gjs4786
Well-Known Member
So, I was just checking my plants earlier and I had the top of the 2 liter bottle on top of them for the added humidity. I've since taken them off, for now.
I smelled the inside of the dome and it smelled like ammonia. The best I can tell, this is due to lack of oxygen due to the soil being over saturated. I've never encountered this problem before (not over watering - the smell) and I'd like to nip it in the proverbial bud before it gets worse.
I thought about transplanting to drier soil, but I think that's a bit too drastic at this point. I don't want to add the stress. They're only 4-5 days old. They appear healthy, seem to be growing fine. Another solution, which will have to wait until I go in to town today to pick some up, is to add a hydrogen peroxide solution to get some oxygen into the soil.. However, that would just add more moisture, so I'd like some input there because it seems counter-productive.
What I've done: Took the domes off, hopefully this will help speed up evaporation and let the soil dry out a little bit quicker. I also added 20-25 holes around the perimeter of the containers they're in, with the hope that some oxygen will penetrate deeper into the container and help speed up the evaporation process, while also delivering some oxygen to the roots. Should I be worried about root rot? Or should I just give it a couple days to let it dry up some? It's not drenched or anything, but I haven't had to water since I planted. That was 6 days ago. Humidity outside of those domes right now is 25%. I would think that air would be sucking those pots as dry as a bone in no time! What gives?
The soil is just some seed starting mix I picked up at the garden store. I under estimated how absorbent this stuff would be. Any input would be appreciated.
I smelled the inside of the dome and it smelled like ammonia. The best I can tell, this is due to lack of oxygen due to the soil being over saturated. I've never encountered this problem before (not over watering - the smell) and I'd like to nip it in the proverbial bud before it gets worse.
I thought about transplanting to drier soil, but I think that's a bit too drastic at this point. I don't want to add the stress. They're only 4-5 days old. They appear healthy, seem to be growing fine. Another solution, which will have to wait until I go in to town today to pick some up, is to add a hydrogen peroxide solution to get some oxygen into the soil.. However, that would just add more moisture, so I'd like some input there because it seems counter-productive.
What I've done: Took the domes off, hopefully this will help speed up evaporation and let the soil dry out a little bit quicker. I also added 20-25 holes around the perimeter of the containers they're in, with the hope that some oxygen will penetrate deeper into the container and help speed up the evaporation process, while also delivering some oxygen to the roots. Should I be worried about root rot? Or should I just give it a couple days to let it dry up some? It's not drenched or anything, but I haven't had to water since I planted. That was 6 days ago. Humidity outside of those domes right now is 25%. I would think that air would be sucking those pots as dry as a bone in no time! What gives?
The soil is just some seed starting mix I picked up at the garden store. I under estimated how absorbent this stuff would be. Any input would be appreciated.
I won't be making the mistake of using it again. I'll post some pictures in a bit. FFOF was the plan all along. I'm in a non-legal state and the nursery down the road sells it for $15/1.5CF 
Go figure! I just thought I'd start them off in what turned out to be a not-so-benign mix made for seedlings.