Concerns with Watering

smitty750 5/7/2011, 12:06 am

This is my first SFG and Ive noticed that while I water my squares it pools up on top and than slowly seeps into my Mels Mix. That seems ok to me, my concern is that immediately after i water if I stick my finger into the mix the soil is wet 1-2'' down and than its dry as a bone after that. Is this normal or am I just not even watering close to enough? Please help

**camprn** 5/7/2011, 12:32 am

Hey Smitty Concerns with Watering 61949

while the plants are small and their root systems not too deep I would suggest you are watering enough for now. But as the plants get larger their water needs will certainly increase. Your plants will let you know if they are not getting enough H2O. But your test of feeling down into the bed is a good one, keep the mix moist and all will be well. No need for totally soaking it just now. Very Happy

smitty750 5/7/2011, 12:37 am

n some of the empty squares i have ive actually soaked the soil so there was standing water after the water seeped in i did the finger test and again the top 1-3'' wet but after that its was still dry. Am i missing something?

Barkie 5/7/2011, 12:45 pm

I'm new to the mix but did you get the whole mix damp right through when you filled your beds before you planted? I know from using peat mixes in the past that when it is dry the peat resists getting damp with a vengeance. I think someone on the forum said they used 25 gallons to get their bed wet the first time.

elliephant 5/7/2011, 2:33 pm

I'm guessing you didn't get the mix wet enough as you filled the bed. Peat really is a pain to get wet when it's bone dry because it actually repels water. I had that problem in the past and found that totally flooding the bed with a soaker hose helped. Also, in any empty squares you can slowly mix in the water by hand, kind of massaging the water into the mix.

Miss M 5/7/2011, 3:09 pm

It is easier to get the stuff wet as you are mixing it in, but you can still get it wet at this point. Like Elliephant said, you'll just need to water, water, water for a while. You may need to go thoroughly water it a couple of times a day for a while to get the peat to finally give up and get wet.

Once it's wet, it's easy to keep it wet. But it's a devil to get it wet the first time.

Sponsored content

Concerns with Watering

Concerns with Watering

Re: Concerns with Watering

Re: Concerns with Watering

Re: Concerns with Watering

Re: Concerns with Watering

Re: Concerns with Watering

Re: Concerns with Watering


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.