I would suggest skipping the organics until you get those seedlings into the soil.

Frequently there is this temptation to use organic methods in entirely unnatural ways.

Organics (feeding the soil) only works when feeding soil. Feeding a soil-less mix is kind of pointless ;-) There are even those who still try to find ways to make organics work with hydroponics. Silly.

With a soil-less mix why not focus on feeding the plant and once the plant goes outside to the ground, then focus on that ground.

Organics builds a healthy number of worms, insects, nematodes(the good kind), fungi and bacteria in the soil, but not in a soil-less mix. Organics improves soil tilth over time, but your soil-less potting mix only needs to sustain plants a couple/few months.

There are organic, liquid ferts you can use, but you really are better off not relying on the soil to break down organic matter when using no soil.

seedlings can be grown very successfully with organic fertilisers and they dont need chemicals just because they are in pots.

iheartrosco, just use a weak solution of fish emulsion and seaweed extract (about half strength) every 1-2 weeks and that will keep your seedlings moving along nicely until they're ready for planting out.

seedlings can be grown very successfully with organic fertilisers and they dont need chemicals

Do you have any idea what you are talking about?

Seriously.

Do you have any idea what you are saying?

Plants are able to take up only mineral nutrients that have dissolved into water. That's it. Pile 200 tons of organic matter on a plant and it does it no good unless soil critters eat the OM and liberate the mineral.

When working with the soil OM is great because there is an entire soil food web working on it, but in a container or indoor seed starting this process just doesn't work well.

Stop with this 'ORGANIKS IS GOOOD' crap and start getting real. The soil food web relies upon actual outdoor soil.

"Do you have any idea what you are saying?"

yes I do because I've been growing from seed organically for years, which aparently you havent

"Plants are able to take up only mineral nutrients that have dissolved into water."

fish emulsion and seaweed extract ARE diluted in water. where did I say pile on compost justacynic, I said fish emulsion and seaweed extract which aparently you havent used either since you have no idea how they are used or how they work

There are a number of good, organic fertilizers available, made from fish, seaweed, etc. that can be used to feed seedlings once they have developed their first true leaves. Find one and use that but for these seedlings dilute whatever you use to half strength.
If compost is used as your seed starting medium this "fertilizing" would not be necessary.

Sorry to horn in, but are you saying, kimmsr, that seeds can be started in compost rather than buying bags of expensive soil to start them in? Is that just compost or a mix of compost and soil? Brandy

I don't use fish emulsion but I do use a mix of blood and bone meal in a 2L jug of water. I shake it up and it sits for a few weeks until I need it.

I don't use it when I put in the seeds, but as far as I have read the seeds have all the nutrients they need for the first few weeks of life.

I wait until they have their first true leaves starting and give it diluted with water, fed from a dish at the bottom of the pot, not overhead watering.

The timing of the feeding is based on what this old Italian neighbour used to tell me to do. I don't know why he used bloodmeal and bonemeal, or why he fed at that time, it just seems to work.

Blood and bone meal solution to feed the seedlings, wheelbarrows full of old manure worked in before planting, and scraps dug into the ground (sort of trench composting I guess).

I've tried different ways and methods of gardening since then but I still keep with the seedling solution, maybe just by habit.

Hi - I use liquid seaweed extract (Maxicrop 1-2X weekly) & a layer of homemade compost, once my seedlings start showing true leaves. This is generally plenty of nutrition for them.

I often use alfalfa pellets (rabbit food) instead of compost - which ever's more convenient @ the time. They seem to work just as well; when watered, they 'melt' into a layer of fine, nutrient-rich mulch.

Compost tea is good as well. I don't think I saw it mentioned...?

FWIW, I do not start my seeds in compost(coz my cold compost is full of seeds), I use a soilless mix like Jiffy - I purposely leave enough room for adding a layer of compost later on, once they're up & growing.

hatchjon

How often and at what strength do you feed with neptune?

I use 1 tsp of cow manure t in a gal of water for a 1 (ONE) time feeding from seed start to plant out

Thanks for the help everyone! I'm going to try some of the suggestions. I would prefer not to use harsh chemicals if I don't have to.

You have to be pretty naive to think that living organisms only are found in dirt that is outside. They are everywhere! Organics CAN work in containers!

Hi greengrass1,

You asked a few days ago: :"How often and at what strength do you feed with neptune?"

I start at 1/8 cup per gallon after first set of true leaves have appeared and then go to 1/4 cup per gallon after the seedlings are on the second or third set. I feed every other watering unless they show signs of needing more in which case I go every watering.

I've never had a problem with fert burn. Hope this helps.

Fish emulsion and kelp are good. Brew and Grow and Paradigm Gardens have organic nutrients for hydroponic systems available. Growing in a soilless mix with liqud fertilizer is basically a crude hydroponic system. There is also Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting mix that contains nutrients from organic sources, including worm castings and guano.

Last year I used fish emulsion and seaweed extract along with a small amount of Miracle Gro, using a fraction of the recommended amount with every watering. I had very healthy 12 inch tall pepper plants in 72 cell inserts by the time I planted them out. I've also had good results with fish emulsion and kelp on their own.

Someone comes to an organic growing forum and states they used an unacceptaoe product. Miracle Gro is not acceptable to organic growers in any amount any more then any other syntheitc product.

Miracle Gro is like a drug. Short lived results with addicted plants that go into withdrawl when it is stopped.

get omri rated organic worm casting and azomite and mixxed it into your potting mixture

â¢Posted by little_minnie 4 (My Page) on
Sat, Feb 23, 13 at 21:13

"Miracle Gro is like a drug. Short lived results with addicted plants that go into withdrawl when it is stopped."

You find container gardeners that have plants decades old that have been given ONLY synthetic fertilizer like miracle gro. I wouldn't exactly call a perfectly healthy plant decades old -" Short lived results"

Also-'Plants do not differentiate the nutrients they absorb resulting from hydroponic or organic nutrient solutions. For example, nitrogen is typically available as NO3- or NH4+. It does not matter to the plant whether it came from guano or bottled nutrient.'

This post was edited by TheMasterGardener1 on Wed, Mar 6, 13 at 22:15

iheartroscoe: I wouldn't use soil-less potting soil in the first place. Plants and soil co-evoved for 750,000 years, so who are wew to say we know better. I use 50/50 soil and compost to mimic the top few inches on natural soil, and -- if-and-only-if the seedlings look peaked -- a dash of kelp meal at half the recommemnded dilution. Regards, Peter.

peter,

I want to first start by saying I use soil mixes for my container for the natural ph buffering. I understand that soilless mixes have less ph buffer there for not as easy to grow in. However, like hydroponics, the soilless mixes grow healthier, faster growing plants provided the right nutrition is given. Oxygen is the very thing that makes the soilless mixes work faster. The more Oxygen the roots get, the healthier the plant.

I have to say. I use only soil mixes for my containers. I use a 100% bark for 3 seven gal containers that I grow tomatoes in. I get such huge harvests from this soilless mix and fertilizer given. Thats it though. I have 40 other plants that go ALL in a good old potting soil for the reasons you said.

Happy growing!