Diatomaceous Earth as a seed starting medium

travis · May 4, 2012

Several years ago, I used diatomaceous earth product as a portion of starter mix, along with peat making up the majority of the remainder. The DE was an oil absorb product I bought at Rural King in a large bag, I believe was about 50 lbs., and much cheaper than what Ray indicates today's price may be. But then there's the immense increase in mining, drying, processing and shipping costs over the past few years to consider. The material was baked, and was much whiter than what Ray shows in his pictures.

The only problem I had was algae growing on the DE, but Ray's photos don't seem to show the same problem.

I think I'll try DE again next year, but go 100% DE as Ray did, water solely from the bottom, and see how it works for me. I'd really like to use something besides peat, vermiculite, perlite, and coir, all of which have posed various problems for me either with regard to cost, function, or sustainability.

May 4, 2012	#11
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	Several years ago, I used diatomaceous earth product as a portion of starter mix, along with peat making up the majority of the remainder. The DE was an oil absorb product I bought at Rural King in a large bag, I believe was about 50 lbs., and much cheaper than what Ray indicates today's price may be. But then there's the immense increase in mining, drying, processing and shipping costs over the past few years to consider. The material was baked, and was much whiter than what Ray shows in his pictures. The only problem I had was algae growing on the DE, but Ray's photos don't seem to show the same problem. I think I'll try DE again next year, but go 100% DE as Ray did, water solely from the bottom, and see how it works for me. I'd really like to use something besides peat, vermiculite, perlite, and coir, all of which have posed various problems for me either with regard to cost, function, or sustainability.