Bottom watering
Hi. I've been using the bottom watering technique all throughtout my seed starting process. My question is at what point do I stop using this technique? The reason I ask is that I recently up-potted some oregano into 3.5" square pots that are approximately 4" deep. There appears to be some wilting and I'm investigating whether this is due to my watering process.
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autonomousgardener
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It won't kill you to top water to test your theory. It's just one plant, and then you will observe and learn from observation.
Also I'm useless here, because I don't transplant my plants - I start them in a seven inch deep banded pots (I know, no one does that) then I put them in the ground. It is crazy I know, but I also start multiple species in one pot and that's an insane thing to do as well - but somehow it works every year.
Good luck
Also I'm useless here, because I don't transplant my plants - I start them in a seven inch deep banded pots (I know, no one does that) then I put them in the ground. It is crazy I know, but I also start multiple species in one pot and that's an insane thing to do as well - but somehow it works every year.
Good luck
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applestar
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Some people bottom water all their plants -- seedlings and mature.
Your oregano could be suffering from transplant shock and just need a few days to recover. It's a hour idea to water well just before and after transplanting. Especially if you transplanted from a drying mix, the roots could have dried out.
Another possibility is you may have potted them into too heavy mix. Or you may be watering them on "schedule" -- as frequently as you did before when they were in smaller containers that dried out faster.
Your oregano could be suffering from transplant shock and just need a few days to recover. It's a hour idea to water well just before and after transplanting. Especially if you transplanted from a drying mix, the roots could have dried out.
Another possibility is you may have potted them into too heavy mix. Or you may be watering them on "schedule" -- as frequently as you did before when they were in smaller containers that dried out faster.
Well, I don't 'follow the rules'. I use the peat pellets, top water. That only modified if seeds are itty bitty. I also water same day I go up to 4", so the root area is damp. For many things I use plain old MG potting mix, sometimes Fafards potting mix. It is my experience oregano dries out faster than others perhaps as there are more little plants/stems/root per pot.
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skiingjeff
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We start our plants in various size plugs and pots and up-pot into the 3.5" pots and bottom water all the way through. We used to use MG but are now just making a potting mix on our own but the process hasn't changed. I have noticed that some of the pots seem to absorb water better than others at times. 
There have been times that I've actually repotted with new soil and it seems to help that problem and I've also top watered if all else fails. I do find that when we top water it can cause green mold to form because the pots seem to get wetter than with bottom watering.
I've started oregano this way with no noticeable problems with it as well. Good luck and I hope all works out for you.
There have been times that I've actually repotted with new soil and it seems to help that problem and I've also top watered if all else fails. I do find that when we top water it can cause green mold to form because the pots seem to get wetter than with bottom watering.
I've started oregano this way with no noticeable problems with it as well. Good luck and I hope all works out for you.