That’s my same go-to. FFOF with some extra chunky perlite
Also IMO dry backs help a ton. Makes the roots search deeper into the soil for water.
6 Likes
Lots of good info as always. I like to feel the pots or cups. I always start in solo cups. They don’t require much water as a seedling. I just dribble water from a water bottle with a nipple on it. The cup can completely dry out and the plant wont react for almost a day. My larger potted plants i wait to see the leavess start to droop before i give them water.
After cups are completely dry just dribble some more basically till the top soil looks wet.
Any good black dirt will work. Aeration def help but plenty of weed grown without adding it. I have a friend that grows fire on the reg. All dirt form his yard.
Mykos and not letting the pots completely dry out works really well in soil. My root balls with blumats are awesome.
12 Likes
No specific brand of soil since what they sell for soil here is pebbles, sticks and sand. I amend it myself but I make sure no ferts in the soil. Overwatering is a huge issue with me this I know without a doubt.
Thanks everyone so what I’m getting out of this is I need to use a different soil for seedlings. @shag pointed out and others in this thread @globalhead my soil is just too dense. It needs to be more perlite/coir for better root expansion and movement.
I water by weight for the most part but when temps get high and I’m gone all day I give a bit more water then end up with the bottom soil soaked but the upper soil dry. Sounds like I should go with an almost soiless soil for starter. Maybe coir/perlite and a bit of worm castings.
The rh is between 30-35% and temps are 70-87° for now will get higher through out summer.
Thanks everyone lots of good stuff. I hope implementing these things will greatly improve my seedlings. I also hope this thread might help others. Overwatering won’t be such an issue if the medium can only hold so much moisture.
Please keep adding and asking questions cause this is good stuff.
3 Likes
I use Sunshine Mix #4 religiously for starting seeds/rooted clones since the early 90’s and with it I swear by this watering regimen… 1/6th the volume of the container.
take a solo cup with no holes in it , if that is what you are using for clones/seedlings and fill it with water up to the level you usually fill the soil to. Then measure precisely how much water that is. Divide that by 6 and you have the magic number for that container. Water only when the pot feels light and just before any wilt takes place.
21 days like that and should look like this. I don’t add any mycos or anything special but I do prewet the sunshine mix 4 with general hydro flora micro 5ml per gallon/bloom 10ml per gallon. Then only water until transplant on day 21 which just happens to be today.
7 Likes
I am not an NPK kinda guy but I am pretty sure this shifts the feed to an elevated P ratio and if this is true that is very good for telling the plant it is time for making roots.
5 Likes
I been struggling to find the right equation and you just provided it…thanks 
2 Likes
Get you a good Mycorrhizal Inoculant -
Root Enhancer/Stimulator
I like DYNOMYCO
https://a.co/d/6yFP1xG
1 Like
Thanks that I will take into acct. Wow all this info is great. I did forget to mention I use mycos+ a tsp mix into the soil.
@shag knowing that p in npk is what helps root formation is also very helpful. I’m soon collecting the ashes from my neighbors lawn waste burn barrel.
1 Like
Definitely both an issue with drainage and you not letting it dry back enough. Plants can go a while without watering as long as there’s room to grow roots/look for water, as long as it’s not oversaturated (root rot)
2 Likes
I dust the mycos right in the roots and that seems to work well. Not sure if there is a real difference either way but figured it’s worth mentioning.
Good fluffy aerated medium almost completely negates overwatering, allows the roots to spread and allows for easy to lift pots to know when to water. Just my 2 cents
5 Likes
the 1/6th volume works for me in sunshine mix #4 with nothing else added.
It may not be as effective in other mediums but should also work for promix HP
With actual soil that may have different water holding properties the amount may need to be adjusted. I find in the sunshine mix 4 , the 1/6th volume serves me well and seems to allow a good moisture/air relationship that favors root health.
I keep meaning to add mycos to my regimen but everything like that is mail order only where I am at and I just haven’t ordered any yet LOL
3 Likes
I have always heard it about 5% to 15% of your pots volume, depending on strain and what phase/maturity. I guess substrate as well.
Once established, i stay around 10% of pot volume. Maybe i have been underwatering
2 Likes
Microkote Creates complex root ball structure that act similar to fabric pots in that the coating on the inside of your pots prunes your roots for you grow plants 4 times the size out of a little pot and you hold your water better being in hard pots.Bigger plants you will have to adjust for top dressings as the plant eats up all the soil it was initially planted in These things pack pots so root trimming for mothers is a must.Micronutrients are embedded in the paint so they get a touch of feed at a extremely
slow release
3 Likes
I wouldn’t use anything to boost root, it looks like some watering issue, as you are in the desert, why not add a cup of desert sand to the soil?
Sand would bring some minerals and would make the soil better to drain and breathe.
You live in desert and you should try to use most local materials to tune your soil for your needs, you can develop a better watering technique or you can make your soil better for overwatering but the first one is the way to go.
1 Like
Check out Lions Pride, comes with beneficial bacteria and myco already in it. It’s cheap in Amazon anywhere else it’s pricey. You need the bacteriassss 
2 Likes
Folks should put their favorite microbe product under a microscope to make sure it is still alive.
Most have been found to be mostly dead.
You could be just wasting money…
3 Likes
Nice ball.
2 Likes