Making my own Soilless mixture for seedlings to Sell?

desertlzbn · February 6, 2012

I am wondering if anyone makes their own mix for their seedlings to sell?
The Sunshine mix is so expensive, but I was thinking about making my own.
A bag of Sunshine mix #1 is $30.00
A bag of compressed peat moss is $20.00
A bag of Perlite is $18.00
(lime I already have)
So it would be $38. to buy the stuff to make my own, but does anyone know if a bale of the peat moss will make more mixture than what comes in the Sunshine mix bale?
Also what ratios would I use to make it?

Sorry if this seems dumb, but I cannot seem to figure it out, and I know you guys are way more experienced than I am.

dice · February 6, 2012

It might be cheaper to make an "Al's Mix" with bark fines (although he
uses some peat, too):

Here is a thread from GW that discussed where to find bark fines in or
near Tuscon (ignore the title; shredded cedar is not recommended):
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...021520071.html

Another GW thread that lists Al's Mix formulas:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...25632.html?117

fortyonenorth · February 6, 2012

Desert - the Sunshine mix, as a pre-blended potting mix, is jacking up your costs. Al's mix, which is satisfactory, would cost less. It's a 5-1-1 blend of pine bark fines, peat and perlite. My costs are:

PBF - $3.50 per 2 cu. ft. bag (this is from the big box stores; it would be less in bulk, if available)
peat - $16 per 3.8 cu. ft. bale
perlite - $16 per "big" bag

The trick is getting the pine bark fines in the right size. This can vary from store to store. I've even encountered different grades on a single pallet.

janezee · February 6, 2012

What scale were you thinking?
Perhaps you can find these ingredients in bulk. I buy my peat moss, mushroom compost, steer manure (composted) for around $27/cu. yd.

desertlzbn · February 7, 2012

Last year I used 3 bales of sunshine mix #1. I did already buy 2 bales of sunshine mix this year, but I also bought a bale of peat moss. I have a concrete mixer, and thought to use it to mix up a couple of batches of mix. I also have some bark mulch that is pretty fine, I wonder if I could use that?
Thanks for the help

dice · February 7, 2012

Bark fines are probably only available in bags around Tuscon, regardless
of where you get them. As far as I can see, there are no local sources
where people can buy it by the yard. ("Landscape materials" there usually
amount to different grades and colors of sand and gravel, which fits with
the natural landscape.)

If you had deep pockets, I suppose one could order a train car full of bark
fines from somewhere, but I get the impression from browsing the WWW
that tree bark is not a common landscape material around Tuscon, like it
is where conifer forests are closer.

So assume that getting it in bags is the only way to get it there.

desertlzbn · February 7, 2012

I can get a huge bag of it for about 6 bucks at cps, so that it's not too bad price wise.

jdwhitaker · February 7, 2012

I didn't have good luck with the 5-1-1 mix for germination (in 1 inch cells). It has worked well for me when I pot up tomato plants into 4 inch pots. The bark can repel water if it is too fresh. I soak it in hot water with a drop of dish soap to combat this.

A 3.8 cu. ft. bale of peat will make 6 cu. ft. once it is broken apart, if I remember correctly. Add a 4 cu. ft. bag of perlite, and you should have around 8 cu. ft. of mixed soil. The peat will almost definitely repel water, so give it the hot water/soap treatment as well.

Boutique Tomatoes · February 7, 2012

I've experimented with the bark mix for germination and had iffy results myself, I think a finer mix is does better for getting them started. Once they're potted up it does great things for root development.

Eliot Coleman gave a recipe in New Organic Grower that was peat, compost and sand with some blood meal, colloidal phosphate, greensand and lime. I have to look up the proportions but I've made that before when I thought to put a couple of buckets of compost in the garage before it froze solid. Most years I forget and end up buying mix.

botanophilia · February 8, 2012

Keep it simple. 1:1 blend of peat/perlite or 1:1:1 Peat/Perlite/Vermiculite for germination. 5:1:1 Bark/Peat/Perlite would work well for growing on.

desertlzbn · February 8, 2012

This is the mulch that I buy, do you think this would work for the bark fines? I could not find what the contents or type of wood it is. that is a wine cork for size, just what I had handy.

dice · February 8, 2012

Looks ok to me. That looks as fine or finer than what we usually see in
bagged tree bark around here.

fortyonenorth · February 8, 2012

The texture looks good, but the type of bark is critical. You want conifer bark. Pine bark is common in the east and midwest. Fir bark is more prevalent in the west. It looks like there is a phone number on your bag of mulch. I'd contact the company directly if you're unsure about "what" you have.

jdwhitaker · February 8, 2012

It looks great, and is almost certainly pine bark (or some other conifer) since it is sold as a soil conditioner. The bag says it is composted, so it should soak up water well and not tie up nitrogen.

February 6, 2012	#2
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	It might be cheaper to make an "Al's Mix" with bark fines (although he uses some peat, too): Here is a thread from GW that discussed where to find bark fines in or near Tuscon (ignore the title; shredded cedar is not recommended): http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...021520071.html Another GW thread that lists Al's Mix formulas: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/...25632.html?117 __________________ -- alias

February 7, 2012	#6
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Bark fines are probably only available in bags around Tuscon, regardless of where you get them. As far as I can see, there are no local sources where people can buy it by the yard. ("Landscape materials" there usually amount to different grades and colors of sand and gravel, which fits with the natural landscape.) If you had deep pockets, I suppose one could order a train car full of bark fines from somewhere, but I get the impression from browsing the WWW that tree bark is not a common landscape material around Tuscon, like it is where conifer forests are closer. So assume that getting it in bags is the only way to get it there. __________________ -- alias

February 8, 2012	#12
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Looks ok to me. That looks as fine or finer than what we usually see in bagged tree bark around here. __________________ -- alias

February 6, 2012	#1
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	Making my own Soilless mixture for seedlings to Sell? I am wondering if anyone makes their own mix for their seedlings to sell? The Sunshine mix is so expensive, but I was thinking about making my own. A bag of Sunshine mix #1 is $30.00 A bag of compressed peat moss is $20.00 A bag of Perlite is $18.00 (lime I already have) So it would be $38. to buy the stuff to make my own, but does anyone know if a bale of the peat moss will make more mixture than what comes in the Sunshine mix bale? Also what ratios would I use to make it? Sorry if this seems dumb, but I cannot seem to figure it out, and I know you guys are way more experienced than I am.

February 6, 2012	#3
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	Desert - the Sunshine mix, as a pre-blended potting mix, is jacking up your costs. Al's mix, which is satisfactory, would cost less. It's a 5-1-1 blend of pine bark fines, peat and perlite. My costs are: PBF - $3.50 per 2 cu. ft. bag (this is from the big box stores; it would be less in bulk, if available) peat - $16 per 3.8 cu. ft. bale perlite - $16 per "big" bag The trick is getting the pine bark fines in the right size. This can vary from store to store. I've even encountered different grades on a single pallet.

February 6, 2012	#4
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	What scale were you thinking? Perhaps you can find these ingredients in bulk. I buy my peat moss, mushroom compost, steer manure (composted) for around $27/cu. yd.

February 7, 2012	#8
jdwhitaker Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Andrews, Texas Posts: 104	I didn't have good luck with the 5-1-1 mix for germination (in 1 inch cells). It has worked well for me when I pot up tomato plants into 4 inch pots. The bark can repel water if it is too fresh. I soak it in hot water with a drop of dish soap to combat this. A 3.8 cu. ft. bale of peat will make 6 cu. ft. once it is broken apart, if I remember correctly. Add a 4 cu. ft. bag of perlite, and you should have around 8 cu. ft. of mixed soil. The peat will almost definitely repel water, so give it the hot water/soap treatment as well.

February 7, 2012	#9
Boutique Tomatoes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Northeast Wisconsin, Zone 5a Posts: 1,109	I've experimented with the bark mix for germination and had iffy results myself, I think a finer mix is does better for getting them started. Once they're potted up it does great things for root development. Eliot Coleman gave a recipe in New Organic Grower that was peat, compost and sand with some blood meal, colloidal phosphate, greensand and lime. I have to look up the proportions but I've made that before when I thought to put a couple of buckets of compost in the garage before it froze solid. Most years I forget and end up buying mix.

February 8, 2012	#10
botanophilia Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Oostburg, WI Posts: 11	Keep it simple. 1:1 blend of peat/perlite or 1:1:1 Peat/Perlite/Vermiculite for germination. 5:1:1 Bark/Peat/Perlite would work well for growing on.