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Newbie ? how wet is too wet

Hey All,


         I'm new to all of this , so bear with me . I would look inside the tote container about every three days or so .I noticed moisture on the inside of the bags and figured it was working .I'm using the New Baggie method , after  2 weeks, I checked my cuttings and they were WET.  The mix I am using is 80%  Perlite and 20%  Growers Gold Indoor mix . Before potting them in the baggies, I soaked the mix for an hour and then wrung it out until it was just damp to the touch. Should I re-bag everything with a dryer mix ? Unbag the cuttings and add more perlite ,then re-bag ?  Give up and go buy some long fiber moss ?

Thanks ,

The first mistake you made was soaking your mix.  I wouldn't do that, personally.

 

Adding perlite ... I don't think it will help.  It's just gonna soak up the water, and that water will still be in the bag, really.

 

After two weeks, it's remotely possible that you could have roots popping, re-bagging could be dangerous.  You're better just to leave the lid off your container for a few hours a day to allow moisture to escape.  That's about the best I can offer.

  • Rob

If it's too wet you could place a paper towel or similar so it is touching the mix at the top or bottom, or both.  This will wick water away. 

I just potted some of my cuttings I did last month with at least 50% success and only 1 failure. The rest are still viable and I'm leaving most in the "shoebox" for a bit longer. My point is I mixed 7 cups soiless mix and 3 cups perlite with 1 cup water mixed very thoroughly. Barely damp! I still had the clear lids completely covered in water droplets and I know three of my boxes were too wet.

If you're using a lidded container leave the lid off until the moisture levels get where you want them.  You might want a fan to get the air circulating or take the cuttings out and put them on a tray to dry a bit.  Does the tote smell of mold?  You can check a few cuttings without hurting them.  Get a shoebox size or larger plastic container and fill it with lukewarm water at least 3" deep.  Slit the bag and without letting it fall apart lower the whole bag into the water.  Turn the bag over and let the cutting sit in the water while you remove the bag.  It's best to cut from the bottom up an inch or so on 4 sides (continue one of those all the way up) or the taper on the bottom will prevent the bag from sliding off easily.  Then if you have roots you can pot it, if mold you can scrape then treat with physan 20 and if neither rebag it.  :)  Long fibered spagnum does work well.

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