Peat - as a starting medium

moon1234 · November 14, 2011

I now mix my own growing medium. I really hated the pearlite and vermiculite that was used in MOST commercial mixes. It gets everywhere, NEVER decomposes and I consider it nusicance trash. Vermiculite holds WAY too much water, Pearlite (unless it is really finely ground) floats and makes a mess, if you use fine pearlite it can be very dusty and bad for your lungs.

I now use 75-80% Fafard Growing Mix 1, 15-19% Parboiled Rice Hulls, 1-5% sand.

Most of the time I leave out the sand. I really, really don't like puffed rocks in my growing medium. The ParBoiled Rice hulls do an ancellent job at providing better drainage vs. peat alone. They decompose naturally in the soil and are a sustainable, healthier product.

The rice hulls have been sterilized by boiling so there is NO weed seed. The Growing Mix has peat, lime and a starter nutrient charge. All in all, I have had very good luck with this mix. I used it last year for toms, peppers, melons, onions, etc. and all did well.

I have also used ProMix BX in the past. That also worked very well, but I don't like pearlite and vermiculite any more. Fafard and Sunshine (metro mix) both provide a balanced PH peat based starter for those of us who like to mix our own.

November 14, 2011	#1
moon1234 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 54	I now mix my own growing medium. I really hated the pearlite and vermiculite that was used in MOST commercial mixes. It gets everywhere, NEVER decomposes and I consider it nusicance trash. Vermiculite holds WAY too much water, Pearlite (unless it is really finely ground) floats and makes a mess, if you use fine pearlite it can be very dusty and bad for your lungs. I now use 75-80% Fafard Growing Mix 1, 15-19% Parboiled Rice Hulls, 1-5% sand. Most of the time I leave out the sand. I really, really don't like puffed rocks in my growing medium. The ParBoiled Rice hulls do an ancellent job at providing better drainage vs. peat alone. They decompose naturally in the soil and are a sustainable, healthier product. The rice hulls have been sterilized by boiling so there is NO weed seed. The Growing Mix has peat, lime and a starter nutrient charge. All in all, I have had very good luck with this mix. I used it last year for toms, peppers, melons, onions, etc. and all did well. I have also used ProMix BX in the past. That also worked very well, but I don't like pearlite and vermiculite any more. Fafard and Sunshine (metro mix) both provide a balanced PH peat based starter for those of us who like to mix our own.