Good to see that you recommend the individual cells. My rule-of-thumb is to push seed down into surface 4X its diameter. Keep moist. Put on a dated label. Keep inside close to your daily activity. Thanks for your clear concise video clips.
Thank you. I live in a tropical country. As my seed bust I give it a week and in the ground. They can take the strain, if the leafs curl because of heat spray water on them....
Always love your videos. I may live downunder but so much of your information is presented in a manner that I still find useful, even given my sub tropical conditions. Would love to find a sub tropical equivalent. Any suggestions for me, anyone? Of course I will keep subscribing to GrowVeg, so good!
Love all your video's you give great tips. I've already made my pots from toilet rolls and newspaper. However what is worm compost, where can I buy it from? I'm going to make my own compost for my seedlings from your advice as I have all the ingredients except for pearlite and of course worm compost. Can't wait.
Worm compost is made from kitchen waste that has been fed to a community of worms. They eat the scraps and produce worm compost, which is very nutrient rich (more so than normal garden compost). A byproduct is also a lovely liquid fertiliser. You can make your own worm compost using a worm composting bin - or you can buy pre-made worm compost.
Vermiculite (or perlite) helps to improve drainage in the potting mix, opening it out to make it nice and light and fluffy. I always eyeball amounts, but would aim for maybe a heaped handful or two per bucket of mix.
I really enjoy the videos. Always learning new things. I have just started gardening last year and never knew of the potential adverse conditions of peat mining. Will have to start trying coir.
@@GrowVeg I had some to spare so tried it. 3 weeks later cauliflower, red cabbage, lettuce, scallions have germinated in it. 45 out of 48 cells have seedlings now in my seed tray.
Volcanic ash can, apparently, be a great amendment to use in the garden. I've never tried it personally (perhaps I should!). Here's a good summary of its benefits: growingorganic.com/soil-guide/volcanic-rock-dust/
This week I planted a large batch of various variety chilli seeds into loam that I'd dug from a local forest. The loam is about 50% sand, 40% silt and 10% clay. Was it a mistake using this as seed starting mix? I'd rather know now so I can re-start with new seeds in new potting mix. Thanks.
@@GrowVeg thanks for your reply. I sowed about 100 seeds, and about 15 have germinated today. I’ll hold back a few more days before starting fresh. Thanks
For this seed starting mix can I use composted cow manure? My local garden supply only carries composted cow manure. All other product they sell is not for seed starting. Would the composted manure be to rich for seed starting? If so I would be making my seed starter with the composted manure, coconut coir, biochar I used all my homemade compost on my garlic beds this fall.
I think the composted manure is likely to be too rich, though if it is fully compost, and you are mixing with coconut coir etc, then this may help to dampen down its 'strength'. I would be inclined to make a batch and give it a go, testing different seeds to see how they perform before rolling it out more widely as your seed starting mix. My concern is that you will get quite leggy seedlings due to its richness. So maybe up the amount of coir and add a little less composted cow manure to compensate.
You could certainly use perlite to help with drainage. I'd avoid using miracle grow in compost designed for seedlings, but it could be added for mixes designed for older plants/potting on.
Been using something similar but 2 parts sieved compost, (usually using a 9 litre bucket as my measure) 1 part coir peat 1 part medium vermiculite. A couple of cups of worm castings and the same rock minerals. Use it for all my seed raising and pot plants including having oranges, lemon and lime in pots.
Cant thank you enough for your videos! You've really given me and my fiancee the gardening bug! With your last mix (loam and compost) is there any need for vermiculite/perlite or coir? Were planting red/white/black currents and raspberrys in perminent containers as our garden is paved. New to all this and any help is greatly appreciated :)
I can't believe that with 430k subs you actually replied! What an absolute stand up guy you are! Wishing you the very best of british luck with your garden this year.... May your harvest be bountiful and plenty :)
What type of compost do you generally use for this mix? I have my compost that I throw all my food scraps, leaves, grass, chicken coop clean up, etc. Would this be okay to use? Thanks for all the great videos!
Hi there. You could try our videos on quick-growing salad leaves: ua-cam.com/video/4dYh_jCAKR8/v-deo.html and also ua-cam.com/video/4xpT2jcTdV8/v-deo.html Our video on super-early vegetables includes how to grow spring onions: ua-cam.com/video/0mDvsTlaTJc/v-deo.html
It depends where you are growing and the progress of your winter. Spinach is a cool-season vegetable, but will need relatively warm soil to germinate and grow strongly. Where I am that means sowing from the end of March, or you could sow under cover into module trays to then have young, sturdy seedlings to plant out in a few weeks, perhaps under cloches/row covers if it's still a bit chilly.
I live in The Netherland (similar to England's weather) and just got a notice from one of my garden messengers that I could sow outside. Hmmm okay, I'll follow your advice. Thanks.
Oh no I started my tomatoes with unhydrated coir just kept tearing the block as it crumbled I filled my trays, planted and watered... What can I do get good germination now???
You may be okay, don't panic! Wetting the coir just helps to break it up more easily that's all. If you've crumbled it apart then you're fine, but you will need to have given a really thorough initial watering to get the coir 'charged' with moisture. The important thing now is to just make sure it's consistently damp (but not saturated/standing in water) for the seeds to germinate.
@@GrowVeg thanks, I did give an initial "charge" of water and am beginning to see germination as I ensure even dampness, your advice was very helpful hope to learn more from you, thanks!
The recipe calls for two parts compost to two parts coir to one part perlite. That simply means that the mix would have, by volume: 40% made up of compost, 40% made up of coir, and the final 20% made up of perlite.
Thank you! I just told my girlfriend the question I had asked you. She can't stop laughing at how daft I am ha ha. I actually googled 2 part compost ha ha. I've subscribed.... cheers again
You can but it is less likely to perform well. Garlic sold for planting tends to give much better results as the cloves you’ll plant are bigger and they will be guaranteed free of any diseases.
Interesting video but I have a question ... when you publish recommendations such as these are you basing the recommendations on some sort of comparative testing? I ask because I realized a long time ago that if I tried something new in my garden (a new seed, ingredient, propagation method, etc) I could never tell for sure if the new approach actually worked. Cheers.
The mixes we recommend are preferred by members of the Growveg team (not just me). There are many different recipes out there - and each has their own fans. To save money it's often good to use what you have lots of - so, for example, leaf mold in place of coir. Other mixes feature sterilised garden soil. We reckon the recipes we've given are reliable and uncomplicated to mix.
Thanks for the reply. I'm constantly looking to improve my propagation and growing methods and each season I look around to see what others are doing. If I see something that looks interesting, I'll do a comparison using my existing approach vs the "new" approach. However, there's so much out there that I've had to restrict my comparative tests to those methods from sites that have already done some testing themselves. That's why I asked. Cheers.
I posted this comment at least four years ago and, since that time, I decided to do some experiments to test out various methods and substances for starting seeds. I've germinated identical seeds into different mediums such as commercial seed-starting mixes, potting mixes, vermiculite, perlite and several home-made mixes (based on recommendations from UA-cam posters). To my surprise, I didn't find a significant advantage of one mix over the others. That was a pleasant surprise, since now I can use almost anything that I have that is readily available. I should add that I also tried a method that others use: and that is, germinating seeds on a damp paper towel and enclosed in a baggie, then transplanting the germinated seedlings into potting soil. While this works, I couldn't really see bothering with a two-step process such as this. I could see this method for testing the viability of old seeds - like seeing how many seeds germinate from a random sample of 10 or more seeds. Hope this helps.
Yes, there is some argument that you could do that. However, for seed starting and cuttings mixes, this isn't so much of a problem, as a sterile potting mix is safest for seed germination. And when you come to plant out your young seedlings into the ground, all those mychorrhizae and other soil life will be ready and waiting to ensure strong, healthy growth to a mature plant.
I was about to plant some seeds in a seed starting mix in a huge pot until I googled and saw that this shouldn’t be done. I have a seed starting mix composed of coconut coir, perlite and fertilizer. I also have Worm castings too (separate bag) . What can I add to the seed starting mix to make it a potting soil? Or what can I do with the worm castings. I’m very confused
For a seed starting mix I'd suggest just using coconut coir and perlite (without the fertilizer - or very little of it). This is because seeds and young seedlings don't need this in their early stages. To then make it into a potting soil you could add the worm castings and a little of the fertilizer - to sustain plants a little longer.
So I have had issues making my own soil with starting seeds "indoors" and fungus gnats. A top layer of pearlite helps, but I recommend putting the soil in the oven on a baking sheet 250*f for 20 mins to kill any unwanted eggs lurking in your compost mix or anything brought in from outside. Any thoughts on that?
That is a good way to sterilise the soil and a lot of gardeners do precisely that. For sure, give it a go. The seed starting mix we're using doesn't use soil for the reasons you mention, but there are other recipes which do use sterilised garden soil.
Oh good point no actual soil in your mix, however the compost still may need some heat treatment..at least while seeds are still indoors. I havent tried the coconut coir yet but after watching how well it incorporates, and all the other benefits Im convinced. Not to mention being able to eliminate bringing dirt into my oven Im all over that. lol. It so wonderful to chat with ppl that can teach us even if we (think) already know everything.....lol I dont start adding nutrients (@ 1/4 str) until they reach 4" pot size and almost ready to harden off to go outside. Thanks so very much for all your wonderful and to the point videos without allot of unnecessary chatter and packed with solid information. And a beautiful garden to admire in small shots of it. Thanks.
If you'd rather not use an oven (I'm also averse to putting garden soil in the oven), try boiling some water and pouring it over your homemade compost. You get the same result and no dirty kitchens! (Unless you do all this potting up in the kitchen ha!)
I haven't tried it with grape cuttings. Grapes like it very free-draining, so you may get better results adding more sand to the mix. You can also take grape cuttings by rooting them in a jar of water then potting them up once they have grown some roots.
Can starting mix collect/attract bugs? Is that why you put in a closed container and is that another reason why bagged seed starter is not the best. I often see the bags in store with small tips and holes.
In the video I'm using well-sieved garden compost, with coir fibre. The compost need to be weed-free. You could use store-bought-multipurpose compost as it is for seed sowing and potting up, or a seed-sowing compost for sowing only.
Yes, all containers and pots should have drainage holes in them so excess water can escape, otherwise plants run the risk of 'drowning'. Water seeds and seedlings so the soil is damp, and then only when it start to dry out. You want the soil to be consistently moist but never sodden and overly wet.
Sterilising soil... I generally buy in my seed compost but making my own as per your mix make sense so this year I will. I do make a lot of compost so will use that sieved as the basis of my seed mix but feel that sterilising it first is a good idea. I don't want to incur the wrath of my wife by using the kitchen oven so am thinking that spreading the compost out and blasting it with my Sheen X300 paraffin weed gun would work as the flame is powerful and hot enough to kill anything. I’ve cleared ground with it in the past and successfully transplanted into it but the concern I have is am I at risk of contaminating the seed mix with a paraffin residue that could be detrimental to more delicate seedlings ?
Your idea sounds like a good one. I wouldn't have thought there would be any paraffin residue if the flame is burning cleanly - all the paraffin should be used up in the flame. Hypothetically, even if there was a tiny trace of paraffin, the plants will be doing a lot of growing on before you eat them, so any minor trace would be truly negligible at harvest time.
Try using a steam cleaner or wallpaper stripper, directed into catering stainless steel pans with lids or bain marie pans, or anything that can take steam like wooden box or metal dustbin.
Since I'm in Canada, both from a transport and harvest perspective, peat is preferred to coir. "In Canada, it has been estimated that peat bog mass is harvested each year 60 times less than the mass that accumulates. Approximately .02 percent of the 270 million acres (422,000 square miles) of Canadian peat bog are used for peat moss mining.[28] There are some efforts made to restore peat bogs after peat mining. There is some debate as to whether the peat bogs can be restored to their pre-mining condition and how long the process takes. ″The North American Wetlands Conservation Council estimates that harvested peatlands can be restored to ′ecologically balanced systems′ within five to 20 years after peat harvesting.″[but] Some wetlands scientists assert that ″... a managed bog bears little resemblance to a natural one. Like tree farms, these peatlands tend toward monoculture, lacking the biodiversity of an un- harvested bog.″(Wikipedia)
Iky C Coconut coir works in a very similar way to peat moss and is renewable, and very good at holding moisture. On the other hand it has a higher pH and naturally contains a small amount of salt. I'd definitely recommend trying it.
It is a volcanic rock produced by natural processes then it is processed through commercial heating. It isn't a renewable resource and wouldn't be considered "green" by many people because of the heavy machine mining and energy consumption in processing, but I don't know of anything that would disqualify it as "organic".
Thank you for this very interesting video. I have tended to use vermiculite rather than perlite.Are there any advantages one way or the other or is it 'you pay your money and you take your choice?
Perlite, a glass-like volcanic rock is mostly silicon, aluminium and sodium, and its structure holds about half the water that expanded Vermiculite will. ua-cam.com/video/Mt_a7g6C2Ls/v-deo.html Vermiculite is mostly oxygen, aluminium, iron, magnesium and silicon, and has a cation exchange capacity of about 100-150 to hold onto other nutrients like calcium, potassium and ammonium, whereas Perlite is only 1-3.
Thank you for that very informative reply. In the 80s my wife did C&G Phase 1 Horticulture on evening the hort. lecturer was not available so the head of agriculture took the lecture. He happily told the students the perlite was expanded polystyrene.
Craig Overend Hi Craig, thanks for the info. I’m new at this, so are you saying both can be used in seed starting mixes or that perilite would be the better choice? I also noticed that vermiculite comes in different grades (fine to coarse). What would you recommend if vermiculite can be used in a seed starting mix?
It really depends on the medium you are mixing with, if that's fine particle coconut coir then that holds a lot of water and so you may want larger granules of another medium to provide air pockets like the perlite GrowVeg uses. Because expanded vermiculite's structure contains many thin sheet-like layers stacked on top of one another, capilary action between the sheets means it absorbs more water at the expanse of air, but it also means it can hold more nutrients in the surface area between the sheets for plants to use once they've grown first true leaves. Slightly larger particles of vermiculite may improve its aeration in a mix. A potential downside is that vermiculite is more brittle and can break into smaller particles easier. If you are using a larger granule substrate other than fine coconut coir that provides more aeration but less water holding, then vermiculate can be a good choice for moisture and nutrient retention. About 40% soil moisture is the target. A rough way to gauge that is by wetting soil, squeezing and then determining how easily it crumbles. Slightly crumbly is the go. Too sticky and some seedlings will have trouble emerging and grow poorly in the dense wet soil, too crumbly and it isn't holding enough moisture to germinate and grow the seedlings. For seedlings, maintaining the correct temperature, soil moisture, aeration and humidity is paramount. And while coconut coir and perlite do well here, they provide very little in the way of plant nutrition, so if you use them you will need to supplement seedlings with liquid fertilizers if you wish to grow them further than first true leaves. Alternatively some amount of compost or worm castings in the mix can be a good idea if you don't want to have to liquid fertilize.
Craig Overend I have worm castings and some potting soil. What if I were to do equal parts worm castings, potting soil, coir, and half part of vermiculite? Would that work?
1:31 well done for mentioning the harmful impact of peat extraction on biodiversity and climate change. Not many gardeners know that peat extraction (as well as its usage as a mulch or fuel) releases vast amounts of CO2 and leads to the destruction of habitat for rare birds, beneficial insects and other biology.
We weren't aware of this. Perlite is completely sterile and inert. We'd be interested to pointed in the direction of any articles or evidence on the subject of worms and perlite, thank you.
Perlite is our preferred ingredient because it's so light and airy, so it really helps to open out the mix and keep it light and fluffy. You could also use vermiculite, but vermiculite tends to soak up more water, making the mix a little heavier.
@@GrowVeg That is the thing I like about it. Seems to keep the rest of the mix more evenly moist as compared to the wet...dry...wet...dry of Perlite. JMHO
Great video but by the time you’ve purchased your coir, perlite and compost... you may as well just buy a big bag of seed compost. Sorry... false economy.
If you were a chef. Would you wanna spend 2 to 5 times more at a restaurant if you can cook better and cheaper at home. And you know that the food is fresh and clean no added preservatives nobody sneezing in it. It's the same for gardening
interesting how much rubbish is being sold now. Perlite is 3 times the price, wood products are ground before hot composting, which produces acidic humus, its all pretty poor. I dont think its sensible to use anything imported, so its back to basics of sieving, coarse sand or grit, some home made compost and a splash of boiling water prior to sowing,
Started my gardening journey watching this video i am now 4 years in . 5 stars😀
Great stuff! Happy gardening! :-)
I just watched dozens of videos like this. This was the best one. Well explained and great timing.
Thanks Travis, glad it's helped.
This is by far the simplest n economical seed starting mix
Just watching this made me feel keen to get out in the garden and starting my seeds for Spring 🌼. Thank you for your efforts in encouraging gardeners.
I come back to this upload again and again. Thank you for such an excellent resource, succinct and top-notch as always! 👍
Thanks so much for watching. :-)
Thanks! I needed a quick reminder on these basics. I'm planting some seeds today. Woot!
Nice one!
Absolutely love your videos. Very informative, very happy face, very easy and inspiring. Thank you
Thank you for sharing this information!
Hi Victoria how are you doing?
Very clearly explained thank you. I was a bit confused before watching this video.
Good to see that you recommend the individual cells. My rule-of-thumb is to push seed down into surface 4X its diameter. Keep moist. Put on a dated label. Keep inside close to your daily activity. Thanks for your clear concise video clips.
Good advice, thanks Gary.
This video is super informative. Very helpful for a new gardener like me! Thank you very much!
I'm so lucky to come across this video today and I subscribed immediately.
Thanks so much for the video.
Thanks for the sub - and a very warm welcome to the channel! :-)
My gracious appreciation to the FA staff who allow the discord to stand, without censorship.
Thank you. Very informative and easy to follow.
Thank you for the great video on how to make these different mixes. Happy Gardening! Catherine
So clear always. Thanks,
This is the video I was looking for !
Your RP accent is very nice. I like your videos.
Thank you for that kind comment, I do my best!
Genius vid, 5yrs old is ancient on the internet
It really is!
For some reason it feels like I'm watching it on BBC
Nah this is better than the BBC
Ikrr
How the BBC used to be.
Thank you. I live in a tropical country. As my seed bust I give it a week and in the ground. They can take the strain, if the leafs curl because of heat spray water on them....
Thank you for sharing your video. Good advice.
Always love your videos. I may live downunder but so much of your information is presented in a manner that I still find useful, even given my sub tropical conditions. Would love to find a sub tropical equivalent. Any suggestions for me, anyone?
Of course I will keep subscribing to GrowVeg, so good!
Thanks for your kind words - glad you're enjoying our channel. :-)
hi, very nice video, do we need any other fertilizer or just adding 2 part compost is enough for making seed starting mix
For the seed starting mix you don't need to add any other fertiliser. Seedlings don't need many nutrients.
Love all your video's you give great tips. I've already made my pots from toilet rolls and newspaper. However what is worm compost, where can I buy it from? I'm going to make my own compost for my seedlings from your advice as I have all the ingredients except for pearlite and of course worm compost. Can't wait.
Worm compost is made from kitchen waste that has been fed to a community of worms. They eat the scraps and produce worm compost, which is very nutrient rich (more so than normal garden compost). A byproduct is also a lovely liquid fertiliser. You can make your own worm compost using a worm composting bin - or you can buy pre-made worm compost.
I cut up my seed potatoes, each one produced 2-3 plantable sections with about three 'eyes'. It worked well for my first try ever. :)
Thanks for the tip - a good way to make seed potatoes go further.
You are most welcome. I cut them up so their is at least 1-3 eyes on each section. The 'eyes' should be facing up. :)
Great video. Thanks for sharing
Hi. What if my compost is not ready yet? Can I use worm castings in place of compost in a seed starting mix?
I think worm castings might be a little too rich for use as a seed starting mix. Best to use mature compost if you can.
Excellent! Many thanks!
Great video, helped a lot!
Great stuff. Where are you from in the UK ?
I'm based on the edge of The Cotswolds in southern England. Chipping Norton.
Fantastic information!! Now where do i get this COIR stuff i never heard of?
You may it sold/listed as: coir, coir fibre, coco coir, coconut fibres.
I would like to know if i add vermiculite to my soul mix how much i should add, and why please need help
Vermiculite (or perlite) helps to improve drainage in the potting mix, opening it out to make it nice and light and fluffy. I always eyeball amounts, but would aim for maybe a heaped handful or two per bucket of mix.
I really enjoy the videos. Always learning new things. I have just started gardening last year and never knew of the potential adverse conditions of peat mining. Will have to start trying coir.
Great news I can't wait for the season to begin!!!!
Really good video, thanks. Could you use worm compost in place of normal compost in the seed starting mix?
I fear that the worm compost might be a bit too rich, so I'd stick to normal compost for the seed starting mix.
@@GrowVeg I had some to spare so tried it. 3 weeks later cauliflower, red cabbage, lettuce, scallions have germinated in it. 45 out of 48 cells have seedlings now in my seed tray.
Thank you so much for sharing your precious information. It is truly a huge help to me.
When do u use volcanic ash? Very informative
Volcanic ash can, apparently, be a great amendment to use in the garden. I've never tried it personally (perhaps I should!). Here's a good summary of its benefits: growingorganic.com/soil-guide/volcanic-rock-dust/
Thank you.
Should we keep the seeds covered after sowing if we are using this starting mix? I have used compost+ perlite+ sand for seed germination
Yes, the seeds will need to be covered as per the seed packet instructions.
This week I planted a large batch of various variety chilli seeds into loam that I'd dug from a local forest. The loam is about 50% sand, 40% silt and 10% clay. Was it a mistake using this as seed starting mix? I'd rather know now so I can re-start with new seeds in new potting mix. Thanks.
It probably won’t give the best germination and you may find it has weed seeds in too. I would be inclined to start again if you have time.
@@GrowVeg thanks for your reply. I sowed about 100 seeds, and about 15 have germinated today. I’ll hold back a few more days before starting fresh. Thanks
For this seed starting mix can I use composted cow manure?
My local garden supply only carries composted cow manure. All other product they sell is not for seed starting. Would the composted manure be to rich for seed starting?
If so I would be making my seed starter with the composted manure, coconut coir, biochar
I used all my homemade compost on my garlic beds this fall.
I think the composted manure is likely to be too rich, though if it is fully compost, and you are mixing with coconut coir etc, then this may help to dampen down its 'strength'. I would be inclined to make a batch and give it a go, testing different seeds to see how they perform before rolling it out more widely as your seed starting mix. My concern is that you will get quite leggy seedlings due to its richness. So maybe up the amount of coir and add a little less composted cow manure to compensate.
@@GrowVeg
Thanks, I will keep looking for a garden waste compost.
Nothing more frustrating than losing a bunch of seeds and time.
Can i use miracle grow+perlite
Or I have to use seedling compost??
Thanks
You could certainly use perlite to help with drainage. I'd avoid using miracle grow in compost designed for seedlings, but it could be added for mixes designed for older plants/potting on.
@@GrowVeg
Thankyou so much, so multi purpose compost is ok?
Been using something similar but 2 parts sieved compost, (usually using a 9 litre bucket as my measure) 1 part coir peat 1 part medium vermiculite. A couple of cups of worm castings and the same rock minerals. Use it for all my seed raising and pot plants including having oranges, lemon and lime in pots.
That sounds like a very nourishing mix.
Perlite is a better choice for oranges/ lemons due to better drainage and aeration
Cant thank you enough
for your videos! You've really given me and my fiancee the gardening bug! With your last mix (loam and compost) is there any need for vermiculite/perlite or coir? Were planting red/white/black currents and raspberrys in perminent containers as our garden is paved. New to all this and any help is greatly appreciated :)
No, you should be fine without adding vermiculite/perlite. The loam will add good body to the mix - important for permanent container plantings.
I can't believe that with 430k subs you actually replied! What an absolute stand up guy you are! Wishing you the very best of british luck with your garden this year.... May your harvest be bountiful and plenty :)
What organic fertiliser do you use?
For the potting mixes I just mix in a little organic bonemeal or blood, fish and bone. Both are slow-release and encourage good overall development.
I’m guessing I need to use the last one for my new raspberry and blackberry canes?
Yes, I would use a soil-based potting mix for fruit trees, bushes and canes.
@@GrowVeg can you explain the amounts I would need like 20% etc
Please writ it for me?
Will vermiculite do instead of perlite?
Yes, the two do pretty much the same job.
Could you use sphagnum moss / Madagascar moss instead of coir?
Moss won't be as fine textured, and it's quite green, so I wouldn't see it as an alternative to coir unfortunately.
What type of compost do you generally use for this mix? I have my compost that I throw all my food scraps, leaves, grass, chicken coop clean up, etc. Would this be okay to use? Thanks for all the great videos!
You can, of course, use garden compost. Just make sure it's fully decomposed and then sieved/screened before use to produce a crumbly texture.
Can we use this mixture for microgreens sir?
Yes, you certainly could.
Have you got any tips or videos on growing broad beans Kale and lettuce and spring onions.
Meny thanks enjoy your videos and very helpful
Hi there. You could try our videos on quick-growing salad leaves: ua-cam.com/video/4dYh_jCAKR8/v-deo.html and also ua-cam.com/video/4xpT2jcTdV8/v-deo.html
Our video on super-early vegetables includes how to grow spring onions: ua-cam.com/video/0mDvsTlaTJc/v-deo.html
Hi Growveg can this Compost Mix be used to sow my Onion's and Beetroot Seed's in.
Yes, absolutely. :)
Very helpful, thank you! :)
Yes, this is similar Mel's Mix of Square Foot Gardening. Is it time to sow some spinach yet?
It depends where you are growing and the progress of your winter. Spinach is a cool-season vegetable, but will need relatively warm soil to germinate and grow strongly. Where I am that means sowing from the end of March, or you could sow under cover into module trays to then have young, sturdy seedlings to plant out in a few weeks, perhaps under cloches/row covers if it's still a bit chilly.
I live in The Netherland (similar to England's weather) and just got a notice from one of my garden messengers that I could sow outside. Hmmm okay, I'll follow your advice. Thanks.
Exactly what i just needed! Thank you :-)
Oh no I started my tomatoes with unhydrated coir just kept tearing the block as it crumbled I filled my trays, planted and watered... What can I do get good germination now???
You may be okay, don't panic! Wetting the coir just helps to break it up more easily that's all. If you've crumbled it apart then you're fine, but you will need to have given a really thorough initial watering to get the coir 'charged' with moisture. The important thing now is to just make sure it's consistently damp (but not saturated/standing in water) for the seeds to germinate.
@@GrowVeg thanks, I did give an initial "charge" of water and am beginning to see germination as I ensure even dampness, your advice was very helpful hope to learn more from you, thanks!
What do you mean by 2 part compost?
The recipe calls for two parts compost to two parts coir to one part perlite. That simply means that the mix would have, by volume: 40% made up of compost, 40% made up of coir, and the final 20% made up of perlite.
Thank you! I just told my girlfriend the question I had asked you. She can't stop laughing at how daft I am ha ha. I actually googled 2 part compost ha ha. I've subscribed.... cheers again
Can I plant shop bought garlic
You can but it is less likely to perform well. Garlic sold for planting tends to give much better results as the cloves you’ll plant are bigger and they will be guaranteed free of any diseases.
Interesting video but I have a question ... when you publish recommendations such as these are you basing the recommendations on some sort of comparative testing? I ask because I realized a long time ago that if I tried something new in my garden (a new seed, ingredient, propagation method, etc) I could never tell for sure if the new approach actually worked. Cheers.
The mixes we recommend are preferred by members of the Growveg team (not just me). There are many different recipes out there - and each has their own fans. To save money it's often good to use what you have lots of - so, for example, leaf mold in place of coir. Other mixes feature sterilised garden soil. We reckon the recipes we've given are reliable and uncomplicated to mix.
Thanks for the reply. I'm constantly looking to improve my propagation and growing methods and each season I look around to see what others are doing. If I see something that looks interesting, I'll do a comparison using my existing approach vs the "new" approach. However, there's so much out there that I've had to restrict my comparative tests to those methods from sites that have already done some testing themselves. That's why I asked. Cheers.
I posted this comment at least four years ago and, since that time, I decided to do some experiments to test out various methods and substances for starting seeds. I've germinated identical seeds into different mediums such as commercial seed-starting mixes, potting mixes, vermiculite, perlite and several home-made mixes (based on recommendations from UA-cam posters).
To my surprise, I didn't find a significant advantage of one mix over the others. That was a pleasant surprise, since now I can use almost anything that I have that is readily available.
I should add that I also tried a method that others use: and that is, germinating seeds on a damp paper towel and enclosed in a baggie, then transplanting the germinated seedlings into potting soil. While this works, I couldn't really see bothering with a two-step process such as this. I could see this method for testing the viability of old seeds - like seeing how many seeds germinate from a random sample of 10 or more seeds.
Hope this helps.
If you sterilize your soil are you also killing the mycorrhizae that we are trying to build to better the soil structure?
Yes, there is some argument that you could do that. However, for seed starting and cuttings mixes, this isn't so much of a problem, as a sterile potting mix is safest for seed germination. And when you come to plant out your young seedlings into the ground, all those mychorrhizae and other soil life will be ready and waiting to ensure strong, healthy growth to a mature plant.
Is this soiless mix great for carrots too? I'm struggling to find a good soil for planting carrots 😭
Yes, it's nice and loose so would be perfect for carrots. Carrots also do well in a mix of compost and sand.
I was about to plant some seeds in a seed starting mix in a huge pot until I googled and saw that this shouldn’t be done. I have a seed starting mix composed of coconut coir, perlite and fertilizer. I also have Worm castings too (separate bag) . What can I add to the seed starting mix to make it a potting soil? Or what can I do with the worm castings. I’m very confused
For a seed starting mix I'd suggest just using coconut coir and perlite (without the fertilizer - or very little of it). This is because seeds and young seedlings don't need this in their early stages. To then make it into a potting soil you could add the worm castings and a little of the fertilizer - to sustain plants a little longer.
@@GrowVeg great! Thank you
im confused whats garden soil, is it the soil i find outside in my garden?
Yes, garden soil dug up from your garden.
@@GrowVeg thanks you so much ive thinking about that a while. didnt think you'would reply so thanks
So I have had issues making my own soil with starting seeds "indoors" and fungus gnats. A top layer of pearlite helps, but I recommend putting the soil in the oven on a baking sheet 250*f for 20 mins to kill any unwanted eggs lurking in your compost mix or anything brought in from outside. Any thoughts on that?
That is a good way to sterilise the soil and a lot of gardeners do precisely that. For sure, give it a go. The seed starting mix we're using doesn't use soil for the reasons you mention, but there are other recipes which do use sterilised garden soil.
Oh good point no actual soil in your mix, however the compost still may need some heat treatment..at least while seeds are still indoors. I havent tried the coconut coir yet but after watching how well it incorporates, and all the other benefits Im convinced. Not to mention being able to eliminate bringing dirt into my oven Im all over that. lol. It so wonderful to chat with ppl that can teach us even if we (think) already know everything.....lol I dont start adding nutrients (@ 1/4 str) until they reach 4" pot size and almost ready to harden off to go outside. Thanks so very much for all your wonderful and to the point videos without allot of unnecessary chatter and packed with solid information. And a beautiful garden to admire in small shots of it. Thanks.
talk about getting us motivated ....Your timing is impeccable too I might add
If you'd rather not use an oven (I'm also averse to putting garden soil in the oven), try boiling some water and pouring it over your homemade compost. You get the same result and no dirty kitchens! (Unless you do all this potting up in the kitchen ha!)
How would this mix work on cuttings such as grape cuttings? Nice video
I haven't tried it with grape cuttings. Grapes like it very free-draining, so you may get better results adding more sand to the mix. You can also take grape cuttings by rooting them in a jar of water then potting them up once they have grown some roots.
Can starting mix collect/attract bugs? Is that why you put in a closed container and is that another reason why bagged seed starter is not the best. I often see the bags in store with small tips and holes.
The starting mix is in a container to keep it safely stowed, so it doesn't get contaminated or attract bugs.
Can I use compost that contains 15% chicken manure?
That might be a bit strong for seeds and very young seedlings, but great for potting on plants once they are a bit bigger.
What brand of compost you use? Is there a specific for pots?
In the video I'm using well-sieved garden compost, with coir fibre. The compost need to be weed-free. You could use store-bought-multipurpose compost as it is for seed sowing and potting up, or a seed-sowing compost for sowing only.
How much to water seeds and should they have drainage hole?
Yes, all containers and pots should have drainage holes in them so excess water can escape, otherwise plants run the risk of 'drowning'. Water seeds and seedlings so the soil is damp, and then only when it start to dry out. You want the soil to be consistently moist but never sodden and overly wet.
Awesome, thanks for sharing!
Well you're a happy chap aren't you, very informative videos, thanks
Thanks!
Sterilising soil... I generally buy in my seed compost but making my own as per your mix make sense so this year I will. I do make a lot of compost so will use that sieved as the basis of my seed mix but feel that sterilising it first is a good idea. I don't want to incur the wrath of my wife by using the kitchen oven so am thinking that spreading the compost out and blasting it with my Sheen X300 paraffin weed gun would work as the flame is powerful and hot enough to kill anything. I’ve cleared ground with it in the past and successfully transplanted into it but the concern I have is am I at risk of contaminating the seed mix with a paraffin residue that could be detrimental to more delicate seedlings ?
Your idea sounds like a good one. I wouldn't have thought there would be any paraffin residue if the flame is burning cleanly - all the paraffin should be used up in the flame. Hypothetically, even if there was a tiny trace of paraffin, the plants will be doing a lot of growing on before you eat them, so any minor trace would be truly negligible at harvest time.
Try using a steam cleaner or wallpaper stripper, directed into catering stainless steel pans with lids or bain marie pans, or anything that can take steam like wooden box or metal dustbin.
Reminds me of dude I was stuck next to on a packed trans Atlantic flight.
I wish if you make a video about biological life in the soil and its importance..😊
Thanks for the suggestion - we'll add it to our list of ideas for futures videos.
I find peat moss is a very good medium. Unfortunately, it is not renewable!
peat moss is renewable, very slowly. Sphagnum moss is the problem one.
Peat moss is mostly dead sphagnum moss and other bog plants. It accumulates so slowly that cannot recover in human life time!
Since I'm in Canada, both from a transport and harvest perspective, peat is preferred to coir. "In Canada, it has been estimated that peat bog mass is harvested each year 60 times less than the mass that accumulates. Approximately .02 percent of the 270 million acres (422,000 square miles) of Canadian peat bog are used for peat moss mining.[28] There are some efforts made to restore peat bogs after peat mining. There is some debate as to whether the peat bogs can be restored to their pre-mining condition and how long the process takes. ″The North American Wetlands Conservation Council estimates that harvested peatlands can be restored to ′ecologically balanced systems′ within five to 20 years after peat harvesting.″[but] Some wetlands scientists assert that ″... a managed bog bears little resemblance to a natural one. Like tree farms, these peatlands tend toward monoculture, lacking the biodiversity of an un- harvested bog.″(Wikipedia)
There is certainly some argument that Canadian peat is harvested more sustainably than many of the peat bogs in Europe.
Iky C Coconut coir works in a very similar way to peat moss and is renewable, and very good at holding moisture. On the other hand it has a higher pH and naturally contains a small amount of salt. I'd definitely recommend trying it.
I used seed soil but it not green the leafe look light green ?why
It could be a sign of nitrogen deficiency.
Is Perlite Organic??
Yes.
It is a volcanic rock produced by natural processes then it is processed through commercial heating. It isn't a renewable resource and wouldn't be considered "green" by many people because of the heavy machine mining and energy consumption in processing, but I don't know of anything that would disqualify it as "organic".
Hi , i guy on YT said it's made of Petroleum and I was confused, that's why I asked is it Organic. Anyways , Thank You Guys For Your Kind Replies .
Thank you for this very interesting video. I have tended to use vermiculite rather than perlite.Are there any advantages one way or the other or is it 'you pay your money and you take your choice?
Perlite, a glass-like volcanic rock is mostly silicon, aluminium and sodium, and its structure holds about half the water that expanded Vermiculite will. ua-cam.com/video/Mt_a7g6C2Ls/v-deo.html
Vermiculite is mostly oxygen, aluminium, iron, magnesium and silicon, and has a cation exchange capacity of about 100-150 to hold onto other nutrients like calcium, potassium and ammonium, whereas Perlite is only 1-3.
Thank you for that very informative reply. In the 80s my wife did C&G Phase 1 Horticulture on evening the hort. lecturer was not available so the head of agriculture took the lecture. He happily told the students the perlite was expanded polystyrene.
Craig Overend
Hi Craig, thanks for the info. I’m new at this, so are you saying both can be used in seed starting mixes or that perilite would be the better choice? I also noticed that vermiculite comes in different grades (fine to coarse). What would you recommend if vermiculite can be used in a seed starting mix?
It really depends on the medium you are mixing with, if that's fine particle coconut coir then that holds a lot of water and so you may want larger granules of another medium to provide air pockets like the perlite GrowVeg uses. Because expanded vermiculite's structure contains many thin sheet-like layers stacked on top of one another, capilary action between the sheets means it absorbs more water at the expanse of air, but it also means it can hold more nutrients in the surface area between the sheets for plants to use once they've grown first true leaves.
Slightly larger particles of vermiculite may improve its aeration in a mix.
A potential downside is that vermiculite is more brittle and can break into smaller particles easier. If you are using a larger granule substrate other than fine coconut coir that provides more aeration but less water holding, then vermiculate can be a good choice for moisture and nutrient retention.
About 40% soil moisture is the target. A rough way to gauge that is by wetting soil, squeezing and then determining how easily it crumbles. Slightly crumbly is the go. Too sticky and some seedlings will have trouble emerging and grow poorly in the dense wet soil, too crumbly and it isn't holding enough moisture to germinate and grow the seedlings.
For seedlings, maintaining the correct temperature, soil moisture, aeration and humidity is paramount. And while coconut coir and perlite do well here, they provide very little in the way of plant nutrition, so if you use them you will need to supplement seedlings with liquid fertilizers if you wish to grow them further than first true leaves. Alternatively some amount of compost or worm castings in the mix can be a good idea if you don't want to have to liquid fertilize.
Craig Overend I have worm castings and some potting soil. What if I were to do equal parts worm castings, potting soil, coir, and half part of vermiculite? Would that work?
Wow
❤️❤️❤️
2 parts compost
2 Parts coir
1 part perlite
Thanls
Very good information. But I found it too fast to understand.
1:31 well done for mentioning the harmful impact of peat extraction on biodiversity and climate change. Not many gardeners know that peat extraction (as well as its usage as a mulch or fuel) releases vast amounts of CO2 and leads to the destruction of habitat for rare birds, beneficial insects and other biology.
It is a bit of a disaster all round. I encourage all gardeners to go peat free.
A serious worm composting friend says that perlite once added to the garden will kill worms because they can’t digest it.
We weren't aware of this. Perlite is completely sterile and inert. We'd be interested to pointed in the direction of any articles or evidence on the subject of worms and perlite, thank you.
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how about just using rock wool?
not sustainable nor easily accessible. more expensive and requires liquid nutrients.
Perlite is our preferred ingredient because it's so light and airy, so it really helps to open out the mix and keep it light and fluffy. You could also use vermiculite, but vermiculite tends to soak up more water, making the mix a little heavier.
@@GrowVeg That is the thing I like about it. Seems to keep the rest of the mix more evenly moist as compared to the wet...dry...wet...dry of Perlite. JMHO
Great video but by the time you’ve purchased your coir, perlite and compost... you may as well just buy a big bag of seed compost. Sorry... false economy.
If you can make your own compost then it does work out cheaper.
If you were a chef. Would you wanna spend 2 to 5 times more at a restaurant if you can cook better and cheaper at home. And you know that the food is fresh and clean no added preservatives nobody sneezing in it. It's the same for gardening
interesting how much rubbish is being sold now. Perlite is 3 times the price, wood products are ground before hot composting, which produces acidic humus, its all pretty poor. I dont think its sensible to use anything imported, so its back to basics of sieving, coarse sand or grit, some home made compost and a splash of boiling water prior to sowing,