Question about transplanting seedlings

[Rfdillon]

Folks, most of my tomatoes have come up, and have now developed their first set of true leaves.As I am new to container gardening (after a 15 year hiatus) I still haven't decided on a good container mix, and am seeking advice as to what media I should place these seedlings in.
I have peat moss and perlite; can I transplant my tomatoes into Dixie cups in some proportion of perlite and peat moss, or should I also add some compost, or something else? Thanks in advance for your help!

[AlittleSalt]

It's my first year of doing this. I bought a large bag of MG Organic Potting Mix and a bunch of Red Solo cups.

[tlintx]

You might google "Cornell peat-lite" and check this thread out:

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=26519

I would definitely advise against mixing up your own mix unless you're prepared to follow recipes exactly (or okay with a few failures in the process). I think lime is necessary for a peat mix?

[ScottinAtlanta]

Call your local hydroponics store and get you a bale of this. I pay about $34 for a bale that allows me pot up about 1200 9 ounce dixie cups: PRO-MIX® HP MYCORRHIZAE™

[BigVanVader]

I can second the promix recommendation, I used it last year with great results.

[RayR]

What kind of containers are these plants going into in your garden?
There are numerous recipes for container mixes but since you are new at this I would suggest against putting together your own mix right now unless you want to experiment with some first on a few plants. Peat moss, perlite, compost are all fine but the proportions of each is important. You will also need some lime to balance the PH of the media.
Just go with a good quality commercial potting soil for potting up and for your main garden containers for now.

[Cole_Robbie]

Pro-mix should be about $3.50 per cubic foot. The peat-based pro mixes typically balance the acidity of the peat with a little limestone.

[Rfdillon]

Thanks so much for the suggestion of pro mix, but I have not found any in the big box stores, so I bought peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite already. I really would like to not buy a pre-made potting mix, if I can use what I have already purchased.

[Cole_Robbie]

I think you'll want to mix a little limestone with the peat.

Here is a link with some recipes from Cornell:
http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/cr...s/peatlite.pdf

[Rfdillon]

I also just received some Azomite. Would a little bit of it work instead if the lime?

[luigiwu]

lime neutralizes the acidity that comes with peat.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Rfdillon

I also just received some Azomite. Would a little bit of it work instead if the lime?

Azomite is not a substitute for lime. Azomite can be used in small quantities to add minerals and trace elements. Dolomite is the form of limestone that is most commonly used in agriculture. It is primarily calcium magnesium carbonate which can be used to raise the PH of the mix if it is too acidic as well as add a source calcium and magnesium which are important nutrients for plant growth.
Peat moss tends to be very acidic and if it's a major part of the mix it may lower the overall PH to undesirable levels. Finished compost tends to be more or less neutral in PH. If your mix is primarily a peat/compost mix the proportions of each will determine the overall PH of the mix and how much lime that will need to be added.

[Rfdillon]

Thanks, RayR, for the explanation. It appears that it will be difficult for me to determine just how much lime to add, supposing that I can even find dolomite.Can't anything be simple?

[dfollett]

Garden lime.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Espoma-6-...8617/203192761

[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.