Question about transplanting seedlings

[Rfdillon]

I just ordered some dolomite from Amazon.com. Thanks for all your help!

[RayR]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Hmm, I made my own mix to transplant seedlings into this year of equal parts of peat/vermiculite/Diatomeceous earth. Do you folks think I need to add some lime? My first transplants look fine now, but they did drop a few leaves after transplanting.

Nobody can know if do or don't without testing the PH. If those proportions of materials in the mix are working for you, then you must be in a good PH range.
I think the problem with any raw organic material like peat moss is that the PH can vary depending on where it came from, the grade of the peat moss and even if the manufacturer did some PH adjusting of their own.
Other factors may alter the PH of the mix like the water you use. If you use tap water, your water may be high in carbonates which will raise the PH, also your choice of fertilization may effect the overall PH of the mix your plants are growing in.
PH papers that can give you results in .5PH increments are a cheap investment to check the PH of your mix. A few days ago I checked my own seed starting mix of 50% Diatomaceous earth/40% coir/10% compost that my onion seedlings have been growing in since early last month. According to the color chart the PH is somewhere between 6.5-7.0. Good!

[JJJessee]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Hmm, I made my own mix to transplant seedlings into this year of equal parts of peat/vermiculite/Diatomeceous earth. Do you folks think I need to add some lime? My first transplants look fine now, but they did drop a few leaves after transplanting.

I think you do need to balance the pH of the peat up a little. I would use dolomite, because it also has the requisite magnesium in tow. I use 1 cup per 7.5gal(1 cuft) of mix. What nutrients you are going to add may be the bigger question. I'm guessing the cotyledons were the leaves that dropped. My understanding is they supply the seedling enough nutrients to allow roots to establish and find nutrients. They usually drop in a few weeks for me. I usually transplant before first true leaves develop. Sounds harsh on a baby, but I don't ever remember losing a plant over it.

[Rfdillon]

Folks, today I transplanted 48 seedlings into solo cups with the following potting mix

3 (1/2 gallons) peat
1 (1/2 gallon)perlite
3 (1/2 gallons) compost
1 (1/gallon) vermiculite
4 Tbspn Azomite
5 Tbsp kelp meal
5 Tbspn epson salts
7 Tbspn lime

Does thus sound like a good media for tomato growth?