Seed starting mix

[farmerpiper]

If we want our veggies to be available year long, then starting seeds is a very important aspect of the activities.

Starting seeds is very important because these seeds will be the ones which will develop into veggies to be harvested and eaten later on.

For me I got my own SEED STARTING MIX which I have proven to really jumpstart a plant's life

This SEED STARTING MIX is a soil-less blend: sphagnum moss, vermiculite, and perlite.

Can anyone share also their SEED STARTING MIX?

[rosiethumb]

and what are the amount/percentage of these three components FP?

Iuse pure vemicompost for starting my seeds.

[garden ann]

yeah me too. I don't have the patience to mix a concoction to start my seeds. I use my compost. Got sturdy seedlings for transplanting.

[wrigglerman]

There are commercial seed starter mix available but I usually make my own.

I blend equal parts of perlite,vermiculite and peat. Then for every 1 gallon of the mixture I add 1/4 teaspoon of lime to neutralize peat which is acidic.

[mistermaster]

Can ash be used instead of lime? Ash is also alkaline

[brownthumb]

My uncle sometimes use fresh potting soil, sometimes a combo of perlite and a bark based potting mix. Usually works well with his plants and he makes sure the soil drains well. He’s not into much of commercial mixes too, and so far, he hasn’t encountered any problems yet.

[TZ-OH5]

I always use a good quality potting mix, (such as ProMix) because they are pH balanced, and more importantly, have wetting agents to ensure even water uptake and distribution, and since the different mixes vary in nutrients I have weak fertilizer solution handy when the seedlings start to slow down after the first true leaves develop. Avoid anything with fancy additives like moisture contol granules or added nutrients. For things like tomatoes and peppers you can dense plant all of your seeds of a given variety in one small pot and then break them apart and pot up after they get their first true leaves. It saves a lot of space under your starter lights.

[farmerbrie]

I make my seed starting mix with the following ingredients:

2 parts sphagnum ( sometimes i use peat)
1 part vermiculite
1 part perlite
a sprinkling of epsom salts

When I have the mixture, I can now place it in seed trays or small pot and sprinkle a little water to dampen it.

Now they are ready for the seeds

[farmerpiper]

Seed Starting Mix:

Sphagnum - 3 parts ( this should be milled sphagnum)
Vermiculite - 1 part ( has high magnesium levels and potassium)
Perlite - 1 part ( as an additive)

If you will be using deep seedling trays or containers you can fill one-third of the bottom part with compost or vermicast and put the seed starting mix on top of the compost.