Any soil that drains well and isn't super "fortified" (aka hot) would work. You can buy official "seedling soil" at most stores with a gardening dept. If you don't have those options, just buy a small pack of peat moss or coir and mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with the soil you're going to use to grow in.
I like to use depleted soil from my last grow. But you could just use regular dirt from outside. Don't pack the dirt, leave it as loose as you can get it. I don't plant into new soil until it's between 1-2 weeks old.
Seed starter at your local big box. Half fill a solo cup with the corners lightly cut out and water thoroughly. ( the round bottom cups don't stand up as well ) That way you can put more soil in as the plant grows to help with stem strength. Get a spray bottle to water as the seed starter doesn't take water well and sometimes floats the seedling. Good luck
Horrible advice so far in this thread.......... Your starting mix is of huge importance. Look into V.A. Tiejens for base saturation levels. Keep the mix with high amounts of aeration.
I can get 100% germination from almost any soil........If that is how your judging success then your missing the boat, imo..................... Balanced soil with high calcium is what you want in a potting soil.
Honestly bro, most important thing with seedlings is depth of seed and lighting. Most seedling deaths accure Bc they stretch up and fall over Bc they were planted too shallow or stretched to reach inadequate lighting. Soil is an after thought, most seedlings have enough stored energy For the first week of life
Sure, calcium and everything else in soil is very important, I make my own soil from scratch and keep it alive. Are you suggesting that all is of critical importance for the first 2-3 weeks of a seedling's life? If so, I don't agree and my experiences growing support that. The OP's only talking about the soil for germinating, not the soil for growing. Look, that one dude who agrees with you above is growing in schwaggy Ocean Forest.
Do you know how many seedlings get burnt with "seedling" soil. Direct someone to a hardware store for seedling soil and no other specifics I bet they come out with miracle grow timed release trash. Apparently this guy's know all and nothing anyone else is doing or has experienced is relevant haha not saying you must take anyone's or must not take anyone's advice, but just because some big headed grower wants to throw his two cents in and downplay everyone else's experience doesn't mean what works for him will work for u and vise versa. Pretty easy to tell a clown showoff from a experienced and available mentor or teacher if u ask me Sent from my Z982 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
A copy & paste (V.A. Tiejens) in GC search just loops me back to this thread. A copy & paste to google turns up all kinds of unrelated horse shit. Can you link to info, or explain what you're talking about to answer the op's question?
You’re right, that was pretty dickish of me to call the soil you use “swaggy”. Fox Farms does fine, your plants are looking fine, lots of people kick ass with their soils. To answer your question, no I don’t know how many people burn their seedlings with seedling soil. I’m guessing zero do though, even if they use miracle grow’s seedling soil.
Listen, everyone here is going to have a different opinion mostly based on their own experience. What you need to do is focus on the important things. Do you have a decent light? Are you prepared to put in work to support life in your soil and willing to work hard to achieve your goals? Are you some what sure of what watering schedule you are going to use? Biggest problem I've seen with seedlings is overwatering. Now let's talk some soil. Like previously stated. STAY AWAY FROM MIRCALE GROW!!!! You can use fox farms, you can use happy frog, and just about any potting soil, but let's be clear. You need aeration... To dense and you set yourself up for poor results. You could make your own, thats what I do but I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I just like almost complete control of what goes into my grow. What I would suggest is view what we say, and then do a little research. Because ultimately it doesn't matter what we say. It all comes down to what you feel is best for you. You are going to pick what you want and that's just it. Read up and make sure you know what you are doing before hand. I spent $400 on supplies for my soil. I don't regret it though because I haven't had many problems at all. With that being said you could spend $40 and still grow pot. All I want is for you to pay attention to what you are putting in your soil. That will make the difference on weather or not your soil is adequate. Best of luck man. J Evergreen
You guys really diving this deep into seedling soil, without a peep of soil science. It amazes me every time. Sure, here ya go. Dr. V.A. Tiedjens researcher in plant nutrition, soil health and crop fertilizers - More Food from Soil Science book author That is a brief overview of his work. Here is a google search for his papers he published. V.A. Tiedjens papers - Google Search And here is his book. If you guys ever took the time to test a bag of soil, you would know that recommending Fox Farm isn't like a recipe. If Fox Farm soil was a soup, it would taste salty one batch, and bland the next. I have tested Fox Farm Ocean forest on three different occasions, and each time the chemical composition was vastly different. Same with every single bagged soil you buy. There is a reason bigger growers like myself pay big bucks to get soil balanced before delivery. Honestly bro, he wasn't asking about lighting or anything else you said. All he asked was what is the best soil for seeds........... Try to keep up. No, I am not suggesting that is all that is needed for the first 2-3 weeks of life. I clearly said a balanced soil. I clearly said look up V.A. Tiedjens for base saturation levels........ Try to keep up. Biggest problem is over watering, but is that the only reason for over watering? Too much Mg clogs up the soil. Lots of Ca opens it up. Lots of Ca and good amounts of perlite are very important here. It's the difference between a mud puddle, and a quick draining soil that delivers oxygen to the soil. So what levels of Ca and Mg? 85% Ca and 10% Mg (roughly) I spent almost 5k last year on soil testing. Worth every penny. Then it helps to have an agronomist to help with the numbers.
Yes, I see that, and have personally experienced burnt seedings in miracle grow seedling soil, I have had bad results using that same reasoning growing early on. B I made immediate changes into authentic organics and fox farms and have had no issues since Sent from my Z982 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Appreciate your opinions and experience though of course. It's just that I have experienced otherwise, in this situation. have tried way too many. Some strains may withstand but I'd say there's a good chance that it's not one of them that you're growing and will possibly incur issues in a very crucial stage of growth. All in all I feel like I should have just started w ocean forest the first time. Sent from my Z982 using Grasscity Forum mobile app