potting on soil advice.

Discussion in 'Seed Starting / Propagation' started by Danjensen, Apr 19, 2012.

  1. Danjensen

    Danjensen In Flower

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    I wanted to ask you guys on the soil mix you use for toms when potting on.
    I typically buy promix seed soil for my cells and starting the seeds off. then use the same material when i pot them up to 2-3 in pots.

    Thinking about it yesterday though, i probably should be using a better soil mix when i pot on. possibly a 50:50 mix of seed soil and rich compost.

    any thoughts?
     
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  3. carolyn

    carolyn Strong Ash

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    I use only Baccto brand potting mix for everything. I don't mix unsterilized media into a sterilized one...too much of a risk for me when I am planning on selling them. If it is a sterilized compost and you don't have to worry about planting a whole new batch of weed seeds into the garden or a fugus of any kind attacking a new root system, the go ahead. If you have enough to experiment try them both ways. See if there is really much of a difference for them.
     
  4. Danjensen

    Danjensen In Flower

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    ok thanks carolyn,

    my main thought was is their a big difference between seed starting mix and normal. and if the normal was better for plants rather than seeds, should i be using it was the seed had sprouted?

    thanks for the help
     
  5. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    When I up-pot any of my seedlings, I use the same sterile starting mix they started in, but increase the strength of the liquid fertilizer. I use compost tea, or manure tea, and make it less diluted when the seedlings go into a bigger pot.
    Paranoid of me, but I don't trust potting mixes for young plants.
     



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  6. carolyn

    carolyn Strong Ash

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    The seed starting mix I have is very fine and gets fairly compacted when it gets wet, which I don't like, so I add perlite to it to make it lighter and looser. As I start transplanting I move up to the regular potting mix, which is coarser and has larger pieces of perlite in it. This is when I start fertilizing, generally. Sometimes I get a little behind or they seem to be vegetating for some reason or another and I will give them a weak solution of fertilizer, epsoms salt and peroxide solution before transplanting into the 4" pots or flats.
     
  7. Danjensen

    Danjensen In Flower

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    great stuff thanks guys
     
  8. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Hello Dan,

    I pot on the first two times into ever deeper pots with "potting soil" (like what one uses for flower boxes on the balcony).

    In the last container I use "garden soil" and when it is ready to plant out....in my case; in the greenhouse, then there is already quite a well-developed root system and the soil that I have prepared in the greenhouse is a concoction of soil types and composts that I throw together myself.

    I have to say though, I find the type of potting-on soil far less important than the ever deepening depth of each new pot.
    My goal is to have as long a stem as possible by the time that I put it into the ground--the longer the stem, the more roots the plant will have. In my view roots are everything and the better the root system is, the better the yield. (in my experience, that is).

    Hope that you have a really good season this year, Dan.

    Addendum: When I use the potting and garden soils to pot on...I use those sorts of soils that have a bit of fertilizer mixed in with them; however, if it is not available I do not worry because actually the time to begin feeding suppliments is when the first flower shows itsself.
     
  9. Danjensen

    Danjensen In Flower

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    Hey Sjoerd, thx for the advice.

    Off to a good start so far just have fingers crossed we don't have a late snowfall.

    hope you have a great season too with all that seaweed on your plot :)

    Thanks all,i'm pretty confident with my seed starting now.
     

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