My soil seems that it stays wet for too long. Tip and tri...
I watered most of these guys about 2 weeks ago and the dirt still feels damp. Obviously I wont be watering them yet. But any helpful tips on the soil drying faster or at least avoiding root rot would be helpful, I’m still learning. They are all in a succulent/cactus soil mixed with perlite. With extra perlite at the bottom of the pot to help avoid holding onto too much water. The pots either have drainage or a nursery pot inside the decorative one. This location is a temporary home as they outgrew their last spot and I’m moving at the end of the month. There is a south facing window just to the left, but it’s the only window in my apartment that gets any sun. Thanks in advance!
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@AwesomePlants I do have grow lights on the shelves, I just turned them off for the picture. They’re red/blue LED grow lights. Are white lights better?
More light, more airflow.
Other helpful things are like not packing the the soil into the pot when planting. Adding horticultural charcoal to your soil. Sifting and washing off an soil amendments of any fine layers of rock sediment or tiny pieces. Using a porous pot or a pot with a lot more holes like a orchid pot. Adding a fan nearby.
Typically it is not recommend to add a layer of rocks/etc into the bottom of the pot as it raises the water table higher in the pot into the root zone. Perlite is porous and can hold onto a lot of moisture, so it could be humidifying the pot.
And to answer the question about the light, not necessarily. The different light colors focus on different things, but it’s really based on the strength of the light, right now the full spectrum lights are popular. Even though you have lights, they may not be strong enough for your plants. Some lights have more data with PPFD values based on the distance placed to the plants, which is really helpful when you are trying to grow without the sun. It looks like you have a lot of succulent and cactus like things, and they typically take a lot of light, so the light may not be doing enough.
Other helpful things are like not packing the the soil into the pot when planting. Adding horticultural charcoal to your soil. Sifting and washing off an soil amendments of any fine layers of rock sediment or tiny pieces. Using a porous pot or a pot with a lot more holes like a orchid pot. Adding a fan nearby.
Typically it is not recommend to add a layer of rocks/etc into the bottom of the pot as it raises the water table higher in the pot into the root zone. Perlite is porous and can hold onto a lot of moisture, so it could be humidifying the pot.
And to answer the question about the light, not necessarily. The different light colors focus on different things, but it’s really based on the strength of the light, right now the full spectrum lights are popular. Even though you have lights, they may not be strong enough for your plants. Some lights have more data with PPFD values based on the distance placed to the plants, which is really helpful when you are trying to grow without the sun. It looks like you have a lot of succulent and cactus like things, and they typically take a lot of light, so the light may not be doing enough.
@VerdantFlora no, white lights aren't necessarily better, but not all grow lights are equal. I've just found those color lights don't work as well as my GE lights. All my 200 plants only get grow lights, as I don't get any natural light.