Okay let me start off by saying I’m a dunce and wasn’t thinking when I germinated the seed I found. I really should have waited until Spring and whatnot but curiosity got the best of me. At first when I saw it growing I thought maybe I’d let it grow until it produced the classic leaves, press them, and make a cool heirloom, but as it got bigger I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
My plant is now about 6” tall and I’ve gotten a cheap pH / wetness/ light gauge, a some pH test strips, and some rooting hormone for later.
I transplanted the seed into a cup of dirt from outside, and eventually potted it in a decent container… but I’m pretty sure I messed up badly. I used miracle grow peat moss as my medium and now the old cotyledons have crumbled away and I’m afraid the first set of true leaves are following suit. They’ve turned softly yellow-green and one is brown/crumbly at the tip. The upper foliage is in good shape, but new foliage appears a lighter hue than the mature leaves (maybe okay?).
My dinky, cheap pH meter told me that the soil was like pH ~5, which I know is a problem, so I flooded the soil (multiple times, I kind of freaked out) and let it drain out until the runoff was near neutral (pH test strips!) but my soil meter still reads quite a low pH (between 5 and 6). It was super cheap so I don’t trust it that much.
I guess what I’m getting at is that I’m concerned for the plant. I assumed it was nutrient lockout from the low pH so I tried to dilute it but it’s been ~24 hours and the lead tips do not look any better. I’m thinking about adding a baking soda slurry to try to neutralize it a bit or just scrapping the peat moss and starting again with a new soil, but I’m concerned about stunting the plant in the event of a new transplant.
I mentioned the transplant in the post but it’s currently in an 8" pot (Better Homes and Gardens 8" Nikolaus from WalMart). I transplanted it last week and by my guess the the sprout is 4 - 5 weeks old.
Checking the pots weight -as to know when to water and not overdo - is a great suggestion!
I’d actually go with about a half a tablespoon as a top dress to start. Work it in with your fingers before a watering.
Thanks @Mrgreenthumb and @blowdout2269 . I’ll see about getting some lime and giving that a try. I if can’t get my hands on lime very easily, would it be okay to sub in some baking soda? I brought it up in the post because it’s really cheap.
Both, actually. When I did the flushing I said I did, I pH’d the soil with litmus paper (about neutral) and after any runoff stops flowing I use the cheap soil meter to check the soil, which calls it pH between 5-6.
Edit:
I should add that I meant that I pH’d the water not the soil with the litmus paper. Also the runoff reads slightly acidic (ideal I think) with litmus paper.
The soil meter is likely worthless. Use the litmus paper if you need to. Just stay between 6&7 going in. If you don’t have pH up/down, or want an organic solution; use baking soda for up and lemon juice/ACV for down. I would likely only be giving 1-2 cups of water daily, or two every other day. It’s hard to say. If you can collect any runoff in the drip tray and test with paper, that’d be good also. That will give you the soils pH. About halfway between the water going in, that’s coming out, ya know?
It’s likely some pictures would help everyone here help you more.
No, I rarely water from the top to prevent fungus gnats, water only into saucer.
Toplayer remains more dry and decomposes very fast anyway, the more diversity you add.
Water in teh saucer a little bit every two days or so and the soil and plant will suck it all up like a sponge, fungi absorb and regulate the moisture too.
