We tested popular seed starting soils: you'll be surprised to learn which one did best!
We tested popular seed starting soils: you'll be surprised to learn which one did best!
UPDATE JANUARY 13, 2024: HERE IS OUR UPDATED FAVORITE SOIL BLOCKING MIX! https://youtu.be/EOxjsRMDfZ8
It can be overwhelming and difficult to know WHICH seed starting soil is the best one to use–there are so many choices! We tested some of the more popular seed starting soils, in addition to two of our peat-free mixes we use here at Blossom and Branch Farm, to see which ones performed the best!
The soils we tested included Miracle Gro seed starting mix, Sun Gro Black Gold seedling mix, Jiffy seed starting mix, and a popular one floating around social media lately comprised of equal parts vermiculite, peat, and perlite.
For the purposes of letting the soil stand on its own, we have NOT fertilized any of these with our stinging nettle fertilizer.
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I have been doing research on a few recipes for soil bocks and I am curious if the peat moss/vermiculite perlite also flopped like the sheep pellet one due to retaining too much moisture? I cannot find cocoloco local to me and also before I had found your videos so I had picked up materials to do peat/vermiculite/perlite and half the peat for coconut coir and maybe try to add some things for some nutrients like some worm castings or mycorrhizal fungi or something. First time seedling grower and initially thought my biggest trouble would be picking seeds, then setting up my schedule of when everything needs to be done by….then how to set up my growing area.. and every step along the way has been another rabbit hole. Haha I just wanted to say thank you for a) taking the time to do these experiments and b) sharing the results for all of us learning from home. It is much appreciated and you did inspire me to start off by getting a soil blocker rather than oodles of trays, so your work is paying off!
Pronounced Coco "koy-er" as opposed to Coco kwoy-er. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with using peat at all. Unless Trudeau is your moral compass✌️
she heard miracle use’s WHAT. heard is NOT science. This IS a biased experiment. Are you a Liberal.
Yeah, that Perlite, Vermiculite, and peat moss (or coco coir) to me is the kind of mix you use to germinate seeds indoors, not grow them on.
I use a coir, vermiculite, and sand mix for early seeds under lights but pot them on into a mix with nutrients once they have their true leaves.
A great comparison video that’s very useful for all of us searching for better methods.
Thanks for doing this 🙂 ! I hadn’t remembered that about the carbon issue with peat, only the bit about it’s sustainability issue. On that, some newer info calling that into question has arisen. I’m NOT supporting the willy-nilly use of it if and when we don’t even "need" to at all, or for places far from a source, btw, either tho. Back to the carbon – grasslands are a great carbon sink too though, and every time soil is tilled at all, carbon is released. Idk about amounts in various types of soil and if that can even be reliably accurate as I’m guessing OG matter content, moisture levels etc. all may play a part in any plot of land on a given occasion. Anyway, I’m not saying just because we should all be doing and supporting minimum, light &/or no-till ( OG) systems and increasing land grazed and changing all grazing to Savory’s trouble-shooting, reliable way of implementing and managing rotational grazing. Thus creating top soil, dense & diverse stands of grasses etc., cleaning and holding water, sequestering carbon etc. ( watch Alan Savory’s presentations. If you watch stuff from naysayers, at least also watch the rebuttal vlog by Sheldon Frith, thoroughly – but pleasantly & simply- addressing a main one). All that still doesn’t prove carbon from our soils is causing the issues they say it is or will…. and a LOT of real, experienced, accredited scientists differ from the mainstream on that and other related topics, but aren’t given much of a hearing, and in other ways truly have been worse than ignored. So, my point is that there may be a whole lot more to this story, so I hope everyone takes everything with a grain of salt, does more, prayerful research and hears from other "sides" and just does their best to be good stewards, and to keep local, all-natural etc., as best they can ! Not saying we don’t make mistakes or need to learn from them !
Ugghh ! I bought the little peat pods tray and it molded destroying all my seeds; so Sand in good in seedling soil ? never tried it; does it have to be green or can I use regular ? Thanks ; )
😂 My cat’s name is Coco Loco…for real😹
Peat moss is great, it hurts her soul, lol. Use more peat and don’t listen to this eco-princess. Results look like Miracle Gro, lol
Very interesting! I have a pretty different style of seed starting focusing on peppers and tomatoes — I start with Jiffy in small sixers just to get germination, then plant out to 2.5", 3.3", and 5" pots as they grow (4 weeks is about when I’m starting to move from 2.5" to 3.3" pots). I assume the seed starting mix will be kept warm and wet and fairly sterile for a limited time, (e.g. 2 weeks). Then I add soil with good balanced nutrition after that, but without a humidity dome or heat mat. I plant the seeds differently too so as to avoid "helmet head". This could call for several additional growing tests (which I also do often, as well as keeping detailed notes) but my impression is that my method probably requires more labor early on, and is oriented more towards plants with less easy germination.
One more thought — do any of these starting soils have advantages when you are continually trying to avoid fungus gnats taking over?
I have added smaller amounts of blood meal and bonemeal to regular seed starter soil with very good results and now I will add greensand..thanks
What is the soil recipe for the wool pellets? Also any tips on what type of fertilizers you recommend?
See my related playlists. You still need more education on soil types for each vegetable. Go all natural, eliminate perlite and vermiculite.
Well done
are you still using green sand in your soil block recipe? also, where to get it? Thanks 🙂
Anyone know the updated version to this 4 weeks later?I tried to find it and I couldn’t. Thank you!
Small Block
3 Quarts Peat
1 ½ Quarts Compost
½ Cup Green Sand
½ Cup Rock Phosphate
2 Inch Block
Parts Measure Additive
2 Bucket 10 qt Peat Moss
2 Cup Azomite
Mix
2 Bucket 10 qt Perolite or Course Sand
1 Bucket 10 qt Peat Moss
1 Cup Azomite
1 Cup Green Sand
1 Cup Rock Phosphate
1 Cup Blood Meal
1 Bucket 10 qt Peat Moss
Mix
2 Bucket 10 qt Compost
Mix
Sand. Period.
Considering this mix has greensand and fertilizer from the cocoloco, do you need to fertilize the plants at all prior to planting outside? Additionally, when you pot up the plants do you use the same mix or switch to something else? This is my first year starting seeds so any other tips you have using this mix would be appreciated!
Canada did study on peat. They are growing as much as is harvested. Not sure how that is unsustainable. (and no processing needed like with coconut shells)
I’m not really sure this is a useful comparison. You are comparing 2 fertilized seed starting mixes to 4 with minimal nutrients. I can’t imagine anyone who is experienced at seed starting letting their seedlings grow for 4 weeks without fertilizing. Of course the plants in the fertilized medium are going to look better and be much larger. The comparison would have been much more useful if you fertilized the nonnutritive soil mixes at an appropriate time (eg. when the first true leaves appeared). All this really proves is that seedlings need nutrients….
I know they probably didn’t teach you this in high school science, but ‘carbon’ is one of the building block of life…plants take in carbon and give off oxygen, people and animals take in oxygen an give off carbon – it’s a symbiotic union. No carbon =no plats+no life. So no need to eye roll about peat – it’s good for your plants
Coco coir killed my tomatoes Seedlings! 200 small market gardner
Water temp is also important.
Store bought jiffy has worked well .
Using 6 parts vermiculite, 1 part perlite, 1part worm casting, and finally 1 part 10:25 blood meal.
If I have to buy soil the only one I’ll get is fox farm
Great video, very informative.
I wonder how watering effects seedlings
Greetings, I don’t have a place to plant outdoors. I’m growing sweet cherry tomatoes indoors with led grow lights, my plants are about one foot and a half tall and still no yellow flowers, is that normal?
Do you delute the fish emulsion when you use weekly? My fish emulsion says to do every 3-4 weeks, but I’ve heard lots of people say they do weekly. I’d prefer to do weekly but not sure the amount to use.
What ratio of coco, green sand do u use?
We always mix our soil with a bit of water in a pail before planting seed trays. Moisture is key with peat.
All you need is some promix. Get a PPM meter start your seedlings at 2 to 400 PPM with organic fertilizer. All the stuff you’re trying is super expensive and overpriced no need for it just buy pro mix by the Bail. All this nonsense about the peat bogs not being renewable is a bunch of a bunch of non-science. The Canadian peat bogs were pro mix gets their Pete are in fine shape. I bet you’re driving elec tric car 😂 pro-tip your Pete will hydrate fine if you bottom water it and let it wick
I have found any soil starter mix will work. Just mix in 50% natural farm soil that has good fertility…needs 30% clay. Not from a raised bed made from compost so it has all 16 essential nutrients.
Love the comparison because it confirmed why some of my starts have been lousy. Looking forward to using your recipe for 2024! 🙂
Scientific research would disagree with your assessment of peat being non-renewable and a large carbon release source in mining or use on the garden. Coir has every bit the contained carbon as peat. Synthetic fertilizers have no 12:10 greater effect on soil structure if used according to instructions as does compost.
So what’s wrong with peet?Peet? Ok u explained it.😊
Complaining about peat moss sustainability while wearing rubber boots, using plastic trays and bags. Misinformation, inconsistency, ignorance.
Wow, you grow in plastic ? Who grows in plastic that’s concerned about the environment ? Geez
So, I have jiffy mix and I don’t want to waste money tossing it- can I add fish emulsion to the water that I moisten the mix with when I’m making my soil blocks? Thanks.
How stupid. Coco loco and miracle grow supply nutrients… the other "seed starting" mixes DO NOT. The dumbest gardener in the world could predict the outcome of starving your seedlings.
I wonder if just putting a little string of wool yarn in the bottom of the seed tray holes would work?
There I an article in the April 2024 issue of Greenhouse Management with updated information about the horticulture use of peat which also has comparisons of the environmental impact of using peat vs coconut coir. Very enlightening.
For many years I use 1 part miracle seed starter 1 part coacoa core 1 part vermiculite 1 part pearlite. The coacoa core block is wet with warm water. All peat gets wet with mixing
Seeds do not need fertilizer for first week or more. I use neptunes fish after true leaf and they grow great.
So which one is the winner? It sounds unclear.
I found "Coast of Maine sprout island organic seed starter" excellent soil, much better than what they sell at the box stores.
Hey little lady; carbon is good for life on planet earth. Get help and get out of the climate change cult NOW!
What is the soil recipe for the wool pellets? Also any tips on what type of fertilizers you recommend?
what is coconut cwior?
Great video!! I’d love to do this. Question…. We build out a van and put 100% wool as the insulation. I have a ton of this left and not sure what to do with it. Do you think this would be a good substitute? It like a batting form though (not pellets). Thanks for sharing your wisdom!!!
Maybe just me, but I came away still not knowing what to use even though I took notes and listened carefully. Very confusing!
The only way this could be a legitimate test is if you would have planted all the same seed, sorry
Wish I could find the wool pellets!