Solution to make water be absorbed into to top of soil when watering dry top-surface?

Cletus clem

Well-Known Member
I will third (fourth?) the yucca. Nectar for the gods makes a great yucca but npk raw has a concentrated yucca powder thats far more economical. I make a solution of .7 gr/ 10 ml. With distilled water. Comes out to 1 ml/ gal. But you could use as much as 3. Or just use it as a powder. An occasionallight surface till will help as well.
 

Maersk

Active Member
Guys, would adding more perlite to the mix help the water to evenly soak downwards towards the bottom of the soil?
 
Last edited:

Cletus clem

Well-Known Member
Guys, would adding more perlite to the mix help the water to evenly soak downwards towards the bottom of the soil?
The problem lies in the non perlite part of your soil becoming non hydroscopic. Ive heard of people using as much as 50% perlite in their soiless mix but i wouldnt suggest such a mix unless you understand why youre using that much and how you will feed the plants with so much inert material that provides very little retention of anything. A wetting agent or surfactant will do exactly what you are looking for though. The yucca adds the benefit of also giving the microbes in your soil suttin yummy to munch on.
 

1000ppm

Well-Known Member
1 . Sounds like you might be letting them dry out a little to much
2. Yucca every 3-4 weeks if needed.
3. When watering, can you give them 20 percent of what you normally would then come right back around to do the real water after they soaked up a little bit.
The slower the better. The slower you water you will have less dry spots in the pot.

That could just mean watering slow or giving them all water a little then come right back a little more etc. This just gets harder cause once they are top wet its easy to lose track of who really has been watered deep.


 
Last edited:

Maersk

Active Member
Thanks guys, I think im going to get a wetting agent for now, and look into a drip system too.
 

Cletus clem

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys, I think im going to get a wetting agent for now, and look into a drip system too.
What is your growing medium/nutes? Synthetic or organic? Either way id still suggest going with a yucca as its natural.
1 . Sounds like you might be letting them dry out a little to much
2. Yucca every 3-4 weeks if needed.
3. When watering, can you give them 20 percent of what you normally would then come right back around to do the real water after they soaked up a little bit.
The slower the better. The slower you water you will have less dry spots in the pot.

That could just mean watering slow or giving them all water a little then come right back a little more etc. This just gets harder cause once they are top wet its easy to lose track of who really has been watered deep.


Just curious as to why only every 3 or 4 weeks? I use it every time i feed and sometimes add it to waterings
 

1000ppm

Well-Known Member
What is your growing medium/nutes? Synthetic or organic? Either way id still suggest going with a yucca as its natural.

Just curious as to why only every 3 or 4 weeks? I use it every time i feed and sometimes add it to waterings

Just cause i think its a waist of $ to use every time. Not a issue if you want to but i dont think you need to keep adding it.
Also i think to much can suffocate the micro herd, so i apply a bit but not continuously.

No proof on the micro herd but most wetting agents are kind of like a soapy texture. Just thoughts in my head so i try to apply but keep balance.
 

WeedFreak78

Well-Known Member
I've used black heavy duty trash bags as drip trays for cloth pots. Pull the bag up tight when watering and it helps with the run out the side issue. Then just fold it down after a couple minutes so it can drain, or vacuum it out if it's inside. I also kick the pots to break up the medium every now and then, especially if it gets too dry.
 

Cletus clem

Well-Known Member
@Cletus clem Hey, Im growing fully organic, I do want to use the Yukka every1 said, but in the UK its not as easy to get all these organic ammendments.

I have managed to find some Yukka liquid wetter(rather than the powder) - http://www.plant-magic.co.uk/products/bio-wetter/23/
Around £9 for 125ml

Perhaps in the UK theres another alternative
Did you look into the npk industries raw line?
Just cause i think its a waist of $ to use every time. Not a issue if you want to but i dont think you need to keep adding it.
Also i think to much can suffocate the micro herd, so i apply a bit but not continuously.

No proof on the micro herd but most wetting agents are kind of like a soapy texture. Just thoughts in my head so i try to apply but keep balance.
Scott from nectar for the gods says the microbes actually like it! I run nectar and had been using hygea hydration but switched to the npk yucca. A qt of hygea at 20$ was good for about 125 gallons. An 8 oz pouch of the npk for 30$ is good for like 2-3000 gallons! (Or something ridiculous!) way more economical. My theory behind using it as often as i do is to help assure all of my medium gets saturated and i figure if the microbes like it then ill feed it to them! By the time my girls are in flower the root mass at the surface is so dense i cant stick my finger in to check the depth of moisture. Its like poking a firm gym mat but takes water fine. I just cut down a clone i flowered to sex and just let her finish out. Prlly pulled a little early but was in the way! I always check out my root ball wen i take a plant down, like to see whats going on down there. "Pound for pound" the best root mass i have ever produced on a plant! I attribute it to good overall health both physically and microbial paired with a medium that would give and take water willingly.
 

GreenLogician

Well-Known Member
I've got a 16L backpack sprayer with a hand pump lever.
I use a spray attachment on the tip of the... wand, at first, to wet the soil.
I do a couple of rounds over each of the plant's topsoil with this, then I take off the spray attachment and give them a quicker flow.

"Its ok saying slower water for 1-5 plants, but when you got alot more its an issue"
--- In the time you are waiting for it to soak in, do other plants.
 

GreenLogician

Well-Known Member
... But to water them while lined up in their growing place like that, you'll need a good drainage system for your runoff, like a flood and drain tray.
 

Maersk

Active Member
Did you look into the npk industries raw line?

An 8 oz pouch of the npk for 30$ is good for like 2-3000 gallons! (Or something ridiculous!) way more economical.
Found a seller, prices

8oz pouch NPK Yucca = £48 ($62)
2oz pouch NPK Yucca = £19 ($25)

Rip off britain!

I am going to try the Plant Magic Bio Wetter for £9, I would much rather give my money to a company trying to make cheaper alternatives available than to these overpriced con merchants.

I cant see people spending such money just to grow tomatoes... its clearly an "well ur growing somthing worth $$$, so il charge you more for my product"
 
Last edited:

Roggers

Member
I am wondering if anybody knows a good work around for this?

Its an annoying problem, when you water a dry surface the water just rolls into a ball and is not absorbed into the soil.

After maybe 20 seconds or so the soil finally accepts it, but sometimes it can overflow if you do not wait for it.

I was thinking maybe spray the top part of soil with a sprayer first, but wondering if anybody got any other better ways?
Seriously? You don't cover the top of your soil with the clay media used by hydro growers and others using soil? You can water without worry, and it helps to keep a good distance between plant and anything growing in the soil that could threaten your plants (gnats, and other buggies). https://www.amazon.com/Leca-Clay-Orchid-Hydroponic-Media/dp/B004IAM29K/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1499096496&sr=8-6&keywords=hydro+balls
 

Cletus clem

Well-Known Member
Found a seller, prices

8oz pouch NPK Yucca = £48 ($62)
2oz pouch NPK Yucca = £19 ($25)

Rip off britain!

I am going to try the Plant Magic Bio Wetter for £9, I would much rather give my money to a company trying to make cheaper alternatives available than to these overpriced con merchants.

I cant see people spending such money just to grow tomatoes... its clearly an "well ur growing somthing worth $$$, so il charge you more for my product"
Maybe i got the 2 oz pouch? I forget. It is pretty concentrated, 1/16-1/8tsp=5 gallons. I weighed out a 1/4 tsp (appx .7g) and mixed with 10ml of distilled water to get 1ml/gal. Im going to look into the bio wetter. I went with the npk because its 100 times more economical then the stuff i was using. Whatever works!!!
 

Maersk

Active Member
@Roggers No, I dont use that clay, also I doubt it will be as effective as a wetting agent or dripper - I guess the water will pass the clay, but how will it soak below just because the clay is on top?

@Cletus clem Are you in the states? If so the prices are reasonable there so its understandable.

Also, regarding bio wetter, Plant Magic is a UK brand so probably not worth you looking into it if you are in the US...
 

Cletus clem

Well-Known Member
@Roggers No, I dont use that clay, also I doubt it will be as effective as a wetting agent or dripper - I guess the water will pass the clay, but how will it soak below just because the clay is on top?

@Cletus clem Are you in the states? If so the prices are reasonable there so its understandable.

Also, regarding bio wetter, Plant Magic is a UK brand so probably not worth you looking into it if you are in the US...
Dosnt seem like its that concentrated. 1-2 ml per liter? The bottle pictured on their website is 250 ml. At the concentration im using, there is enough raw powder to make 3.2 of those bottle only it would be 1-2 ml per gallon So closer to almost 10 of those bottles. The raw may be £7 more up front but is by far less expensive in the end. Again, whatever works. Just confused as to how you came up with the plant magic being less expensive. Powdered nutrients are almost always going to be less expensive than a comparable liquid form. Youre not paying for water! It will also have a much better shelf life.
 

dwceazy

Member
I am wondering if anybody knows a good work around for this?

Its an annoying problem, when you water a dry surface the water just rolls into a ball and is not absorbed into the soil.

After maybe 20 seconds or so the soil finally accepts it, but sometimes it can overflow if you do not wait for it.

I was thinking maybe spray the top part of soil with a sprayer first, but wondering if anybody got any other better ways?
yucca is a safe organic wetting agent raw soluble yucca check it out lasts forever aswell
 

Maersk

Active Member
@Cletus clem if that is the dilution ratios, then that makes you right, I do recall seeing NPK ratio of 1/16th of a ts and assumed PM version would be somewhat similar, guess not.

I will get the 2oz NPK Yucca and give it a shot.

Thanks!
 
Top