Peat - as a starting medium - Page 2

dice · September 2, 2011

I have started tomato plants in peat pellets. They did not do great,
but they survived. The pH was not ideal, but they were not in exclusively
that medium for very long, just until they had a true set of leaves.

I have started seeds in all kinds of weird media: half-decayed birch leaves
with a little wad of sphagnum moss from the yard on top, commercial
"compost" that looked like it was about half wood shavings, couple
year-old generic "potting soil" that some annual like a geranium had
grown in outdoors the previous summer, sand-blasting grit, fine beach
sand from a freshwater stream, and so on. Actual commercial
seed-starting mix is more reliable, of course (less things can go wrong
with it).

RickCorey · October 28, 2011

Consider adding 1/2" screened pine bark (mulch) to improve the drainage and aeration of peat-based mixes.

I hate commercial mixes that are mostly fine powder like milled peat: no voids for air circulation, and nothing drains out until you've poured in huge amounts of water, drowining the roots.

brog · October 28, 2011

I agree with Divce on starting mix. you don`t use much, so go with a searting mix with no built in problems. Good seed starting mix is cheap and can be used several times.

RickCorey · October 28, 2011

I found that it drained too slowly and stayed too wet for my heavy-handed watering habits.

I know: learn to add less water to start, and then NO MORE.

Keiththibodeaux · October 28, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickCorey

I found that it drained too slowly and stayed too wet for my heavy-handed watering habits.

I know: learn to add less water to start, and then NO MORE.

I found the same.

dice · October 29, 2011

Adding more perlite if it is too fine would seem to be useful.

RickCorey · October 31, 2011

Besides pine bark's "very fast draining", "retains less water when soaked" and "surface dries out faster" omprovements, this next thing has helped me too.

Now I lay down a pad of cotton flannel, or batting, sometimes rayon batting, in the bottom of the plastic tray my pots or inserts sit on. That way, excess water tends to be wicked out of the bottom inch or so of the shallow pots and cells. This gives roots more room even after a heavy watering.

Plus, whn I see that the mat is damp, I know that the deep soil is also damp, and I have more ability to refrain from watering agian too soon.

Plus, I think that the mat spreads any excess water from one pot to another, so that no pot dries out first ... every pot has some water until the whole tray dries out.

If I was a bigger fan of bottom wateirng, it would make that workable even with small amounts of water.

But i fear that any unused fertilizer or slats that drain out of the pots may accumulate in the cotton flannel, and then be pulled back into the pots as the tray dries out. I think the salts should be rinsed out of the mats every few weeks.

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.

September 2, 2011	#16
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	I have started tomato plants in peat pellets. They did not do great, but they survived. The pH was not ideal, but they were not in exclusively that medium for very long, just until they had a true set of leaves. I have started seeds in all kinds of weird media: half-decayed birch leaves with a little wad of sphagnum moss from the yard on top, commercial "compost" that looked like it was about half wood shavings, couple year-old generic "potting soil" that some annual like a geranium had grown in outdoors the previous summer, sand-blasting grit, fine beach sand from a freshwater stream, and so on. Actual commercial seed-starting mix is more reliable, of course (less things can go wrong with it). __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; September 2, 2011 at 04:41 AM. Reason: sp

October 28, 2011	#18
brog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Lilburn GA Posts: 278	I agree with Divce on starting mix. you don`t use much, so go with a searting mix with no built in problems. Good seed starting mix is cheap and can be used several times. __________________ Bill

October 29, 2011	#21
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Adding more perlite if it is too fine would seem to be useful. __________________ -- alias

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October 28, 2011	#17
RickCorey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Maritime PNW (WA) Zone 8a Posts: 17	Consider adding 1/2" screened pine bark (mulch) to improve the drainage and aeration of peat-based mixes. I hate commercial mixes that are mostly fine powder like milled peat: no voids for air circulation, and nothing drains out until you've poured in huge amounts of water, drowining the roots.

October 31, 2011	#22
RickCorey Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Maritime PNW (WA) Zone 8a Posts: 17	Besides pine bark's "very fast draining", "retains less water when soaked" and "surface dries out faster" omprovements, this next thing has helped me too. Now I lay down a pad of cotton flannel, or batting, sometimes rayon batting, in the bottom of the plastic tray my pots or inserts sit on. That way, excess water tends to be wicked out of the bottom inch or so of the shallow pots and cells. This gives roots more room even after a heavy watering. Plus, whn I see that the mat is damp, I know that the deep soil is also damp, and I have more ability to refrain from watering agian too soon. Plus, I think that the mat spreads any excess water from one pot to another, so that no pot dries out first ... every pot has some water until the whole tray dries out. If I was a bigger fan of bottom wateirng, it would make that workable even with small amounts of water. But i fear that any unused fertilizer or slats that drain out of the pots may accumulate in the cotton flannel, and then be pulled back into the pots as the tray dries out. I think the salts should be rinsed out of the mats every few weeks.

November 14, 2011	#23
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.