I forgot to ask if the use of slow realease fertilizers such us Oscote is adivsable. What about the use of mycorrhizae as inoculant agent?

If nothing else is said then prefer soil which is low on nutritients, rich on minerals and slightly acid. Keep it moist but not wet. Make sure it gets light but not to much heat. But it depends on the species really...

I use cocopeat mixed with sand.

It is also my experience that conifers in general are quite tolerant of different soils as long as it is not very dense in structure (like clay) or very wet.

Most of my problems seems to come from the fact that in many cases the seeds must be pre-treated (scarified and/or stratified) and that germination can take a very long time.

Agree with Honymand. Some more info at the link below.

Resin

Here is a link that might be useful: Practical Conifer Seedling Growing

i have no practical experience ... but that never stops me... lol ...

pinus strobus falls from the trees onto my pure yellow sand which is covered by pine fines or wood mulch ... and i always have a crop of free range seedlings ....

seems to logically fit into the nutrient free... well drained thoughts of hony above ... go figure ...

lacking specifics.. look to what momma likes to grow in.. and that will be a good start .... dont try to grow mountain trees in clay .. and dont try to grow swamp trees in pebbles ...

and for sure.. i never water the voluteers... so once they are up ... i would tend to keep them toward the dry side ... which means to me.. high drainage.. so that you can water.. and it flows right through the medium .... the pot should barely weigh more after watering. as it did prior .... with just enough peat to hold enough for the babe ....

so many variables.. so little time ....

good luck

ken

Thanks,

What about a mix (1:1) of peat moss and perlite, or do I need sand?. I looked at the link, but there isn't much about soil preparation. what about the use of sphagnum moss. Thanks

osprey

I'm using 3 parts perlite to one peat with some Micromax. I also am using 3 parts perlite to one part potting soil with the Micromax.

You don't need to fuss over this. I'd use anything I had laying around. If I had sand and peat only, I'd mix it until I felt it looked and seemed right/drained well, etc -. Whatever in other words. Even coarse gravel added to the cocktail, whatever ya got that's "leftovers."

Dax

I would recommend against using sand in a seed-starting mix; all the sand does is make the mix very heavy. I use Jiffy Mix or Redi-Earth mixed with 50% or 60% perilite and always get good germination. You can always add extra perilite to make the mix dryer/better draining. Mixing sand with potting mediums tends to make the mix like cement.

What you can or cannot use also depends on your growing conditions. For me, sand does not make a good germination mix. You can certainly try using sand, but don't use your most precious seeds for the test.

Do you have any experience in germinating seeds of any kind? If not, you might want to pick up some inexpensive seeds to play with and see how it goes before trying your conifer seeds.

Using Jiffy Mix or Redi-Earth will also help prevent damping-off from killing your seedlings. Using sand actually just invites damping-off disease to the party.
My .02
Good luck,
Mike

I don't have much experience, other than vegetables and some pecans and peaches. I will be using a seed starting mix mixed with perlite, 1:1. I've read that it is good to cover the seeds using only perlite, is it?? or the same mix will work just fine.

osprey

osprey,

Over in the Container forum there is a VERY long and detailed thread on growing many plants, including seedlings, with lots of discussions on soil types. If your seedlings are growing in containers you might want to check it out:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0918361520140.html?92

Based on that thread I use a 1/3 perlite, 1/3 pine bark and 1/3 grit/Turface for growing seedlings. So far so good! I know that concolor fir and blue spruce seedlings sure like it!

HTH,

Dave

Hi Osprey,

Bob Fincham once recommended perlite as a top-dresser to cover sown seeds. Like I say though, I use whatever I have lying around. Others will buy stuff but when it comes down to it, I use what I have if I can save myself a trip to the store. I don't use tons of sand and actually before I use it I cook batches of it in the microwave for 3 minutes at a time so it's completely sterile, but I'm not afraid to make something heavy. You'd be surprised how well conifers like sand. Resin of course recommends its use solely for the procedures of cold/warm stratification of seeds (which can be necessary sometimes prior to sowing).

Anyway, the directions are on the packet. It's not like you can't read or need to try something, quote-unquote, "easy" - just follow the directions until you are able to sow them. This isn't rocket science and not to make you feel like you need to be a rocket scientist, this is as simple as growing anything else from seed.

I always say, grow what interests you. You'll never be happy growing what doesn't interest you. My buddy keeps telling me to grow here on my six acres what I can turn-over the quickest for the most money, well... that won't make me happy.

My 88 cents + Mike's 2 cents plus another 10.

Read!

Dax

Don't forget the pH!
I always use also some sour peat in my medium-mix to lower the pH: I guess the pH will be around 5 by then. I've read that a lower pH medium reduces risk of damping off. And it seems to work!

run a fan. buy a little bag of seed starting mix walk away.

dax

Thank you all of you...I'll consider all your comments whenever I start. Is it a reason to run a fan?.Thanks

osprey