Joel_BC
Super Self-Sufficient
Just thought I'd start a thread for sharing what we each do to get our seeds off to a good, healthy, strong start in spring... the ones we start inside before planting out.
I posted about what's become my favored soil mix on the thread about container carrots, but I felt this morning that that might not attract people's attention for sharing their own methods and mixes. So... Anyhow, last year I was able to source some volcanic rock powder from a BC-based company. Last year's experience proved to me the value of using the powder.
Last year, my wife and I were starting several kinds of plants using a bagged potting soil we bought. As an experiment we used that soil unamended, in sets of matched starter trays - that is, unamended except for those trays in which Id added about 15% of this volcanic rock powder to the mixture. All the seedlings were started under grow lights. I didn't take pictures of the results, at that time.
But the seedlings growing in the soil that included the volcanic rock powder did twice as well, in my estimation, in terms of vitality and size. Taller, better color, hardier stalks, bigger leaves. In a nutshell, a month after sewing, you could see that much difference.
Later, in the summer, I wanted to try another experiment - and photograph the result this time. So at that point with the starting trays (six packs) I again matched the basic growing medium, the watering regime, and the lighting on the experimental and 'control' trays. I made up my own starter medium as follows: 50% sphagnum peat moss; 30% worm castings; 20% perlite well stirred. One of the trays shown below contains this mixture as such. The other has this mixture but with about 12% volcanic rock powder stirred into it. This time I made up only two trays.
I planted each cell with two radish seeds from the same packet. I kept the trays on a bench in our greenhouse. Then I was careful to keep the watering and the light exposure the same. Seed germination took about 48 hours, and the speed of germination was pretty much the same, comparing the two six packs.
The picture, taken eight days after planting the seeds, pretty much tells the story. Everything did pretty well, actually, since the basic soil mix, in itself, was a pretty rich mix because of the worm castings. But the seedlings (on the left) with the volcanic powder in their growing medium were clearly doing better than those without. Id estimate the difference in vitality and growth to be maybe 20%, at the early stage photographed. The difference that you can see at eight days becomes greater over time. And the part that you don't see is how much better the root development is! So, given the option, I'll always choose to include the volcanic rock powder in the mix.
I'd like to know about your methods.
I posted about what's become my favored soil mix on the thread about container carrots, but I felt this morning that that might not attract people's attention for sharing their own methods and mixes. So... Anyhow, last year I was able to source some volcanic rock powder from a BC-based company. Last year's experience proved to me the value of using the powder.
Last year, my wife and I were starting several kinds of plants using a bagged potting soil we bought. As an experiment we used that soil unamended, in sets of matched starter trays - that is, unamended except for those trays in which Id added about 15% of this volcanic rock powder to the mixture. All the seedlings were started under grow lights. I didn't take pictures of the results, at that time.
But the seedlings growing in the soil that included the volcanic rock powder did twice as well, in my estimation, in terms of vitality and size. Taller, better color, hardier stalks, bigger leaves. In a nutshell, a month after sewing, you could see that much difference.Later, in the summer, I wanted to try another experiment - and photograph the result this time. So at that point with the starting trays (six packs) I again matched the basic growing medium, the watering regime, and the lighting on the experimental and 'control' trays. I made up my own starter medium as follows: 50% sphagnum peat moss; 30% worm castings; 20% perlite well stirred. One of the trays shown below contains this mixture as such. The other has this mixture but with about 12% volcanic rock powder stirred into it. This time I made up only two trays.
I planted each cell with two radish seeds from the same packet. I kept the trays on a bench in our greenhouse. Then I was careful to keep the watering and the light exposure the same. Seed germination took about 48 hours, and the speed of germination was pretty much the same, comparing the two six packs.
The picture, taken eight days after planting the seeds, pretty much tells the story. Everything did pretty well, actually, since the basic soil mix, in itself, was a pretty rich mix because of the worm castings. But the seedlings (on the left) with the volcanic powder in their growing medium were clearly doing better than those without. Id estimate the difference in vitality and growth to be maybe 20%, at the early stage photographed. The difference that you can see at eight days becomes greater over time. And the part that you don't see is how much better the root development is! So, given the option, I'll always choose to include the volcanic rock powder in the mix.
I'd like to know about your methods.
