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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Potting Soil - What do you reccomend?

14 years ago

I have potted up a whole lot of seedlings into small pots and they seemed to not be doing so great. Not dying but not growing the way I would have expected. They have had the protection of the greenhouse when necessary. I had used the Walmart brand potting soil and wondered if it was soemthing to do with that? I had read, just recently, that their potting soil has shredded wood chips added and on close inspection I do see mulch in there. Anyone have a breand they reccommend or a recipe for flower seedlings? Should I try to save these seedlings by re potting in new soil or just start with new plants?

I guess you really do get what you pay for.

Any advice is appreciated.

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Comments (7)

swanz
14 years ago
I have good luck using these bales from Pro-Mix.

{{gwi:295520}}

They now add Endomycorrhize (some kind of beneficial fungi) that helps with many (not all) flowers and veggies.
nygardener
14 years ago
Don't use Hyponex. It's heavy and seems to be mostly sand.

I use any peat-based potting soil and add a mixture of about 1/2 cup worm castings, 1/2 cup bone meal, and 1 tablespoon greensand per gallon of soil. Top-dress with the same mixture every couple of months.
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I have been starting my own seedlings for over 30 years and have tried many , many products but over the last 10 years or so I have found that my seedlings do much better with FAFARD seed starting mix . I don't have the damping off and I don't lose a lot of plants , sometimes I will add some extra perlite though .I start well over 2400 plants a year and can't afford to lose a lot of them . If you live in the Denver Metro area , O'tooles Garden Centers sell this product . I believe the bales are close to 4 cf . It can be over 30 bucks a bale but believe me It is well worth It . The Pro Mix was ok but I like the Fafard more . You should never start seedlings with a lot of fertilizers in the mix . A good fertilizer I use after the seedlings are up about 2-3 weeks is 'Age old grow' formula, diluted . I hope this helps some of you make a choice . Happy Gardening Everyone and hope you have beautiful gardens in 2016 , Jerry
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Your sarrs may do good but that's too much water for vft and drosera. I would use a separate tray or lower the water level. An inch or less should do. Personally I only keep about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water and leave the tray dry for a day or two between watering to keep mosquitos to a minimum.
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If you are serious and you want to go "wholesale", try these companies for seed starting supplies. Some deal with smaller companies, some not: Fred C. Gloeckner Company, Inc. 600 Mamaroneck Avenue Harrison, NY 10528 G.S. Grimes Seeds P.O. Box 640 Concord, OH 44077 0640 Park Seed Wholesale Cokesbury Road Greenwood, SC 29647 VaughanÂs Seed Co. 5300 Katrine Avenue Downers Grove, IL 60515 A.H. Hummert Seed Co. 2746 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, Missouri 63103 Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies, Inc. 1619 Main Street Tewksbury, MA 01876 Tel: (978) 851-4346 Fax: (978) 851-0012 NURSERY SUPPLIES, INC. E-mail: sales@nurserysupplies.com Phone 1: 1-800-523-8972 (Eastern Sales) Phone 2: 1-800-367-7687 (Western Sales) 1415 Orchard Drive, Chambersburg, PA 17201 534 W. Struck Avenue, Orange, CA 92867 2515 N.E. Orchard Avenue, McMinnville, OR 97128 2050 Avenue A, Kissimmee, FL 34758 HARRIS SEEDS/GARDEN TRENDS INC. P.o. Box 24966 Rochester, NY 14624-0966 Phone: 585/295-3600 Fax: 585/295-3609 GEOSEED 121 Gary Road Hodges, SC 29653 Phone: 864/227-5117 Fax: 864/227-5108 Henry F. Michell Company PO Box 60160 2225 W Church Road King of Prussia, PA 19406-0160 (800)-422-4678 Grimes Seeds 11335 Concord-Hambden Road Painesville, Ohio 44077 1-800-241-SEED (7333) 1-440-352-1800 (fax) Joe
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I use 2/3 perlite, 1/3 or less peat moss. I dampen it and use plastic water bottles, drill or punch big round holes in the bottom and a few on the sides 1-2" from the bottom. I don't cut much off of the top of the water bottles because I don't want too much water to get in if it rains. Then I wedge styrofoam in the top to secure them and to further block water from entering. I sit them in the hottest place I can find, usually the driveway or on top of Pinebark in a bed by the driveway, in full sun most of the day. I think the clear containers help them root faster. I've tried using eggs in them, honestly didn't notice any difference. I did 2 Singapores, one with the egg, one without, they rooted at the same time and roots were the same size. Both cuttings from the same tree. If we get lots of rain and I think they are too wet, I bring them inside in the air conditioning and let them go bone dry before I put them back in the sun and heat. If you don't want to worry about them getting too wet, just use perlite alone. That works fine too. Also course builders sand but if you use the sand be careful when you cut the bottle and take them out, the sand is heavy and can break the roots. Rinse the sand away, then lift them out. That's what has worked best for me here in zone 11.
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vince_2007
14 years ago
Swanz
I just started using Pro-Mix. D0 you add anything to it. Do you use it for seed starting or just for potting.
Vince
tiffy_z5_6_can
14 years ago
ProMix all the way. Been using it for 7 years (since it became available in my area). I do a lot of Winter Sowing as per the Winter Sowing Forum here, and will put out sometimes over 300 containers in the cold months. Then I pot-up a whole bunch of seedlings to give to family and friends during the gardening season. The bales are great since you get your money's worth. Goes a long way.
vince_2007
14 years ago
Tiffy
Thanks for the info. I do some winter sowing but most of my seeds are started under the lights. What veggys do you have the best luck winter sowing?
Vince
glib
14 years ago
You can buy a variety of michorryzae (for seedlings, flower or veggie mix) at fungi.com. Next year I want to try adding them to both seedling trays and raised beds.
greenhousems
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for all the replies. I have also been using pro mix for a while, but for seed starting only. I thought that when I transplanted that I needed a more substantial potting soil. Does anyone add anything to the pro mix?

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