp paper towel. I put potting soil (21-7-14) in a small pot and got it very wet and allowed it to drain. I then placed the seed on top of the soil and put a small layer of dry soil on top. Next, I put the pot in a rubbermaid type thing I made and put it under one 70 watt light (for now). I forgot to put anything over the pot to keep the moisture in, how big of an issue is this? It's been a day and a half and nothing has happened. Being the idiot that I am, I moved around the soil to see if I accidentally put the seed too deep and I uncovered the seed. I quickly covered it back up how it was, but it looked like the root had clearly gotten about double the size when I saw it. So my questions are: How big of an issue is it that I forgot to cover it to keep in moisture for the first few days? Did I potentially ruin it by uncovering it? Lastly, what else do you suggest? Any comments would help. Thanks
Nah dude chill haha sometimes i uncover my newly planted seeds and they still sprout, as long as you aren't messing around with the tap root too much and are very delicate, it will be fine. And as for the baggie, it's cool if you don't have one over it, sometimes i just get my spray bottle and mist the topsoil just a bit and i have yet to have a problem. You don't need any light until it sprouts btw unless you aren't around to see when it happens, but keeping it on merely reduces stretching once it breask surface. Oh and why didn't you actually plant it instead of just putting soil on top of it?
The soil was really wet even though I let it drain, so I didn't want to drown it. I decided just putting dry soil on top would be enough of a balance.
Would that be Miracle Gro potting mix? Not a good choice, friend. Find a soil without fertilizer built in, and preferably not from MG.
you could add perlite and other stuff, but IMO I think you should wait until they grow a bit more, and then transplant into something that isn't horrible here is a quote of a post I made to show the difference of my plants not being in MG soil after 4 days...
It's about a 8" inch diameter. Not sure of the gallon size. Transplanting would hurt the plant, wouldnt it?
Bump. Is there not some type of thing that I can add to this type of soil to help rather than having to transplant?
No you cant add anything to soil with a plant already in it just use your head to get that one. Transplants arent all that bad, you can do one or two but thats pretty much it. how high off the ground is your pot? It sounds like its not too big so you should just wait 2 weeks then transplant it into a 3 gallon or 5 and that will be its final home. Remeber to get perlite and some new soil to mix together in the pot when you transplant. You probably have some soil left over, so you can probably just do with a bag of perlite. Get a 5 gallon or 4 and use an entire bag of perlite, its not bad to have alot it helps the roots grow bigger.
So it's okay to use the miracle grow potting mix if I add perlite to it when I transfer to a larger pot?
I would completely NOT recommend it. IMO it's a waste of a grow if you do that. get some good soil, and your plants will thank you. Here is a link to fox farms dealer locator. click on the state, and then what city, and I will give you a list of locations. Fox Farm Dealer Locator if you can find one near you, I recommend fox farm ocean forest. ITS THE BEST!
You can buy generic potting soil from any generic store, like K-Mart, Wal-Mart, occasionally Home Depot. Also, I've found that ORGANIC Miracle Gro won't give your plants nute burn.