Seed Starting Mix Trials Part 1: They aren't the same so what's in a good mix?
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- A successful garden starts with happy healthy seedlings. We wondered what the difference was between the different the types of seed starting mixes available to us in the store so we decided to do a trial to see what was out there, and see how they perform against each other. We went out and bought 14 different brands of seed starting mixes and in part one we discuss the ingredients, cost, ease of hydration and our analysis of how they have performed for us in the past (the ones we have used), and our guess on how they will do for the ones we haven't tried yet.
We discuss peat moss based mixes like Miracle Grow seed starting mix, Espoma seed starting and potting Mix, Fox Farms Light Warrior seed starting mix, and Pro Mix potting soil. These are peat and perlite mixes. Jiffy seed starting mixes from both Home Depot and Walmart, and Hoffmann's that we bought at Earl May are mostly sphagnum peat moss mixed with vermiculite, though the Jiffy and Pro mix also have coconut coir. Some mixes have wetting agents, and some of those wetting agents are organic some are not. Will it make a difference? Ferry Morse was in this group too with peat and vermiculite but no coir.
Then we shift to the Coconut Coir mixes. Burpee seed starting mix and the Master Garden Mix from Menards had nearly identical ingredients. Will there any difference in performance? We'll see in part two. They have a little fertilizer in them but not the mycorrhizal fungi that came in the Espoma, Pro Mix and Fox Farm mixes. Do mycorrhizal fungi make a difference in a potting soil? Our experience is yes, they have a symbiotic relationship with the roots of most plants to help extend their reach for nutrients and help grow a stronger plant.
Although most of the mixes were designated seed starters discuss our experience starting seeds with Miracle Grow potting soil with moisture control, and we did put in Fox Farms Happy Frog potting soil and Ocean Forest mix in the trial as well. We liked these because they were different from both the peat and coir mixes. The first ingredient in the Fox Farms mix was aged forest products. A renewable source for potting soil is good. They had lots of organic nutrients like worm castings, oyster shell, bat guano, shrimp meal, fish emulsion, and crabmeal and a healthy list of mycorrhizal fungi. They do still have peat moss so we added Back to the Roots organic seed starter to the list too. It is a peat moss free version based on processed forest products and some mycorrhizal fungi.
Our last contestant was the most expensive. SucSeed is a milled sphagnum moss product from Wisconsin. A very renewable resource, peat free and organic. It holds water like a sponge. But will it work? Watch to see how much each mix cost, and what our initial thoughts are on texture and how easy they were to rehydrate with water, and how we felt about package claims. After this video we planted seeds in each of these mixes and the timer is on to see how they perform!
I appreciate the info about "expired" product carried over from the previous year!!
Just wanna say you two are awesome together. Its been a long time where I've had no issue sitting through a long vid. :)
another very helpful video, full of informations. i really love your channel guys, thanks for your work!
I did soil blocking today and used Fox Farm's COCO LOCO which is a coco coir potting soil. I used a quarter inch hardware cloth to sift it but it has become my favorite as far as handling, ease of wetting and working. Time will tell with the germination and growth factor. Thank you for your well- done presentation! Look forward to continuing to learn from you both!
Thanks for that response! That’s good information! It sounds great!
Really enjoying your channel. Looking forward to seeing the results.
Thank you! I'm looking forward to the results too! The first seeds in the trial sprouted this morning and I'm taking notes of how everything grows!
I bought Ferry Morse seed starting mix this year, as I have many years prior. My seeds germinated, but quickly died. I thought it was because I had a minor back injury, and so didn't water them often enough, so I thought they just dried out. I replanted more seeds. Same thing, they germinated, I removed the lids, they turned yellow, then they died. The second time I was very careful about keeping them properly watered. We're talking about like 50 different varieties of veggies, herbs, flowers. Some from saved seeds, but many from brand new seed packets. I did up pot some tomatoes that seemed to be struggling, and they did recover.
Then I decided to do a soil test. I planted beans in 3 different pots. 1 was the ferry Morse seed starting mix, 1 was a bagged organic soil, and 1 was my homemade compost. The organic soil and my compost grew the beans properly, but the seed starting mix didn't. They sprouted, turned yellow, and died.
There's definitely something wrong with the batch I bought this year.
How sad! I've observed many shortcuts with all sorts of products this year and last, so I bet something went wrong when the manufacturer made that mix
@@ChonkTek there had to be something wrong with this batch.
(Btw, I edited my comment to fix all of the typos... and there were alot!) Lol
@@tabp8448 I wonder if something was also wrong with that one mix in this video too (stunted sprouts and algae growth).
@@ChonkTek could be
Do you know where I can get seeds for a mushroom basket type tomato only in cherry form ?
I looked around but I couldn’t find a mushroom basket type in a cherry size. It would be cool if there was!
Thank you. What is a good grow light
Here is the link to the ones we bought this year. We are using 3 per shelf. they are working really well and I like how they link together.
www.amazon.com/Barrina-Lights-Spectrum-Equivalent-Greenhouse/dp/B07VD1884R/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=20HNJIVCFQERJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hYqHGZqnWdBC2K1dF03fICY_G-DgueZ4E2W5lX5U6OBKjJmAVZkYEkGHrLVyiSgtjpCimma15em5tn5JG666nU4nJTnNJcFR3sECQnvUS3ajp3RK-BFsKnacywyZP3DoHgRhZROkh96FBzsxF92iQrIp2VpwGi628H305TVSmIZ_4C1a9KVBEQz1R1xlN2awMfHTKprnEO7i6DoEkNiz2PcPghL1_CrXXjhKFJSa-dWhHIO9H63ePaARewt0JKtORtGG1mTbqOePDuvZglWAgyHRPmMef4xj_HzKq4k6OJQ.iiueZiMw8kkNjsbxPgjS3T-vtLq8iVjr7L2WD2mp6zw&dib_tag=se&keywords=grow%2Blights%2Bfor%2Bindoor%2Bplants%2Bfull%2Bspectrum&qid=1711761878&sprefix=grow%2Blight%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
@@iowabackyardfarmer2952that link anchors to the pinkish-white colored ones. Is that correct? They have yellowish and pink as well.
For over a year I find that most soil/starter mix has a lot of sticks.
I have noticed that as well. The last few years Several of the brands I have used added more sticks and bark.
My starter mix has fungi popping up? Is this normal?
@@kellyhosler2678by fungi, do you mean white fuzzy stuff, green moldy stuff, or mushrooms?
@@stevenm247 mushrooms
@@iowabackyardfarmer2952this is definitely product shrinkage. Totally a 2024 problem I'm seeing everywhere! I have a mulch and compost blend I've pondered sifting to get a more concentrated and finer compost, or... I could go run to HD and buy a bag of seed starter mix hmm