"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
No, it's a different mix.

Potting mix (nowadays) is made from pine bark

you're not wrong there!

(some bits finer than
others) with different things added such as water crystals and long
life fertiliser (it looks like small coloured beads in the mix). The
really cheap stuff is vitually pure pine bark and is not good.

Seed raising mix has sand in it and perlite/vermicultite and coir
fibre and it also has some nutrients as well.
http://www.yates.com.au/Products/Pot...urposePottingM
ix/ThriveSeedRaising.asp

I did a bit of a hunt for you on how to mix various seed an potting
mixes and found these sites which may help you:
http://www.yates.com.au/Products/Pot...urposePottingM
ix/ThriveSeedRaising.asp
http://www.selfsufficientish.com/seeds.htm

thanks, farm! selfsufficientish is a good site, eh. (i have not had time to
get through it all, of course).

But back to t he problem you're having with the seeds living. At what
stage does this happen? could they be dieing from a damping off
problem?

no.... where it's happened was about the 4 leaf stage. they'd just sit
there, not growing, & not really dying either. then things like hot days or
whatnot would wipe them out, or, i'd think "i'll plant them out & they'll
have to take their chances". overall, planting out helped those which
survived the ministrations of the wingless grasshoppers. either way, they
lived or were eaten, so that was that, i was happy :-)

some of the lack of growth in mix might have been my fault, but then, it's
not possible for it _only_ to have been my fault! tomatoes, a prime
example. out of one billion seeds planted, only four got to the point where
they were even big enough to pot on. the rest just lingered in a state of
suspended animation. some others were basil, comfrey, echinacea, celery,
broccoli. there were others too, not coming to my addled pre-xmas mind just
atm.

i have, however, taken on board chookie's suggestion to give it
vitamins :-)

Chookie suggested adding "vitamins" to the potting mix you are using.
Since the brand of potting mix you are using isn't working this would
be worth a try as would adding water crystals and something like a
granular food that becomes soluble over a long time - I think Osmacote
is such a brand. Most of the cheaper brands seem to mostly be
pulverised pine bark and I can't imagine anything doing well in them
but givent hat it will cost you to add all these essential ingredients
it may just be cheaper int eh long run to buy a good quality potting
mix and be done with it. I now buy Debco Terracotta and Tub all the
time as it seems to be a good product and I've had no problems with
it.

i can try debco, prior to giving up entirely :-) i haven't been impressed
with amgrow, that's for sure. & i'll try to do the right thing & get some
seed mix, & see if that helps in future.
thanks!!
kylie