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diiu uuca uui. 1 nc: waterproof marker I use is xylene-free, and both Johnny’s and Southern Seed carry them.
There are plenty of soil mixes on the market, but I prefer to make my own. If you choose to buy one, look for ones without added chemical fertilizers, growth stimulators and wetting agents. Avoid potting mixes, which are inappropriate for starting seeds. Johnny’s and Shepard’s Saed*— seem to have the best quality germination mixes.
Another note: some mixes are labeled “organic”, but that is not the same as organic food certification standards. It simply means that the mix is made from non-synthetic sources, but may in fact, contain pesticide and other chemical residues.
Vermiculite is another material I now avoid, since it has been found to carry asbestos traces.
Here’s a simple recipe for making your own mix:
• 3 bricks of re-constituted compressed coir (coconut fiber)
• 2/3 that amount of worm castings or fine-screened compost
• 1/3 (ratio to coir) of perlite
• 1 cup rock phosphate (not super phosphate)
• 1 cup bone meal
• 1 cup dolomite lime
• 1 cup alfalfa meal.
This combination provides all the essential nutrients for young seedlings for at least three weeks after they’ve grown their true leaf sets. Afterwards, a weekly feeding of dilute fish ertlulsion should be given.
The next issue is containers. But I’ll have to leave that until next time as not only am I out of room, but selecting the best containers has to do with technique, which is Part Two of Seed —starting.
Donna LaPre tvelcomes questions and comments and may be reached at dopray@earthlink.net or in care of the Rappahannock News at P.O. Box 59, Washington, Va. 22747.
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