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Post by paulf on Mar 21, 2020 18:34:52 GMT -5
I tried starting tomato and pepper seeds in a starting medium rather than the standby regular potting mix. Never again will the stater mix be used by me. Using good seeds (those same seeds in regular potting mix) there was about a 75% non-germination rate. I replanted using potting mix, both Miracle-Gro and Schultz and germination rates were at 90%. Some of the seeds were in the 10-12 year old seed range so I expected a 10% failure rate. Peppers were worse than tomatoes but better in the regular mix as opposed to starter. The starter was Jiffy. My thought is that the starter is much finer and will hold water well, but restricts oxygen around the seeds which contributes to non-germination. No proof, just my thought. This is my up-potted plants. The first photo has the light raised to get a better picture. Now everything has to grow so May 1 they can go into the garden. I have space/energy for 20 tomatoes. The rest will be donated to friends, family and anyone else who asks.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 22, 2020 10:13:25 GMT -5
I have seen lower than expected germination on peppers and tomatoes the last couple of years, and maybe-not-coincidentally I have been using seed starting mix. I have been getting more like 60% germination instead of 90%+. I assumed I was making some sort of mistake the last couple of years, but I haven't been able to figure out what it could be. Some of the starting mix was Jiffy, some was Miracle Grow Organic.
Next year I'm going back to potting mix, too. I'll use ProMix if I can find it affordably, Miracle-Grow otherwise.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Mar 22, 2020 10:57:44 GMT -5
That's encouraging. I bought several bags of potting mix a few weeks ago because I was worried the garden supplies would follow the TP hoarding. My plan is to use that potting mix to start my seeds since I already have it and I want to go into the stores as little as possible. I'm happy to hear your results are positive!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 22, 2020 11:33:14 GMT -5
I always use some promix, but I add some extra perlite, along with some worm castings. I have had problems with so called seed starting mixes drying out much quicker, but even with the extra perlite, the promix, and other brands I've used, stayed moist much longer.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 22, 2020 14:46:35 GMT -5
I don't grow as much as some of you but I started all 17 of my tomato pots with Espoma organic seed starter mix last week. Every pot has seedlings except for one with Red Oxheart so I replanted that one in the same pot.
I usually start my flower seeds in potting soil because it has fertilizer and I did that again this year and everything germinated.
I have never had a problem with seed starter mix but I always use Espoma and it is always fresh purchased. I also do not usually grow tomato seeds that are more than a couple of years old.
I did have a hard time getting the mix to get wet and had to soak set the pots into a tray of water overnight before planting. I don't feel that it dries out any faster than the potting mix with the flowers but I water every day.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 23, 2020 0:21:29 GMT -5
I did have a hard time getting the mix to get wet and had to soak set the pots into a tray of water overnight before planting. I don't feel that it dries out any faster than the potting mix with the flowers but I water every day. I used to have to do this, unless I wet the mix before packing it into the pots. I now wet it every time - starting with the very dry mix that I baked, then mix some fresh micorrhyzae in, and moisten some it with a solution of BT israelensis, to prevent the fungus gnats (which are all over outside this year!). With it pre-moistened, it is always easy water, though it is messy to pack the pots! I thought about packing them dry, then watering it from the bottom with the solution, but I want to get it totally mixed in, to be safe.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 23, 2020 7:32:47 GMT -5
pepperhead212, I filled my my pack of 36 cells with the soiless mix and then took it outside and watered it with the hose on the shower setting several times and it was STILL dry when I poked my finger into the mix. The water just seemed to run right through and wet only the top 1/4" Finally I just watered them one final time sitting in the tray and allowed about 2" of water to sit in the tray overnight. The next morning everything was perfectly moistened and no mess. I now have seedlings in all 36 pots except one which I re-planted yesterday.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Mar 23, 2020 8:25:32 GMT -5
I have done what you described (top shower followed by sitting the tray in water), brownrexx, and had it take *two* days of sitting the water-filled tray to get Jiffy Mix wet all the way through before. And that is using very warm water to try to speed up water absorption. Sometimes that stuff is incredibly hydrophobic coming out of the package. I have used Epsoma seed starting mix, and it can also be pretty hard to wet. This also means if you do mess up and let one of these hard-to-wet mixes dry out, it can be hard to save your seedlings from the brink of death. Been there, done that. (Thankfully not this year.) Miracle-Grow seed starting mix has a wetting agent, though, so it takes up water right away. Pro-Mix potting mixes also have a wetting agent. It is nice to be able to plant right away. It is even nicer (by that I mean neater) to be able to sow seeds in dry mix, gently shower it with water, and have it wet all the way through immediately.
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Post by september on Mar 23, 2020 9:06:13 GMT -5
I pre-wet mine too, dump some dry soil mix into a dishpan or larger container, and work warm water in with my hands so it's uniformly moist, then pat into the starting cells. Extra dry stuff might have to sit 15 minutes longer in the wetting dishpan. When I have to do early seeding in the house, I keep my big bag of Pro-mix in the guest bathtub and work right in there, so the dust and mud are easy cleanup. I envy people who have still have laundry tubs.
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Post by paulf on Mar 23, 2020 9:27:55 GMT -5
I also pre-moisten any mixes used. When the pots or 6 paks are in the trays the tray gets a level of water so the pots pull water from the bottom up. If the mix gets too dry a sprinkle of water from the top along with more water from the bottom is applied. I still think the seed starter mix is too fine. As it dries out it turns to adobe which can't be good for seeds or seedlings.
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 23, 2020 17:25:53 GMT -5
I now have seedlings in all 36 pots except one which I re-planted yesterday. Update. I need not have replanted the Red oxheart. I just saw one pop up today so all of my cells had germination. I was just not patient enough.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 24, 2020 16:39:41 GMT -5
I moistened about half of my sterilized mix with the BTi today, and got about 2/3 of my pots planted. I have to moisten some more, to fill the rest, then get the EP seeds started.
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