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Georgia

Im just trying some tests out and was wondering if 1/3 milled spagnum moss 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 pertlite would make a good starter? Or do I have to use peat moss? My girlfreind works at a garden center and has a stuff called no damp off milled sphagnum moss avaliable and was just curious. Thanks

11/29/2006 12:14:47 PM

Mocksville, NC

Miracle Grow with moisture control potting soil, why make hard on yourself.
Unless you are just expimenting thats a diff story.
The no damp off milled sphagnum might be refering to being resistant to Damping off disease you know that white crust that developes on top of soil of potted plants.

12/9/2006 5:55:31 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Jason,

The mix you describe is exactly what I've used here for years. They taught it to us in school. Never had a seedling damp-off from Pythium when using that blend.

That milled spagnum comes in a small bag, costs a bundle & is worth every penny.

Mix the 3 materials in a bucket using a measuring cup. The last measure is an identical quantity (by volume) of warm water. Mix be hand & let it sit for half a day to opvercome the surface tension of the sphagnum. Messy, fun & effective.

I continue to make it this way because some commercial mixes contain fertilizers & wetting agents that are not clearly indicated on ther bag. In low quantities they don't have to be. These are often not harmful but they can take early Nitrogen fertility over the top. If I want fertilizer I add my own from turkey manure, blood etc. I never use chemical fertilizers on seedlings.

12/9/2006 10:44:20 AM

Georgia

Tremor good feedback..Ive always just used regular sphagnum moss but the women who controls the germination room at the nursery that my girlfreind works at suggested using the milled variety. The name of the actual product I think is called no damp off or something close to that.Im definetly gonna give it a try. I hate to lose any seeds of mine to expensive and sometimes to hard to come by.

12/9/2006 10:50:49 AM

Mocksville, NC

Jason, do what works for you, all the the stuff you decribe is in what i said, and it does contain comercial fert, but at very slow releasing, and it does not hurt the Rhizosphere or the biofilm,There to young, especialy if the potting soil has been inculated with a good Endo mycorrhizae. I would not use commercial ferts after the seedlings, has been transplanted if you do, you will have to continue because not all nitrogen is the same, and you will kill off the protective Rhizosphere, and it wont except organic nitrofixation in the surounding soil.
(Remember this is what i do it may not be right for you)It its much easier for me, and i have gone 99% from seedlings to transplant, with direct sow indoors on 27 plants that all the room i had at the time, so what im saying is every seed i tried to germinate even older ones became very nice seedling, for out door planting. So Remember i may germinate my seeds differnt than you, So just do what works for you OK my freind, there are so many ways to germinate a healthy seedling , and i had to germinate seeds for a gentalman who killed 19 seeds i gave him they all rotted on him, he settled for the 5 i started for him all 5 came up, and he had a good season, My 2 cents Roger

12/9/2006 12:10:20 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

What is this about once you feed with commercial ferts it won't accept organic? How does that work? Is that only for the very young stage?

12/9/2006 4:55:17 PM

Mocksville, NC

- Negative impacts on the soil food web-
Chemical fertilizers negatively impact the soil food web by killing off entire portions of it. What gardener hasn't seen what table salts do to a slug? Fertizers are salts; they suck the water out of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes in the soil. Since these microbes are at the very foundation of the nutrient systems,you have to keep adding fetilizer once you start using it regularly. The microbiology is missing and not there to do its job, feeding the plants.
It makes sence that once the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and protozoa are gone, other members of the food web disappear as well. Earthworms, for example, lacking food and irritated by the synthetic nitrates in souble nitrogen fertilizers, move out. Since they are major shredders of organic material, their absence is a great loss. Without the activity and diversity of a healthy food web, you not only impact the nutrient system but all other things a healthy soil food web brings, Soil stucture deteriorates,, watering can be problematic pathogens and pests establish themselfs and, worst of all, gardening becomes alot more work than needs to be. Im not standing on a soap box, but if several world record holders of 1400+ Used no fertilizers at all, so i wonderd how did they do it well i found some Answers thanks to Tremor for the lead, and i have started leaning that way i'm now at 85% organic 15% ferts. Have i used chemical fertilizers in the past you bet, but when i started cutting back my size, and weight gains started to jump. I really dont advise chemical ferts on seedling or any part of my patches, i just havent mastered on how to do it totaly yet , but i'm getting there. Plants growing on a organic diet are getting there food from, dead bacteria, fungi that acualy pierce nemotodes. See the dead bodies of theses microbes after feeding retain all the nesessary nutrients including nitrogen to feed the plant, and will not leach fom the soil.Roger

12/10/2006 1:10:25 PM

President - GPC

Great post Roger

12/11/2006 2:14:11 PM

ordinary,VA

What affect does products that are not fertilizers but are systemic like banner maxx or merit have on soil food web?

12/11/2006 3:49:36 PM

Mocksville, NC

I'm not an expert by a long shot, but a fungicide will have a effect on mycorrizea how much i really dont know i think if you apply banner maxx at a dose just enough to control or if you need to at all, i do know that beneficial fungus creates its own antibiotics to ward off the bad fungus , remember penicillin, and with enough good bacteria it will cover the leaf also and suround the stoma were the bad guys enter compost tea rich in good bacteria prb comes into play here also. bugs even have their place creating air tunnels for oxygen in the soil. Merit applied at the correct amount meaning just enough to be effective follow the label closely. the whole idea behind a healthy food web is everything is in a food chain from bacteria to mammals the ideal ratio is 1 to 1 bacteria, and fungus to create a living soil, and great reduction or elimination of synthectics. like i said i havent got there yet, but i'm getting closer.

12/11/2006 5:05:45 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Thanks Roger!

12/15/2006 12:50:05 AM