watering soil blocks

[birdermom]

What is the best, easiest, or been successful for you in watering your soil blocks...placing them in a mesh bottom container then placing that in a container of water...or...putting them in a container that you add water to the container..2/3 or less and allow to draw up? I need to decide as I pull them from the "greenhouse like" containers when they germinate and go under lights.

[beeman]

The best way I've found is to lower the mesh tray into a half filled second tray, leave for a couple of minutes, then remove to an empty tray.

This doesn't disturb the soil blocks at all which is the danger when top watering, and stops the bottom of the block from becoming waterlogged.

[birdermom]

Do you do this daily once you put them under lights?

[beeman]

Originally Posted by birdermom

Do you do this daily once you put them under lights?

It will depend on heat source, plant size. Mine are in front of double French doors and I find every other day to be sufficient.

[birdermom]

Mine are in a cool basement in front of deck doors....no direct sunlight from doors. I will look at Tractor supply today. Thanks so much for all of your help. Going off subject but how many hours of light do you supply? and when and should I fertilize? My mix had only a small amount of compost added to it.

[beeman]

I just use regular daylight hours.
General opinion is to start fertilizing at second leaf with a weaker strength than normal.
I went full strength and burnt all the roots off

[FarmerShawn]

I do what beeman describes. How often depends on the size of the plants and the weather and, to a certain extent, on experience. I can pretty much tell by weight whether they need a "dunk" or not. I did find in Tractor Supply a plastic tray for the bottom of a rabbit hutch that is about the depth of a standard 1020 tray, and two feet square that holds two trays with room to spare, and makes dunking several trays in a row quite easy.