Need a better seed starting mix

Hi All. I need some suggestions on a better seed starting mix. I read about Pro-mix and I REALLY wanted some, but after calling most the big stores in the Minneapolis area- I found that no one sells it. And I refuse to pay the $150 in shipping they were asking for on the internet. Anyway- so I once again grabbed some Miracle Grow, and as soon as I started mixing, I was irritated by all the big chunks. So I know there are others of you in my area, what do you like to use? Have you found anything you like? Where did you get it? Thanks!

It would be nice if we could see what was in the bag before buying it.

I've been using MG for yrs and I think i've had ONE bag that had chunky stuff in it. the one i have now is really light and fluffy. I really need to take a photo of it.

I know some of the gals in the winter sowing forum use this stuff that starts with an F ... i'll have to find it.

errr, i'll get the link to soils ... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/813723/

the brand is .... Fafard

hope this helps,

Terese

Of course, there is always the seed starting mixes from Scotts, Jiffy, Burpee, etc. I've never looked into if there were different kinds of Pro mix or not, but at the Home Depot in Chaska, we do have a (I think 2cubic foot size) of Pro mix that is cube shaped like compressed peat would be. At the moment(and probably untill mid March), it is outside in a pallet above, but I could get it down for you. It is much more expensive ($14-17), but not so heavily weighted in proportion of peat. Unlike MG, there is perlite and ground bark (or similar) in it too. A better mix for nearly everything, IMO, than MG.

I usually just crush the chunks in MG between my fingers or hands. If the soil dries out, you'll need to wet it first.

Rick (known as Rich in the garden dept. at HD, Chaska)

I don't think I can be very helpful here, because I suspect MN doesn't have Stein Garden Centers (which is a chain around here). I love their seed starting mix. It's mostly peat with vermiculite. I would think anything that was peat based with agricultural vermiculite would probably be similar. This stuff is nice and fluffy and easy to work with. Drains well. I've had no problems.

I too use PRO-MIX, which I order from Nolt's Midwest Produce Supply, Charles City, Iowa. I use Pro-Mix BX (sphagnum peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, wetting agent, and major and minor elements with Mycorise Pro. Available in 3.8 cu. ft. comp. bale or 2.8cu. ft. loose bag. Bales ship wt. is 75 lbs. and bags are 35 lbs.. I use Pro-Mix PGX (fine grind germinating mix) with Biofungicide (prevents damping off) in 2.8 cu. ft. bag. for seed starting. I use a heavy garden hoe and large garden cart to break up a half of a comp. bale at a time. I am 200+ miles from Nolts in North Freedom, Wi. and plan on making the trip with my vegetable school bus in march to try to save on shipping. I will have a fairly large order of supplies for my produce growing and farm stand.

Hope I'm not too late with a suggestion. Gardener's Supply makes a great seed starting mix and they have both sterilized and organic.

I found it in Lakeville at Terra something. I also found it somewhere else but can't remember where.
Getting old is not fun.

I much prefer this mix to the usual kind found everywhere else.

i made my seed starting mix, with pearlite ,and sifted sphagnum peat.So far all seedlings are happy,drains well ,I did 1/2 1/2 ,saved lots of $$$.Very happy so far.

Hugger - thanks for posting your "recipe". Did you have to sift the peat yourself? And did you have to sterilize it? DD and I made a batch a few weeks ago with peat and vermiculite to start her seeds.

I did not sterilize it,seems to be fine so far .I have germination and I have 3-4 sets of leaves on violas. The 1st bag of peat was nice .2nd bag needs sifted a bit but its not bad.I found the recipe on the back of the peat bag,but it was 1/3 peat 2/3 pearlite,way too dry,soo 1/2 1/2 seems to be right.Saving a lot of $$$ and last year I think it was MG starter I hated it,yukkie it was... good Luck. Tamara

I think that most company's "seed starting mix" varies a lot ffrom year to year, and region to region. They probably use more of whatever's cheapest that year.

I've heard several people say, and not just on this thread, that they screen some peat moss and mix it with perlite. Maybe they are able to keep long strands of peat by starting with their own bale.

I always seemed to wind up with "peat powder" and zero drainage or aeration when i bought standard Jiffy-Mix. Get it too wet once, and it remains far too wet for weeks.

Now I like using mostly clean pine bark from mulch: some fibers and some smallish chunks. That provides lots of drainage and air channels. I only have one season's experience with this. Many people have told me "no one uses pine bark for seed-starting, only for potting up". Since no one knew "why", I'm trying it.

Screened pine bark mulch gives much faster drainage than peat, without wasting half the root zone on Perlite.

Next year, I'm going to screen the pine bark mulch finer than I did this year, perhaps "passes through a 1/2 inch screen VERY easily", instead of "passes a 1/2 inch screen if you rub it". Or I might screen it twice and then pick chunks out by eye. This year, small seeds had to push aside too many chunks.

I did add rather a lot of coarse Perlite to the pine bark, to improve drainage and aeration further. Maybe 20%? This year's batch was quite gritty, drains fast, and holds LOTS of air.

Next year, I might add more peat than I did this year, for the finest and slowest seeds. This year, it was around 10% peat.

I usually sprinkle some fine vermiculite on top, so that small seeds are surrounded by vermiculite.

I start with the best, finest-grind "pine bark mulch" that I can find, which means not wasting time at Home Depot or Lowes. Any mulch I've found there has been damp, chunky, woody, half-fermented garbage. Too much wood, too much big stuff, too much half-composted powder.

Finally I "splurged" a few more dollars on two cubic feet of "nice" pine bark mulch from a pricey nursery, of the smallest grind and apparently somewhat screened already. Dryish, no "fermented, anearobic" smell, almost no "powder", no huge chunks.

It was better for seed starting than "fine orchid bark" that costs as much for 6 quarts, as two cubic feet of mulch costs.

I screen the mulch so it passes through 1/2" hardware cloth. I wish I had 3/8ths inch cloth! I try to discard some of what passes through 1/4" hardware cloth, to keep it draining fast, but that isn't necessary unless the original bag had too much fine fiber and powder.

Probably the finest bark fibers serve the same purpose as peat moss.

This year, I added a lot of Perlite to assure drainage, but now I think that was excessively fast draining. I have a goodly % of bark "chunks" or "chips", as opposed to "fibers". And many "stiff fibers", as opposed to limp, tightly-packing fibers.

Now that I have a bag, I will substitute some or all #2 chicken grit for the Perlite: it has irregular, sharp grains, and costs much less. And it isn't ugly!

Then I added a little Jiffy-Mix peat powder I had left over, but I think that a little screened peat from a bale would have been better. I also tossed in an impulse-buy bag of "orchid mix".

Next year, I'm planning to buy the same 2 cubic feet of "nice" fine-sized pine bark mulch, and screen any big pieces out. Then screen some peat moss without breaking it down into powder - maybe use up to 1/5th peat moss. Then add some grit or coarse Perlite, like 5-15%. Some fine vermiculite for the top layer. Maybe sprinkle fine grit on top of that, after sprouts emerge.

Corey

boy I wish I had the time to do all that..Im jealous corey..LOL

This was my 1st time making seed mix.You are right ,perlite is ugly !!! Im really happy with my mix..so far soo good..im glad I didnt sift my peat what you said about it being to fine.Thats what would have happened.Here is to hoping all our seed germinates !!!

I must have made it sound more scientific than it was. Any time I went through a store with bags of mulch or bark, I would grab something, then try to use it or screen it.

Call it two years of soggy failures, then this year something really fast-draining, but maybe with some chuinks too big.

I often think I'm more interested in cultivating SOIL than plants.

>> Im really happy with my mix..so far soo good..

I think that's the sweet sound of success.

Corey

Corey , I like you already,you are funny and very nice,and Informative too...So glad We met here at Daves...Love your comment on the fermented oder ,reminds me of unfinished leaf compost Peeuuuww...

It got to almost 70 yesterday..YIPPIE..took my bad motor scooter for a ride...
And I set out 2 flats of Violas an Pansies to acclamate,My coleus are really growing.
Blackeyed susan vine going bonkers,going to have to pot them up.

I was really nervous about making my mix,affraid of soggy ,Im soo happy soo far,now if my Impatients germinate ,I will be a happy camper..Hoping everyone has a great day.

Thank you, Huggergirl!

The idea that soggy, fermented pine bark is BAD for seeds was pointed out to me by "Tapla" (Al) in the container gardening forum. I'm hoping the reason that few people start seeds in bark is that too many people did it with crummy old mulch, and killed the seeds with fermentation waste by-products.

Using bark, I finally made a seed mix that drians faster than I can over-water it!

Corey

i burned a bunch of perennials years back,using unfinished leaf compost,had a really bad sour smell,I had a gut feeling,somting was not right...Listen to your Gut...live an Learn.LOL Had a great weekend , it was hott on sunday,yes hot.I had to say it again its been soo long.LOL

Hi all. Thanks for the help with info on mixes. I originally liked the jiffy mix much better as it had few chunks so my seeds didn't get stuck under one. But about 3 weeks later I realized that the seeds I started in Miracle Grow, were actually bigger and nicer than the ones in jiffy mix (started at the same time of course)..... Sooooo I think in the future I'll have to mix the two bags, or follow one of your "recipes" above if I can find the stuff. I have never found a bag of just "perlite", but I have to admit- I haven't asked for it either.
Everything is growing though... and I'm sure hoping it doesn't snow this weekend like they say it might!

Any where they sell potting soil you should find perlite,mine is miracle grow brand.

As with so many things, the small bag (6-8 quarts) is hugely more expensive per pound than a 2-cubic-foot-bag, and the 2-cu-ft bags may be hard to find. My Home Depot only had them in stock breifly, last spring.

(I look for "coarse" perlite, but I notice that little tiny rip-off bags are usually opaque, so you don't know what size you're getting. )

I went to a farm co-op that catered to hobbyist yuppies in the "front store", and to farmers in the warehouse. For $8.90 in the "front store", you could buy 5 pounds of #2 chicken grit in a fancy, colored, resealable plastic bag. Cute.

Or go "out back" and for $10, get 25 KG (55 pounds) of the same thing. That's a 90% discount - to get 25 KG "out front", you would have to pay $89.

Corey

Walmart for an 8 qt.bag of perlite 4.47,Ive never seen a large bag.miracle grow brand is the chunky stuff too,not ground up fine.i buy blood meal ,bone meal, greensand at the grain mill really cheap,but i buy 50# bags,I should have been a farmers wife...LOL

I make fertilizer ..organic...Your going to ask ,I think its 1/3, 1/3 1/3

hugger- You're my hero with making your own blended fertilizer. I wish I had more space to store bags of "stuff". I have been experimenting with making potting soil this past winter and will have to make up some more for my seasonal pots.
Fertilome sells perlite without any fertilizers in it but it's not cheap since it's not big bags. I am going to have to find a local co-op to buy stuff since I stopped buying Miracle Grow products. I've got some leftover fine grit gravel base for setting pavers. Wondering if I could use that up in a potting soil mix.

hillabeans, I just bought some ProMix from Terra in Lakeville. It is right off 35W and easy to get to. Terra is a greenhouse, garden center. They have a sign you can look for as you move down the freeway. Take the next exit off 35.. Take the frontage road that runs down the east side of 35.

I think they have a web site so you can look up directions. google terra.com

Need to get a bag of bone meal,better call an have them bring a bag to south whitley for me ,Saves me a trip out of my way,and they dont charge for for bringing it closer to me..Yea..I dont have a lot of storage,I have a shed,that is really full... And a garage,but its got cars motorcycles lawn tractor,an stuff.I dont get to use the garage for my stufff...LOL