Best seed starting MIX

[Barbee]

Guilty of petting the maters here!

I think any good quality potting mix works fine, but we all get attached to one brand or another. I think the most important part of growing stocky, healthy plants is to keep the lights down on them, give them plenty of movement with a fan or petting (my fav), good watering practices, and keeping a close eye on things so you can ward off problems before they get out of hand.

[Turbomicah]

I start my seedlings indoors. These are my priorities to grow the Super Thick & Strong mater plants that I do.

1. Heating pad under my seedling trays to get the seeds up fast. Once they get their true leaves, the heating pad goes.

2. Keep your light close to your plants so they don't need to grow tall to reach the light. Plenty of darkness too.

3. FANS!! I use up to 4 small fans on timers. I move them around daily. when the seedlings are getting blown around they tear and grow back like our muscles do. (Same principal as lifting weights to pump muscles) This will stunt the upward growth of your seedlings and make them grow thick & strong.

4. Cooler temps.

5. I mix pearlite with soil from the woods. Your seedlings need to be able to breathe (pearlite) & not be overwatered to the point the soil is compacted.

6.The only fertilizer I use is my compost tea. I'll dilute my tea with unchlorinated water and apply to my seedlings instead of tap water. Again, don't over water.

Hope this helps!

[travis]

Nice. A natural and well thought out approach, Turbo. I think the physical stimulation and cool off after the true leaves emerge is key. Also I like to bury them deep when potting up to 4 inch pots. Right up below the first true leaves. That seems to stimulate stocky stems too.

[Mischka]

I've been using this Fafard mix for years to start 1000's of seedlings. I've tried other brands but no other mix has consistently performed nearly as well.

Link to manufacturer's product information page: http://www.fafard.com/index.php?p=136

[roper2008]

Lots of good info here. I usually start my seeds in peat pellets. I
know a lot of people hate them, but I've had no problems with them.
Since I'm going to have lots, lots more tomatoes and peppers, those
pellets can be a little costly. 25 for $2.99. So I have been saving
my egg cartons. I have some Miracle Grow Catus Mix leftover, I'll
use that and I have from last summer Miracle Grow Potting Mix. I
have never seen the Fafard Brand. Is it expensive? I will keep my
eye out for it next summer.

[Duh_Vinci]

Originally Posted by Barbee

I think any good quality potting mix works fine, but we all get attached to one brand or another

Very much agree with you! Though amazing, how many different products and techniques are available!

While I tried many different seed starting medias, the one I'm starting enjoy using more and more is made by Espoma "Organic Seed Starter", and here is why:

- Comes in resealable bag, and partially moist right out of the bag
- Loaded with Ectomycorrhizal and Endomychorrhizal fungi, with expiration date
- Texture is fine enough to cover the seeds with no bulk, yet enough perlite and other particles to keep it loose
- Very easy to wet at any stage

The only thing I add to the mix is Worm Castings. Aside from that - very happy with the product as a seed starting media.

Regards,
D

[ddrsheden]

All I use is Jiffy pellets. I even use them to start my super hot peppers. Always had great germination and easy to pot up. I'm only starting about 100 plants though.

[mensplace]

humates, fulvic acid, microorganisms, sphagnum, perlite, compost,meals, greensand, organic and chemical fertilizers, gypsum, limestone, wtiing agents and more have been found in the commercial seed starting mixes I have found on the shelf even at Lowes this year....most in very small bags and at fairly steep prices. I wonder how much or which of the or other componenets really need to go into seed starting and seed potting mixes? Seems like with the incredbible resource of experience here we could come up with a standard, almost perfect, mix that would serve us well and save hugely when mixed in bulk.

[Trice]

Has anyone tried to start seeds in worm casings? I have a worm bin and plenty of casings. I thought that I would try to start seedlings in it this year. In the past, I have used the casings when I potted up my seedlings. Any stray tomato seeds that would happan to be in my worm casings would spring up around my seedlings. I would pull out these volunteers not knowing what variety they were.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by Trice

Has anyone tried to start seeds in worm casings? I have a worm bin and plenty of casings. I thought that I would try to start seedlings in it this year. In the past, I have used the casings when I potted up my seedlings. Any stray tomato seeds that would happan to be in my worm casings would spring up around my seedlings. I would pull out these volunteers not knowing what variety they were.

I haven't used worm castings, but I used homemade compost a few years ago. Since I grow my tomato seeds in cold frames with no bottom heat, they are slow to germinate and seeds from the compost germinated first -- not good, because none of the volunteers I've kept over the years has been worth keeping, and then I didn't know if the seedling was what I wanted or a volunteer. But I have used my compost for starting kale and broccoli seeds, which are quite vigorous, and if I get brassica volunteers they're ok too.

The compost is more dense than I like for seed starting, but I didn't think I had a budget for a big bag of perlite, which would help a lot. I also use my compost to pot up the seedlings, and I've found that if I use a coarse sifter rather than a fine sifter, that leaves some chunky material to help the mix drain better. By the time the seedlings are big enough to pot up, any stray seeds that later sprout from the compost are easy to identify and pull out.

I couldn't find a seed-starting mix when I needed it in Feb-March this year, so I looked around and found the OSH chain had a big bag of NutraPeat (coir instead of peat moss) that I'd bought before for potting up blueberry plants, and it listed "seed starting" as one of the uses. So I used that, and it worked pretty well. It was something like $8 for 2-3 cf, vs. $10-15 each for a big bag of perlite or peat moss (to make a soilless mix), or $8-10 for a tiny bag of "seed starting mix" when they finally stocked it in April.

If I were going to use homemade compost as part of a seed-starting mix, I'd first have to heat-sterilize it to get rid of stray tomato seeds already in the compost. But that would also neutralize the beneficial microorganisms in it.

[mtbigfish]

Yes we all have our favorites
I like ProMix Plug grade with Biofungicide (helps prevent damping off ) for seeding. You can also get ProMix with Mycorrhizae (but I add plant success instead - more bugs) some people add fertilizers and actinovate, messenger, serenade etc also but I do not use a special fertlizer when seeding or for the seedlings with the exception of just a diluted fish and kelp emulsion - (thinking about Biotone)

When I plant into 3-4" pots I use ProMix BX with fungicide - add a little white pumice the plant success, actinovate and diluted fish/kelp - that is all I do (besides water) until ready to put out in the garden then I also add to the ground worm poop, fertilizer and some garden and bloom harvest supreme

I have used Dr Earth organic tomato and veggie fertilizer for years - but sometimes it appears to cake - float - and not mix well - am looking for any suggestions to a new ferilizer that is close to Dr Earth that may work better
Dennis