DIY seed starting soil mix (peat free, suitable for soil blocking or trays!)
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- Опубліковано 19 січ 2023
- UPDATE JANUARY 13, 2024: HERE IS OUR UPDATED FAVORITE SOIL BLOCKING MIX! • Seed starting soil mix...
We've spent 3 long years testing various recipes with alternatives to peat that will work for soil blocks and be simple, and we are happy to report that we've finally found the one that works the best, and the answer is WOOL PELLETS! We've been dabbling with wool pellets as a way to keep our sheep's wool on the farm. Lots of studies have been coming out recently about the great uses of wool in the garden both as a mulch and as a fertilizer, so we wanted to test this out ourselves!
Our journey to finding this recipe has been long. We started two years ago by testing coconut coir as a peat alternative; unfortunately, coconut coir has its own issues when it comes to sustainability (long travel distance, labor treatment issues, and lots of water usage in processing). So last year we moved to a recycled paper product called Pitt Moss, which worked well but sometimes held too much moisture (and we also have some lingering PFAS concerns as PFAS tend to be common in recycled paper products). We dabbled last fall with using decomposted leaf matter from our Lomi composter, which worked well but lacked nutrients (that recipe is seen in the main photo with the light green leaves, compared to the darker green of the sheep wool recipe).
Some of you may question whether it is ethical to use sheep wool, particularly if you are vegan! The answer is, as always, to know your farmer. Seek out wool pellets from a small supplier who can provide you with proof that their animals are being raised ethically and with good care! But take heart that using wool pellets does not require taking the animal's life; rather, wool sheep HAVE to be sheared as part of their humane care. Leaving them unshorn would lead to many physical issues and overheating, so annual shearing is part of humane treatment of the animal, which is where wool pellets come in!
WOOL PELLET SEED STARTING RECIPE:
1 part hot water + 1 part sheep wool pellets (mix and set aside)
4 parts sifted (for soil blocks, unsifted for regular trays) "coco loco" potting soil by Fox Farms (this is a peat free potting soil easily found in North America)
Optional: dash of cinnamon
Mix the above ingredients together and add approximately one more part of water.
Remember, a part is a part! So you can scale this recipe up or down as needed. We like to mix it up as we are making our blocks; you can mix the night before for slightly better consistency.
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Find some wool pellets and coco loco here: www.amazon.com/shop/blossoman...
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SO fun to learn about another natural way to use what’s already around us to keep our soil healthy. 🌻
Thanks for sharing! We are so glad to see more people learning about the benefits of wool pellets.
I’m super excited about this. It’s such a simple recipe for soil blocking.
Perfect timing, thank you. My job for the weekend here in the UK.
I love this! I used to knit and spin and I like the idea of this, I'll totally check it out.
Looking forward to trying out this recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for sharing information about agriculture which is very useful and adds inspiration to my farm
I’ve never heard of pfas before so I’m glad you’re highlighting it. I grow vegetables so will look into it for my garden. I’m intrigued by the soil blocking because of you. I might try to see if I can move over to it.
That sounds like an excellent idea, thanks!
Thank you so much for the information!
I had no clue that wool pellets were even a thing. Guess the wool pellets Gospel hasn't made it out to socal yet. Neat-o!
Wonderful. Cheers from Tulua, Colombia 🇨🇴
I’m so glad I found this. I decided to use soil blocks this year to start my seeds, and I ordered wool pellets to add to my soil blocking mix.
You'll find they need less water than typical soil blocks--and you can definitely up the ratio of potting soil to wool pellets to around 1:8 or even 1:10 :)
Be sure to sift!
I don't know where to find your link to Amazon or wherever you purchase your supplies. I'm watching this on ytube.
in the UK we have a great brand of wool based compost available, I think I will try that for soil blocking this is my first year trying it out, I hope I take to it well as I love the idea of using blocks!!
I am so thrilled I found your channel!!! Thank you for all the hard work you do for purely organic sustainable gardening. This was so fantastic. Thank you ❤❤❤
Thank you for being here! ❤
I sprinkled an entire GreenStalk of strawberry plants with cinnamon earlier this week. My greenhouse smells amazing!
Yummy!!! ❤❤
I started getting into wool pellets last year, so far they seem great (though I have heard of dogs finding the smell hard to resist and digging them up if you're using them to amend your plants in your garden). I even tried just mixing small chunks of the dirty parts of a fleece (so not in pellet form) I was washing into the soil of some hanging baskets outside and it seemed to help a lot, particularly in water retention as we get super hot summers where I am. Wool pellets are going to be a big thing in the next few years, I think!
Interesting! I wonder if the smell possibly attracts other predators.... we're out in a rural area. Still want to give it a try, because I want my soil mix to be as regenerative and sustainable as possible.
Lovely to find this recipe using wool pellets - I'm going to try it 👍. Also, the peat-free compost you' are using is made with coco coir. Just in case you weren't aware.
Yes, I noticed that too. To do away with coco coir, we are using plant-based compost, but are not seeing expected results.
@@swapnagokhale6157because it’s crap used peatbfree last season dreadful results
BTW, the Coco Loco mix has coconut coir.
Thanks lovely, I so enjoy your videos and am learning so much. I heard you say you have sheep so you are going to use pellets from them. I also have some gorgeous sheep and I was wondering how you convert their wool to pellets. My little farmlet is based on permaculture principles so making my own pellets would be amazing. Thanks in advance for your reply. Oh and could you tell me the dimensions for the medium sized soil blocker. Kindly Déanne xx
I have been trying to find online a peat free potting mix (that doesn’t cost a fortune) for a couple weeks now. It’s frustrating with the price points being so different that people will continue to purchase products with peat.
Thank you for always providing great content!
🌱🌸💗
Hi Andrea. I want to use a peat free mix as well. I don’t want to use coir (coconut hull) mixes either because of the large amount of water used to remove salt. So I’m thinking the best alternative might be to make my own mix. See my comment and question above. I’ve also contacted Blue Ribbon Organics with the same questions, so I’m hoping I get some help.
@@janisscalone9661 EB Stone Recipe 420 Bhang does not have peat and isn’t expensive. The red bag has peat but the purple doesn’t.
Curious to know why you don't need greensand in this particular mix? Thank you!
Thanks for the new recipe! I'm going to try this. Do you know of a way to use raw wool? I have a local source of that, but I can't find pellets locally.
i have some home made self watering seed starting trays that use felt on raised trays to suck up and distribute water from below to the seedlings. we use 3-4" pieces of 2" PVC pipe so they have no bottom and the dirt from them just sits on the felt and absorbs the water. i wander if setting the seed blocks right on the felt would allow them to self water but still not crumble and fall apart. we may give it a shot! thanks for the tips.
WOOL is sustainable, and readily available. Wool PELLETS, perhaps not so much. As a person with access to wool fleece, using discards from skirting fleeces in various gardening applications is very appealing. I am leery about having to buy pellets, the process to make them, and the resources used in that process. I will be more interested when I can be shown how to use unprocessed wool, or how to process it myself.
It’s not “processed,” it is just raw wool out through a pelletizing machine. Nothing is added, it just makes it easier to ship and use in garden applications.
Superbe vidéo bravo 👍 👍 👍
A bientôt 😊
Merci beaucoup 👍
@@Blossomandbranch De rien c'est avec plaisir 😊 😊 😊
I am so glad you cap off this video with using what's AROUND you instead of straight up in this instance saying things like "hey just buy THIS from amazon it's the best". Because in this case I would be worried about external issues like animals' welfare, emissions, etc. BUt seeing as you already have them, you are simply using what's your farm is already producing and if not otherwise wouldn't ended up in less desirable uses.
Absolutely! Someone may find leaf mould works best for them, or coconut coir, but the key is trying something new that's easily and readily available! :)
@@Blossomandbranch Exactly, you really need to do you. That all it is to it. :)
Can I use coco coir as I have some left? thanks so much for your research❤
I accidentally purchased 4 cubic feet of the Pitt Moss (the order was delivered after it was canceled). Therefore I will use the Pitt Moss but less of it for the soil blocks.
Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Do you plan to make your own wool pellets in the future? Have you looked into this process? I'm very interested in this product and the process of making it.
Wish I could use this as I am starting seeds this year for the first time with soul blocking, but the cost of the wool really adds up too fast.
Can I use sand instead of perlite in my potting or seed starting mix
How long can a tomato seedling stay in a 1.5 or 2 inch block prior to transplant? Thanks
Hi, I used to use wool tags around my pea plants to have them grow longer and produce more peas. My question is how far will 8 ounces of wool pellets go and what are they made from?
How do you get your sheep’s wool made in to pellets?
I started my blocks about a month ago. I used the stand up 20 cell block maker. I have about 4500 seedlings started. I’m ready to start transplanting outside this weekend. My problem is they appear to be all intertwined with their roots. I thought the idea of soil blocks was to not have this problem. Will they be ok once I separate them ?
Where did you find your soil sifter?
I just tried this and… it is very strong in smell. I can take the fish emulsion smell. But I’m not sure I can take the wool smell. It has a very strong real farm animal smell to it once wet. I’m still going to use it to test it against other mixes. Just wanted to give an fyi to whoever needs it.
It fades in a couple days. :)
question on wool pellets, if your allergic to lanolin is that an issue then? Since thats found in wool itself? My sister is allergic to wool/lanolin
Where do you purchase the wool pellets? Also, I live near a sheep farmer so I'm excited to see how you use the wool after sheering because I think I could source that from my neighbor. Love all your tips and hope to come visit your farm someday as I'm on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. Thank you for sharing all your experiments!
I have seen people mulch their dahlias overwinter with fleeces and we planted some apple tree whips and laid over the planting.
I bought these but probably too pricey to do again. Have you tried a capillary mat? Wondering if that would work
Wool pellets don't seem to have made it to Australia yet which is strange as wool has always been a major product since Europeans first settled here.
Almost 100% is exported. It's * insert swear word here *
I noticed this too. I’m wondering if I can use my dogs fluff as a substitute!
@@lollyluvsall Ha Ha! I did try some kitty litter but don't think it was a good substitution but some seeds germinated in it.
Hi, where are you sourcing your wool pellets from?
I tried exactly what you suggested. However, the containers with wool pellet show no sprouting at all after 4-5 days. In fact, just the compost is showing sprouting but not with wool pellets. Also, the wool pellets separate from the compost even after hydrating them. How often should we watering the seeds? Any suggestions?
The wool pellets recipe produced 10% germination for tomato and zinnias seeds. I’ve worked on this problem for three months. What seed company is used?
Have you tried your Lisianthus in the wool blocks?
Awesome information! I’ve been using coco coir for a couple years now but hadn’t thought about the water usage before.
Also, where did you get your sweater? 😍
The water used for rehydrating the coir isn't really an issue because it will be used by the seedlings. It's an odd thing to include in her assessment.
@@az55544 it’s about the water used in coir production. It has to be washed a lot to get the salt out.
Just trying soil blocking for the first time. Still finding my way. I’m wondering about trying well aged turkey manure. I know I would have to mix something with it.
I would be concerned about it being hot for seedlings but you can always do a test run! ❤
It is about three years old so I’m not concerned about it being hot but would just have to try it. I have some saved seed, so I could test it.
For DIYers, has anyone tried felting the wool and then cutting it into small pieces? I have raw wool, but no way to get it pelleted.
T'es mignonne!
Love from Montréal
How can I replace the coco loco? Here in Switzerland we don’t have this. Should I use normal earth mixed with perlite?
Here in Germany it is hard to find gardening compost with peat so I assume most you'll find in Switzerland will be peat free as well. In many cases you can just take it out of the bag, and it will work for soil blocking. Adding amendments is a possibility but not really a necessity. I have found sifting the soil important, especially for the small soil blocks, but even that will vary from bag to bag. After seeing this video, I will try the wool pellets, but generally, I found that finding the right moisture level is more important then finding the right mix. That is, for a home garden. If my income as a farmer depended of it, I'd certainly do systematic experiments for optimization.
That is really awesome!! Thank you for sharing! Do you all shear your sheep yourselves and how do you get their fur into pellets?
We don't, we use a mobile shearer. :) You can rent a pelletizer or you can send your wool to a pelletizer!
@@Blossomandbranch that is really cool! I had no idea you could turn fur into pellets. It definitely sounds like a much better option than peat moss!
@@Blossomandbranch can you explain why the wool needs to be pelletized, to then just be “unpelletized” aka watered down, to use in the soil blocking mix? If you have access to the raw wool, can you not just mix clippings in the soil? Sorry if that question is completely ignorant, I’m just starting this sustainable soil blocking quest and gardening all at once.
Great info! How do you incorporate your "raw" sheeps wool instead of pellets? I have access to some but would have no idea how to incorporate sheared wool instead of the pellets. TIA!
Probably just cut it real short with scissors and make it a little wet. At least that works in my head
This is what I’m wondering too??
Did you try this!? I am curious to hear how it went.
I used coir last year and it molded. Had to throw out onion starts. I’ve read coir has salt. Maybe if I used a lot more perlite.
Yes, coconut coir is inherently salty--different brands will have different saline levels, but best to mix with potting soil or other medium!
Do you make your own wool pellets? If yes how? Just curious because we have rescue alpacas and are trying to utilize their fiber in many different ways to cut down on fiber waste. Thank you, love your channel..
We have sheep we sheer. I’d be intrested in using my own also
I like that you are trying not to use coco coir but Coco Loco, which you recommend, appears to contain coco coir. Is there an alternative that omits coco coir completely?
Unfortunately not as of today-we test soils each year but the market just isn’t there yet. It’s hard even finding something peat free! Some use compost but the problem with recommending that is there is a wide range of what is considered “compost”!
May I ask why you are not using the green sand in this mix?
I’ve found it doesn’t need it! The wool has more binding ability and trace minerals that the greensand has but coconut coir (in the other recipe) lacks.
I saw you changed your recipe from .5 part to 1 part wool pellets? Wondering why?
New recipe is 3 parts soil, 1/2 part wool pellet. See our recent vid
I dont understand what peefass is; you say pit for peatmoss (pete as in Peter) and kwahr for coconut coir (core) so I dont know what peefass is and cant realize what it is which ends up in foods and everyehere. What is peefass?
Do you make your own wool pellets or do you buy them? If you make your own, could you explain a little how that is done. Thank you so much!
Is this recipe good for starting vegetable plants as well as for flowers?
I would check out the coconut coir recipe we have linked in the description-we are witnessing some inconsistencies in wool pellets!
@@Blossomandbranch Thanks for your quick response! By the way, I’m originally from Colorado and will probably be out to visit family this summer. Would I be able to visit your business/farm? If so, where are you located?
Did you experience any adverse effects from the initially high release of nitrogen from the lanolin? When watching the Utah State University video about this, I was really surprised by how high the immediately available nitrogen was, and wondered if you saw any of the problems that you can see with that type of thing like unhealthy growth or salt build up? Or do you think this just wouldn't apply since you added the wool dry rather than wet? Really curious about this material and excited to do some trials with it this spring.
We just posted an update on this mix, but the seedlings did look weaker for the first two weeks and then jumped ahead rapidly!
Very interesting! Aside from the seedling phase, how did plants with this start mix perform for you last year? Will you be sticking with this mix for blocking in the future? All the anecdotal evidence and data from those university studies point to this being a great input for seed starting, but that huge nitrogen dump at the outset has me wondering if it will cause over nitrification, especially when mixed with any mixes that already have adequate nitrogen. @@Blossomandbranch
I found the company that you use but no other options... For me it's very pricey I got a bag and it did about 40 small soil blocks. I'm going to have to buy a ton more. Wish there was other options. I have raw wool available to me. I would definitely be interested in learning how to use it instead of the pellets.
Hmm a bag should make significantly more than 40 small soil blocks… you can swap out wool pellets for mycorrhizae, we show in a recent vid
Wool pellets are expensive
Does regenerative gardening mean animals are a part of the garden or farming process?
Ideally, yes. :)
sheep don't produce wool pellets. how will you use your sheeps' wool? what is the treatment done to the pellets and how does the energy used contribute to the overall energy cost of your mix.
why do you dislike coir, but use a mix with perlite?
also, when you discuss why you do or don't like a potting medium, it helps to know what values or attributes you're judging. just telling that you like or don't like one or the other gives us no basis on which to agree or disagree with you.
A small bag of WP and hot water makes only two cups . Therefore I could make ten cups of dry mixture. Wool pellets are too expensive for home gardeners.😊
Odd about the leaf.color as they dont take up anything until their .second set of leaves
Wasn’t just the color, they also caught up quickly to the others in size and leaf density despite being started 10 days later!
Wicked! Been looking for an alternative! Question: Is it possible to use un-pelletized wool? Just just kinda chop it up and disperse it as you combine the ingredients? Or how would you do it yourself if it's a viable option?
Unfortunately we tried that and it was a big fail! Didn’t incorporate well at all :( I wonder about starting seeds directly in wool though 🤔