Seed Starting Mix Trials Part 1: They Aren't the Same! скачать в хорошем качестве

Seed Starting Mix Trials Part 1: They Aren't the Same!

A successful garden starts with happy healthy seedlings. We wondered what the difference was between the different the types of seed starting mixes available to us in the store so we decided to do a trial to see what was out there, and see how they perform against each other. We went out and bought 14 different brands of seed starting mixes and in part one we discuss the ingredients, cost, ease of hydration and our analysis of how they have performed for us in the past (the ones we have used), and our guess on how they will do for the ones we haven't tried yet. We discuss peat moss based mixes like Miracle Grow seed starting mix, Espoma seed starting and potting Mix, Fox Farms Light Warrior seed starting mix, and Pro Mix potting soil. These are peat and perlite mixes. Jiffy seed starting mixes from both Home Depot and Walmart, and Hoffmann's that we bought at Earl May are mostly sphagnum peat moss mixed with vermiculite, though the Jiffy and Pro mix also have coconut coir. Some mixes have wetting agents, and some of those wetting agents are organic some are not. Will it make a difference? Ferry Morse was in this group too with peat and vermiculite but no coir. Then we shift to the Coconut Coir mixes. Burpee seed starting mix and the Master Garden Mix from Menards had nearly identical ingredients. Will there any difference in performance? We'll see in part two. They have a little fertilizer in them but not the mycorrhizal fungi that came in the Espoma, Pro Mix and Fox Farm mixes. Do mycorrhizal fungi make a difference in a potting soil? Our experience is yes, they have a symbiotic relationship with the roots of most plants to help extend their reach for nutrients and help grow a stronger plant. Although most of the mixes were designated seed starters discuss our experience starting seeds with Miracle Grow potting soil with moisture control, and we did put in Fox Farms Happy Frog potting soil and Ocean Forest mix in the trial as well. We liked these because they were different from both the peat and coir mixes. The first ingredient in the Fox Farms mix was aged forest products. A renewable source for potting soil is good. They had lots of organic nutrients like worm castings, oyster shell, bat guano, shrimp meal, fish emulsion, and crabmeal and a healthy list of mycorrhizal fungi. They do still have peat moss so we added Back to the Roots organic seed starter to the list too. It is a peat moss free version based on processed forest products and some mycorrhizal fungi. Our last contestant was the most expensive. SucSeed is a milled sphagnum moss product from Wisconsin. A very renewable resource, peat free and organic. It holds water like a sponge. But will it work? Watch to see how much each mix cost, and what our initial thoughts are on texture and how easy they were to rehydrate with water, and how we felt about package claims. After this video we planted seeds in each of these mixes and the timer is on to see how they perform!