Not trying to hijack but...

Pro-Mix PGX is better for seedlings, BX is too coarse. I start with PGX and transplant into BX 15-18 days after seeding.

Dave, I'm not, but I think highly of Fafard, Pro-Mix, Metro Mix and Jiffy Mix for starting seeds.

I've used all of them at different times over about a 25 year period of time and don't see much difference between them.

Carolyn

Perhaps it's because they are all made at the same place?

HeHe

jel - I like BX if you can get it for a reasonable price. It has really gone up this year. I can't get a local distributor to stock PGX but my seeding flats are manual and a little larger than Timmy's automated ones (lucky stiff! ;) so the coarse texture isn't as much of a problem. But Premier makes several formulations of Pro-Mix and all are good.

Or use plain old Jiffy mix - its cheaper and easier to find - for germination and then transplant to BX. No problems with Metro Mix 360 either.

Dave

I have been using Pro Mix BX to start seeds, and it works pretty good, but only because I am careful to push any large grains of perlite or chunks of wood away from where I planted the seed. Sometimes I plant the seed by making a hole about 3/8 of an inch deep in the Pro Mix BX, dropping a seed in into the hole, and then covering the seed in the hole with pure fine grind vermiculite instead of pro mix. Trouble is I am running out of vermiculite and am having trouble finding any more at a reasonable price. And yes, they did raise the price of Pro mix BX, last time I bought it it was $27 for a 3.8 cubic foot bail, now its $37. It might be possible to make your own version of BX by buying mycorrhizae fungi and adding it to something cheaper. You can buy two pounds of Mycorrhizae fungi in granular form for $33.

Thanks Dave and everyone!

I screen the mix with framed "rat wire" to remove large particles (1/4" mesh).

I found some 1/8" mesh and will frame it to sift a little fine stuff over seed.

Pro-Mix (BX) 3.8 cuft compressed costs $33.99 here.

John

Is PGX the same as BX except for PGX being a finer or screened type mix? We have BX here, but not PGX. If it is the same could i just shred some up in a old blender for a finer grade seed starter for my flats?? And then use the rest of the bale for some of my 5 gal. buckets mixed with 30% compost? i will be growing my buckets outside with soaker hoses running accross the tops on a timer and hand fertilizing organic liquid.

You can read all the tech info about each of them online if you look them up by name. No, they aren't the same formulations. As mentioned above, you can use either and BX is much easier to find. BX is considered general purpose, PGX is germination and plug-growing purposed for professional growers.

PGX has 10% less peat and it is a finer grade (short fiber), finer sifted vermiculite, and no perlite. PGX data sheet http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/facilities/downloads/proMixPGX.pdf

PGX

 Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss  short fiber (65-
75 % / vol.)
 Vermiculite  plug grade
 Dolomitic & Calcitic Limestone
 Macronutrients
 Micronutrients
 Wetting Agent

BX data sheet http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/facilities/downloads/proMixBX.pdf

Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss
(75-85 % / vol.)
 Perlite  horticultural grade
 Vermiculite
 Dolomitic & Calcitic Limestone
(pH adjuster)
 Macronutrients
 Micronutrients
 Wetting Agent

Dave

Thanks for posting the ingredients. That was the info i needed.

We use BX for everything with no problems but will try Sunshine this year depending on the prices. We normally go through at least 150 bales/year. The price has NOT gone up much since last year.

Regards,

Tom

Here is some BX...

Now that's some serious amount of pro-mix timmy1, do you buy a whole pallet at a time?

Wish I could find it in N VA. Just have to make it from scratch. LOL

George

I get shipments direct from Canada. I think it's a 6 pallet minimum.

Californian- There is a Portland organic gardening supply and feed store that has very good prices on Mycorrhizal fungi-

Endo - granulated 1# 6.20 , 20# 106.00
Endo Micronized - soluble 1# 11.40, 20# 190.00
Endo/Ecto - granulated 1# 7.80 , 20# 129.00
Endo/Ecto Micronized - soluble 1# 13.00 , 20# 214.00

So what kind of mycorrhizal fungi would you use in seeding mix for tomatoes? The endo or ecto, granulated or micronized?

Vermiculite - med #3 3.5 cf 18.00

I asked them if they ship and they said they do but the cost could be prohibitive.

price list-
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pJrWEmwyrO76JtBhzIRWDcQ

Here is a link that might be useful: Concentrates

I wouldn't worry about adding mycorrhizal fungi to my mix. Pro-mix only started adding it fairly recently. We have used Pro Mix Bx in all phases of our growing operation for over 20 years- Veggies, herbs, annuals, perennials about 100,000 plants per year. Didn't notice an improvement or difference when they started adding MF.

We order about 12 pallets of the bales and a pallet or two of each of the retail size to resell to our customers directly from Canada as well. We have to order at least a 1/2 tractor trailer truck load (15 pallets I think) to Northern Virginia so it might vary by region.

BTW MF is plant specific. Promix has added a species of MF that is useful to as broad a spectrum of plants as possible but may not be the best for a particular species of plant. In the wild, different plant groups have different species of MF growing on the roots. Got this info from a leading professor of botany.
IMHO adding MF is mostly a marketing gimmick with minimal to marginal benefit.

Looks like timmy1 has low doorways as each pallet looks a little short LOL

"Mycorise pro" is a mycorrhizal fungal inoculum.

If you plant alfalfa, you use an inoculant on the seed as a "primer".

It is my understanding that different micro-fungal classes will grow with the root system depending on your particular region, soil type(s), conditions, and climates.

Timmy,

I think what your are referring to there is nitrogen fixation. Rhizobium would be the "primer" which is used to inoculate members of the legume/pea family. This is used when the native soil/garden soil doesn't already have a good population of Rhizobium bacteria for the specific crop to start with naturally. The rhizobium population will increase on it's own if nitrogen fixing crops are grown continually over time. Of course if you plan to introduce a new nitrogen fixing crop then you must inoculate with the appropriate crop specific rhizobium :)
The job of mycorrhizal fungi is for the benefit of protecting plants from disease. Like rhizobium bacteria that are host specific to each legume species the mycorrhizal fungi also are species specific and they too colonize on the plants root system; they send out these tiny threads into the soil called hyphae that will go many feet out in each direction.

Vera

Geeboss-

You can find ProMix BX at Williams Nursery in Sterling, VA. They do not advertise and are a cash/check business only. They are located on Maries Road not too far past the Sterling Costco, off Cascades Pkwy.

Cindy

Thank You Cindy

Hadn't gotten to that nursery yet, thought that anything in close would just have the small bags of seed starting mix.

George

I picked up a bale just last week. They have both large and small bales.

Cindy

What do bales of promix generally cost at a retail nursery? I have been going broke filling my containers with the Jungle growth potting mix from Lowes at close to $12 a bag.

Looking at some receipts from Orange County Farm Supply in southern California this is what I paid. I have listed the suggested retail price and the professional gardeners discount price, which I believe they will give to anyone who buys a lot of stuff from them. Sales tax not included.

Pro-Mix BX with Mycorise List $27.58, discount $22.86

Pro-Mix BX with Biofungicide List $31.66, discount $25.33

Pro-Mix PGX (for seed starting) List $34.66, discount $27.73

The first item listed was from last year and may have gone up since then.

Will pro mix go bad if opened for 2yrs? The last 2yrs my plants would not grow. the pro mix I used had been open and stored in my barn for 2yrs. YOPPER

The directions say don't open the package until you are ready to use it. I am guessing the basic components would still be good if using old stuff, but the Mycorise fungi or Biofungicide bacteria would probably be dead after two years. I used some stuff that was 21 months old and sitting out in the rain and sun opened and almost all my seedlings came up in it. Someone commented the mycorise fungi may just be a marketing gimmick, so if it died maybe there wouldn't be much of a difference. I do know you have to add your own fertilizer once the seedlings start growing or they look very pale. After I added some organic tomato fertilizer and some miracle gro acid loving plant liquid fertilizer (the only stuff I had on hand) the seedlings greened up nicely.