What kind of soil/compost do people have most success with for planting
seeds? I've not had great success with anything I've tried so far, up to
and including home mixed compost, worm poo compost and B+Q peat free
compost. We have a John Innes' compost outside which I thought was the
right one, but it says seedlings, not seeds ...
Any advice, please?

--

On 12 Feb, 17:35, wrote:
What kind of soil/compost do people have most success with for planting
seeds? *I've not had great success with anything I've tried so far, up to
and including home mixed compost, worm poo compost and B+Q peat free
compost. *We have a John Innes' compost outside which I thought was the
right one, but it says seedlings, not seeds ...
Any advice, please?

--

There's a lot more to it than the compost, but a premium brand of
general purpose compost is a good place to start (not peat free - I
don't think they've got 'em right for seedlings yet)

Rod

On 12 Feb 2010 17:35:21 GMT, wrote:

What kind of soil/compost do people have most success with for planting
seeds? I've not had great success with anything I've tried so far, up to
and including home mixed compost, worm poo compost and B+Q peat free
compost. We have a John Innes' compost outside which I thought was the
right one, but it says seedlings, not seeds ...
Any advice, please?

I've had no trouble with germination using several multi-purpose
composts from various sources

--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

On 12 Feb, 18:27, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:
On 12 Feb 2010 17:35:21 GMT, wrote:

What kind of soil/compost do people have most success with for planting
seeds? *I've not had great success with anything I've tried so far, up to
and including home mixed compost, worm poo compost and B+Q peat free
compost. *We have a John Innes' compost outside which I thought was the
right one, but it says seedlings, not seeds ...
Any advice, please?

I've had no trouble with germination using several multi-purpose
composts from various sources

--
(¯`·. ®óñ© *© *²°¹° .·´¯)

Try B & Q multipurpous with Peat (The peat free is rubbish), seive it
with a 1cm mesh then add about5% pearlite (By Volume).
If sowing seed that need to be surface sown you can top with pearlite
as it doesnt block the light and does hold moisture round the seed.
David Hill

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:35:21 +0000, vicky wrote:

What kind of soil/compost do people have most success with for planting
seeds? I've not had great success with anything I've tried so far, up
to and including home mixed compost, worm poo compost and B+Q peat free
compost. We have a John Innes' compost outside which I thought was the
right one, but it says seedlings, not seeds ... Any advice, please?

Point of order, Mr. Chairman, one doesn't plant seed, one sows it.

Dave Hill wrote:
I've had no trouble with germination using several multi-purpose
composts from various sources
\\Snip//
Try B & Q multipurpous with Peat (The peat free is rubbish), seive it
with a 1cm mesh then add about5% pearlite (By Volume).

Totally right. The standard compost is the 'Gardening Which' best buy
for 2010 and I've used it for quite a few years. It's bloody good and
is even better when mixed with a reasonable quality JI No3 plus
perlite. The 'peat-free' has also been recommended, but is by no
means as good as it could be and should always be bought dry (indoors
or under cover) as opposed to bags stocked outside and heavy with
water.

Point of order, Mr. Chairman, one doesn't plant seed, one sows it.

Have you ever tried sowing Acorns?
You sow small seed but you tend to plant large seeds like the affore
mentioned acorns, Marrow, cucumber sweetcorn etc
David Hill

On 12/02/2010 18:18, Rod wrote:
On 12 Feb, wrote:
What kind of soil/compost do people have most success with for planting
seeds? I've not had great success with anything I've tried so far, up to
and including home mixed compost, worm poo compost and B+Q peat free
compost. We have a John Innes' compost outside which I thought was the
right one, but it says seedlings, not seeds ...
Any advice, please?

--

There's a lot more to it than the compost, but a premium brand of
general purpose compost is a good place to start (not peat free - I
don't think they've got 'em right for seedlings yet)

Rod

"Which" found that the compost from New Horizon growbags came equal
second in trials of a range of different composts. (and it is easy to
carry on my bike

Paul
--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

Rod wrote:
There's a lot more to it than the compost, but a premium brand of
general purpose compost is a good place to start (not peat free - I
don't think they've got 'em right for seedlings yet)

I know the peat free is meant to need more attention to feeding, so I
figured it wouldn't be ideal for seeds. But it was also pointed out that
the worm poo and the home compost would both be too nutrient rich for seeds.
Dunno why they can't handle it, but that's what I was told.
To be honest, it would probably help me more if I could get something that
would help keep the moisture level right!

wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
There's a lot more to it than the compost, but a premium brand of
general purpose compost is a good place to start (not peat free - I
don't think they've got 'em right for seedlings yet)

I know the peat free is meant to need more attention to feeding, so I
figured it wouldn't be ideal for seeds. But it was also pointed out that
the worm poo and the home compost would both be too nutrient rich for
seeds.
Dunno why they can't handle it, but that's what I was told.
To be honest, it would probably help me more if I could get something that
would help keep the moisture level right!



Seeds contain their own food supply, which is enough to get them through
germination and the production of cotyledons (the first atypical leaves) and
the first 'true' leaves. After this, they need potting on, especially if
grown in a seed tray, so that they have their own small individual pots. At
this point, they can go into a fertilised compost to help boost their
growth.

John Innes compost, for instance is a soil-based compost with a variety of
types:
JI Seed compost is specifically for seeds, having little or no fertiliser;
JI 1 contains low levels of fertiliser;
JI 2 contains higher levels of fertiliser;
JI 3 contains the highest levels of fertiliser.
JI Ericaceous compost is for acid-loving plants like Rhododendrons .....
and I'm sure there are other specialist JI composts, but these are the ones
most often seen.
Many other brands of compost (multi-purpose, peat-free, etc) also have these
choices, so you need to read the label. I prefer to blend JI Seed compost
with another, lighter seed compost and/or grit/perlite to create something
which is more free-draining.

To offer your seeds or resultant seedlings too rich a soil would be like
offering a baby steak and kidney pie, roasties and spinach. They simply
don't need it, couldn't eat it and would be sick if they could! In some
cases, the fertiliser would 'burn' the young plant; in all cases the unused
fertiliser would sour the soil, encourage disease and almost certainly cause
damping-off (a fungal disease which kills seedlings at an astonishing rate).
This is why you're advised to use a fertiliser-free compost.

If you're having trouble with moisture levels, try sprinkling a layer of
fine-grade vermiculite on the top of the soil after sowing. It will help to
retain moisture and will also help to stop the growth of algae on the soil
surface. It is naturally inert and sterile when packed, so should not
introduce disease. It allows light through, so you can even use it on
surface-sown seed.

HTH.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London,
gardening on clay.

In message , Spider
writes
wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
There's a lot more to it than the compost, but a premium brand of
general purpose compost is a good place to start (not peat free - I
don't think they've got 'em right for seedlings yet)

I know the peat free is meant to need more attention to feeding, so I
figured it wouldn't be ideal for seeds. But it was also pointed out that
the worm poo and the home compost would both be too nutrient rich for
seeds.
Dunno why they can't handle it, but that's what I was told.
To be honest, it would probably help me more if I could get something that
would help keep the moisture level right!



Seeds contain their own food supply, which is enough to get them through
germination and the production of cotyledons (the first atypical leaves) and
the first 'true' leaves. After this, they need potting on, especially if
grown in a seed tray, so that they have their own small individual pots. At
this point, they can go into a fertilised compost to help boost their
growth.

John Innes compost, for instance is a soil-based compost with a variety of
types:
JI Seed compost is specifically for seeds, having little or no fertiliser;
JI 1 contains low levels of fertiliser;
JI 2 contains higher levels of fertiliser;
JI 3 contains the highest levels of fertiliser.
JI Ericaceous compost is for acid-loving plants like Rhododendrons .....
and I'm sure there are other specialist JI composts, but these are the ones
most often seen.
Many other brands of compost (multi-purpose, peat-free, etc) also have these
choices, so you need to read the label. I prefer to blend JI Seed compost
with another, lighter seed compost and/or grit/perlite to create something
which is more free-draining.

To offer your seeds or resultant seedlings too rich a soil would be like
offering a baby steak and kidney pie, roasties and spinach. They simply
don't need it, couldn't eat it and would be sick if they could! In some
cases, the fertiliser would 'burn' the young plant; in all cases the unused
fertiliser would sour the soil, encourage disease and almost certainly cause
damping-off (a fungal disease which kills seedlings at an astonishing rate).
This is why you're advised to use a fertiliser-free compost.

If you're having trouble with moisture levels, try sprinkling a layer of
fine-grade vermiculite on the top of the soil after sowing. It will help to
retain moisture and will also help to stop the growth of algae on the soil
surface. It is naturally inert and sterile when packed, so should not
introduce disease. It allows light through, so you can even use it on
surface-sown seed.

HTH.

Aaaahh! Is this the poster who lurks under the stone in SE London? :-)))

FYI, this is an extremely helpful response for me. Many thanks!
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

"Gopher" wrote in message
...
In message , Spider
writes
wrote in message
...
Rod wrote:
There's a lot more to it than the compost, but a premium brand of
general purpose compost is a good place to start (not peat free - I
don't think they've got 'em right for seedlings yet)

I know the peat free is meant to need more attention to feeding, so I
figured it wouldn't be ideal for seeds. But it was also pointed out
that
the worm poo and the home compost would both be too nutrient rich for
seeds.
Dunno why they can't handle it, but that's what I was told.
To be honest, it would probably help me more if I could get something
that
would help keep the moisture level right!



Seeds contain their own food supply, which is enough to get them through
germination and the production of cotyledons (the first atypical leaves)
and
the first 'true' leaves. After this, they need potting on, especially if
grown in a seed tray, so that they have their own small individual pots.
At
this point, they can go into a fertilised compost to help boost their
growth.

John Innes compost, for instance is a soil-based compost with a variety of
types:
JI Seed compost is specifically for seeds, having little or no fertiliser;
JI 1 contains low levels of fertiliser;
JI 2 contains higher levels of fertiliser;
JI 3 contains the highest levels of fertiliser.
JI Ericaceous compost is for acid-loving plants like Rhododendrons .....
and I'm sure there are other specialist JI composts, but these are the
ones
most often seen.
Many other brands of compost (multi-purpose, peat-free, etc) also have
these
choices, so you need to read the label. I prefer to blend JI Seed compost
with another, lighter seed compost and/or grit/perlite to create something
which is more free-draining.

To offer your seeds or resultant seedlings too rich a soil would be like
offering a baby steak and kidney pie, roasties and spinach. They simply
don't need it, couldn't eat it and would be sick if they could! In some
cases, the fertiliser would 'burn' the young plant; in all cases the
unused
fertiliser would sour the soil, encourage disease and almost certainly
cause
damping-off (a fungal disease which kills seedlings at an astonishing
rate).
This is why you're advised to use a fertiliser-free compost.

If you're having trouble with moisture levels, try sprinkling a layer of
fine-grade vermiculite on the top of the soil after sowing. It will help
to
retain moisture and will also help to stop the growth of algae on the soil
surface. It is naturally inert and sterile when packed, so should not
introduce disease. It allows light through, so you can even use it on
surface-sown seed.

HTH.

Aaaahh! Is this the poster who lurks under the stone in SE London? :-)))

FYI, this is an extremely helpful response for me. Many thanks!
--
Gopher .... I know my place!


Indeed! That would seem to solve a riddle for me .. heh heh :~)

Thank you. Glad to help.
Spider

Spider wrote:
Seeds contain their own food supply, which is enough to get them through
germination and the production of cotyledons (the first atypical leaves) and
the first 'true' leaves. After this, they need potting on, especially if
(snip)
If you're having trouble with moisture levels, try sprinkling a layer of
fine-grade vermiculite on the top of the soil after sowing. It will help to
retain moisture and will also help to stop the growth of algae on the soil
surface. It is naturally inert and sterile when packed, so should not
introduce disease. It allows light through, so you can even use it on
surface-sown seed.

That was really useful, thank you. I made a decision to put more effort
into growing from seed this year (I've been hit and miss over the past few
years, but we often end up just buying seedlings). Things normally start
out ok, then go pear shaped. This year they just aren't starting off at
all!

wrote in message
...
Spider wrote:
Seeds contain their own food supply, which is enough to get them through
germination and the production of cotyledons (the first atypical leaves)
and
the first 'true' leaves. After this, they need potting on, especially if
(snip)
If you're having trouble with moisture levels, try sprinkling a layer of
fine-grade vermiculite on the top of the soil after sowing. It will help
to
retain moisture and will also help to stop the growth of algae on the
soil
surface. It is naturally inert and sterile when packed, so should not
introduce disease. It allows light through, so you can even use it on
surface-sown seed.

That was really useful, thank you. I made a decision to put more effort
into growing from seed this year (I've been hit and miss over the past few
years, but we often end up just buying seedlings). Things normally start
out ok, then go pear shaped. This year they just aren't starting off at
all!


You're welcome :~).

I confess I'm a bit shoddy in my seed sowing. I've had some real successes
in the past, but even these haven't given me the confidence to carry on. I
have limited space to bring seedlings on, and I'm sure this is dampening my
enthusiasm. My mini-greenhouse has turned into a mini-shed (and occasional
cat retreat), which doesn't make it any easier. I keep saying I'll get a
shed to provide some decent storage but, when I look around the garden, I
can't see a patch that I'd like to give up. Most of my seed-sowing,
therefore, is of the hardy-can't-go-wrong type that I can start outdoors.
However, I will have to start off some tomato seeds indoors soon. I'm
usually lucky enough to be given young plants by a keen elderly neighbour,
but she has had a stroke recently, so I feel duty bound to take over and
provide her with plants this year. Perhaps this is the very catalyst I
need.

Good luck with your endeavours.
Spider