How much do you pay for seed starting mix?

[barbamWY]

I was wondering what you pay for 3.8 bales of mix for starting seeds? I have a friend starting a greenhouse business and he asked me if $33.00 is a good price. I think iit is a mix from Sunshine.

[CarolynPhillips]

It varies depending on how far it had to ship.
I can have it shipped in bulk of 60 bales within my state for $24 a bale after shipping.
But to buy it local from a co=op would cost me $37 a bale.
But I can also drive 2 hours away and buy it for $26 a bale.

[strax]

I am thrifty, so I wouldnt pay that much. However, the best price I could find for a 3.8 bale of promix with mycorrhizae was 28.50 last year. The price has been going up $1 to $2 every year. so i expect it will be at least $30.00 this year. 5 years ago it was $20.00 a bale. I should have stocked up then. lol. I got lucky and found some 2.0 bales of promix without mycorrhizae for $7.00 last year.

not sure how sunshine compares to promix, but $33.00 is probably comparable to other resellers. -of course, i'm in a diffent state, so ymmv.

[Fusion_power]

I buy 3.8 bales of promix MXP for $23 each from a local business who is selling it to me at his cost. The reason is that I supply him with several hundred trays of plants. His normal price is $26 per bale.

DarJones

[Tania]

I pay $24.99 to $26.99 for a 3.8 cu.ft of PRO-MIX with mycorize or biological fungicide

[Hastings]

Is there a good retailer online? I would probably have to drive 150 miles to find a brick and mortar retailer who sells the Pro-Mix starting seed mix.

[barbamWY]

I was wondering the same thing Hastings. I looked on Amazon and the price doubled with the shipping. We have one wholesaler in Billings Montana which my friend can purchase from. I sent an e-mail to a couple of greenhouses. I thought the price he was given was more like retail than wholesale. But at least there is no sales tax in Montana, but it does mean driving 70 miles.
Barb

[greyghost]

I think you're correct about that quoted price being retail. If I were to purchase the 3.8 ProMix at a nearby DE lawn and garden center, it's
~$34. If I drive 30 miles to a farm feed store near Lancaster, PA that
carries a large volume of garden products (huge stack of the 3.8 bags)
the price is $23 plus the 6% sales tax. I haven't priced it yet this year
so I have my fingers crossed! (I have to visit the feed store once a month
anyway.) Darlene

[nctomatoman]

I pay a little less than 10.00 for 2.8 cu ft of MetroMix 360. And I use it for my transplants into 4 inch pots as well....gets pricey!

[barbamWY]

Here is another question regarding mixes. I just got a quote for Bergers from a greenhouse and $50.00 but it is a compressed bale. I am wondering if the mixes you are purchasing are compressed. I thought the price is high, but not sure of the volume of compressed verses not. I have an old bag of Sunshine in my garage and it is not.
Barb

[nctomatoman]

The Metro mix is loose and just barely moistened, so it is easily watered without it beading and running off - just great stuff. Last year they were out part way through the season and I got Fafard 3b - didn't like it nearly as much (strong aroma, bigger chunks). Plants don't adjust to transplanting as quickly in the Fafard.

[greyghost]

The 3.8 cubic foot bag (I should probably be calling it a bale) is compressed.
Wrapped in white plastic with large lettering ProMix BX, comes with mychor.
fungi. The DE source also sells the fungicide version of ProMix.

[Fusion_power]

Here is an article that gives most of the pro's and con's of using promix.

http://www.tomatodirt.com/pro-mix.html

As noted, it is tightly compressed which means it takes time to get it evenly moistened and crumbled. I think I found the laziest way possible for doing this. I cut the side of a bag open and then use a metal strip to punch into the bale 6 or 8 times, then I insert the snout of my water hose (a 3 ft long metal tube with an on-off valve) into the bale in a dozen or so spots and slowly withdraw it as the water runs. When it has about 10 gallons of water in the bale, I walk away and leave it for 24 hours. It is then easily crumbled and placed into seed trays. A 3.8 cu ft bale will typically fill 30 cell trays if lightly packed or about 34 trays if a bit more loosely filled. This means that my cost for each filled cell tray is:

$0.62 cell pack
$0.85 cell tray
$0.77 promix
$2.24 per tray total

http://www.mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1288

Now consider that I fill about 500 trays per year and you get the picture of $1000 just in cell tray costs. Seed costs per year can easily run another $1000 if I buy a lot of hybrid seed. End result is that I have roughly $4.50 tied up in each tray of seedlings before paying any expenses such as my time, my greenhouse, heating, etc.

This year, I will be trialing the 3.5" by 5" deep form pots which give 39% more capacity than the 4 inch round cups I have been using.

http://www.mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1278

DarJones

[barbamWY]

Thanks for the link on the pots. I am going to save it. I just ordered last week these which I have used for years http://www.novoselenterprises.com/pr...le.asp?ID=3012
The pots are 3.5 inches across and 3.75 deep. I bought 2 cases so I could get 20% off and free shipping right now. A few years ago I could get pots for about 9 cents each and now it has doubled. I sell a couple hundred plants each year and my regulars give the pots back to me and I run them through the dishwasher.

[erlyberd]

If price is ever a concern then simply make your own mix and sterilize it! That leaves you in full control.

Normally I grow so few plants price is never a concern to me. One decent bag of sterile seed starting mix is all I ever need.

I've been know to cheat by filling 6 packs 3/4 full of compost and the last 1/4 with seed mix with good results. Maybe lost a few plants to dampening off but these were the 2nd insurance batch if you will!