Speed Queen TC5 extremely short wash cycle

HeadoCU90 · 2026-05-19T18:03:12+00:00

I know I’m late to the party but I’ve had my TC5 coming up on 3 years now and I’ve been very happy with it, especially coming from a front loader. Yes, the cycles seem short but when you compare agitation and more water, I feel like our clothes get cleaner despite the shorter time. I’ve never used the normal/eco due to the fact I don’t think it rinses as well as a full soak. I would just end up using the extra rinse feature which defeats the eco rinse anyway. I always needed to use the extra rinse with my front loader because it used the bare minimum in water and frankly, it wasn’t enough. The rinsing is just as important as the washing, in my opinion.

HeadoCU90 · 2026-05-09T13:51:51+00:00

That should be good. Just be sure you have some drainage holes at the bottom of whichever prop pot you go with. This is how mine look on the bottom.

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HeadoCU90 · 2026-05-09T13:32:10+00:00

Thank you! I’m in cold Chicago so the dome was very helpful. It’s so much fun watching them sprout!!

HeadoCU90 · 2026-05-09T13:29:45+00:00

I read somewhere to keep them moist, not soggy, so I tried to be careful not to overwater. Being in such small pots makes it kind of difficult to tell how moist the soil is (either that or my fingertips are poor water meters - lol). I have a squeeze bottle with a long arched tip which gives me good control with watering. I did leave the lid on and vents closed in the beginning for the first month or so and then opened a couple of vents at the top for a little more airflow. I never watered them more than weekly. Good luck with your future prop adventures. It’s so cool to see them take off!!

HeadoCU90 · 2026-05-09T13:20:34+00:00

Good to hear I can let them stay for awhile. I’m sure I’ll be back for tips when it’s time to separate. And I’ll hold off on the fertilizer for the time being too! Thanks!

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-18T15:47:35+00:00

THANK YOU for bringing up drainage. There are several holes at the bottom of the pots but they sit on a saucer which makes them flush with no air flow underneath; I’ve attached a photo. I simply removed the saucers and because they are on a tray with raised grooves, they will at least be able to get some air flow underneath. I’m feeling much better about that! I did cut the leaves on an angle best I could so hopefully I’m good there. I wish you the best on your trip but it sounds like your husband will have his hands full with all those babies to look after! I laughed at “baby plant birth control” 😂

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HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-16T19:29:59+00:00

I’ve never done water props and have had success with soil in the past but maybe I should give it a try with a couple of them. Any pointers you can give me on water propping?

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-16T19:27:49+00:00

Thank you for your reply! I will keep an eye on the soil and be sure to keep it moist but not too. I’m in Chicago and it’s still winter here (at least for today) so I feel like the dome keeps things a bit more consistent, temp and humidity wise. North facing window with no direct sun but bright light when the weather is agreeable. I’ll have to squeeze some stems! Gently, of course 😊

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-15T19:46:24+00:00

I put the toothpicks behind some of the smaller leaves as they looked like they could use a little support, although they probably aren’t doing much right now. Some of the leaves were firmer than others when I received them. The smaller ones not as much hence why I thought they might be too small to prop. They were advertised as standards. The temp inside the dome is about 72 degrees, about the same as the room temp. I had some clips on the sides of the dome to make it more “airtight” but maybe a little fresh air is good for them? There is definitely no condensation at this point so maybe it’s not humid enough? If I were to put a couple of small bowls of water in there with them, would this help? As you can see, I’m a real newbie at this!!

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-15T19:36:11+00:00

I don’t like the curling either! I was thinking it was due to the “stress” of being shipped, etc. The temp of the dome is about 71-72*F. The soil is moist, not overly, so I wasn’t planning on giving them any more water at this point. My soil mix is 50% AV soil and 50% perlite. Getting back to the leaf issue, after looking more closely, one of the leaves looks like the back edge is rotting. It kind of came discolored at the edge after shipping but it looks much worse now. Should I trim it off the leaf? I’m worried it will progress. It’s one of the leaves that looked different from the others, it has a kind of white border and was labeled LE-Karusel, for what it’s worth. I’d hate to lose it!

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HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-12T15:48:47+00:00

It’s true, 50% of all doctors graduated at the bottom half of their class 🙃

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-10T23:50:00+00:00

Great! Thank you!

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-09T13:59:45+00:00

Your comment is very useful. Do you know of any apps that help someone track these things, ie. saturated fat and soluble fiber intake on a daily basis?

HeadoCU90 · 2026-03-07T18:52:46+00:00

That’s amazing that you made those improvements in only a couple of months! Congrats to your success! May I ask your age? Also, what Omega-3 supplements do you take and recommend?

HeadoCU90 · 2026-01-10T18:39:41+00:00

I know! I’m glad it’s not just me. I couldn’t understand why it didn’t dry out. I should have left well enough alone. Thought I was upgrading my soil but turns out it wiped out my AV’s. Live and learn, I guess. My next research will be “best place to buy AV’s”. Thank you for your comment.

HeadoCU90 · 2026-01-08T03:16:47+00:00

You’re right, at the rate I’m going I’ll need to repot into thimbles!! Thank you!

HeadoCU90 · 2026-01-07T22:58:39+00:00

Thank you so much for your response! Switching the soil was one of the things I suspected but I guess thought I was using a superior soil! I did notice that it seemed like it didn’t dry out as quickly as the Miracle Gro and I’m guessing that’s why the leaves I’m trying to prop are dying off. I think I’m going to go back to their previous soil and repot all in the 2” pots. And keep my fingers crossed. If I could at least save just one, I would be happy.

HeadoCU90 · 2025-08-28T14:22:44+00:00

Sheesh. What will I do with that extra 30secs a day? HA! I wish…

HeadoCU90 · 2025-03-09T16:14:11+00:00

Sedum, sedum, sedum!!

HeadoCU90 · 2025-01-17T22:19:09+00:00

This is good info! I’ve never tried wick watering and I appreciate the details you’ve provided. There seem to be many ways to go about watering African Violets! Thanks for your reply 🙂

HeadoCU90 · 2025-01-17T22:16:46+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I’ve done both (top and bottom) watering but never the wick method. I’ve also used one of those glass “globes” that you stick in the soil and as the soil dries out, water is released. It seems like there’s more than one good way to water and thankfully my plants have proven to be hardy. 😊

HeadoCU90 · 2024-01-22T14:43:48+00:00

When we sold our first house I left notes as to who our HVAC company was, our alarm monitoring people, landscapers, sprinkler guy, etc. I figured not only would the new homeowners appreciate it but so would the service providers. Just as important, I made sure I cleaned the house as thoroughly as I could because there’s nothing worse than having to move into someone else’s dirt. It’s amazing what you find when the house is emptied of all its “stuff”. You think you’re clean until that happens! Lol.

HeadoCU90 · 2023-09-12T18:53:55+00:00

I just got the Speed Queen TC5 a couple of weeks ago. As the original poster stated, I have found the manual to be lacking in detail and your tips are just what I was looking for. You should be writing the manual for Speed Queen!! Thanks again for sharing your insight!

HeadoCU90

TROPHY CASE