Creating a seed starting mix/potting mix from scra

[Alan]

OK, in starting my small orchard here on the farm the past few weeks and in looking to an alternative to peat moss and coco coir (shipping is almost as bad in my opinion as using peat) I have been experimenting with several soil mixes made from on farm materials.


Now before I get into it I would love encourage everyone to play with several different mixes, to research their uses, find the best materials, and pass them on here and locally. It is key to self sustainability to creat mixes using no or very little money. You can substitute $5.00 for the words "very little money", and I say that only because I have had to add lime or sulfer to each of these mixes depending upon what I'm using.

I don't have the exact mix ratios here in front of me, but these are some materials I have been working with.

Forrest Dander (from the scrubby and younger parts of the forrest where it won't be missed much)
Leaf Litter (this and dander should not be collected from areas where ferns or black walnuts are growing)
Worm Castings
Bat Guano (as an amendment and an acidifier)
Composted pine shaving based chicken and turkey litter
Sharp Sand
Rotten Sawdust
Sifted Compost
Creek Sand
Lime
Sulfer
Gravel

Of course depending on what you will be using the mix for you can kind of see what ingredients you would or wouldn't want in the mix as well as the proportions and the size of the materials to be included.

I have made five mixes at this time. 150 gallons worth to "play" with. Later I will put up my mix proportions and report back on my results.

I can say this, Luther Burbank was using a material similar to this as indicated by "his means and methods" series which Karen (plantsnoobin, 'cause she is awesome) gave me and he reported terrific results for all types of seeds. For germinating tomatoes and the like I have been having a terrific result using 2/3 worm castings and 1/3 sharp sand with a bit of added lime.

[plantsnobin]

I buy the pro type mixes from Premier or Bunton in Louisville, and the major ingredient in most of the mixes is composted pine bark. I hate a peat based mix, mostly because I tend to be an underwaterer and once it drys out it is hard to rewet. I also don't think that coir mix is any more sustainable. Depends on your location of course, but I am not near any coconut plantations myself, so it would be traveling a ways. The stuff that accumulates under a wood pile is great, and if it has been there awhile it is ready to mix in. Just keep in mind that when you get your nursery license, if you are going to ship outside of IN that you have to agree to only use soiless potting mixes. Compost is ok, just no soil. Silly rule, but other states don't want to bring in Japanese beetles. I would think that the beetles could as easily inhabit a pile of mulch, but what do I know. Don't know if you plan on shipping or not, so it might not be an issue anyway.

[Alan]

Good advice Karen, I've been using a lot of "aged pine bark" from dead trees in these mixes, though I do wonder about "pine blister" and currants for one thing. I have used "sunshine mix" before which is kind of what I tried to base this mix on minus the peat of course. I agree completely about the coir products as well.

I don't plan on selling outside of the state anytime in the near future, but it may be a possibility down the road, most of those regulations make no sense to me just like the poultry regulations and "egg board" regs.

[Alan]

Any body else want to contribute....


I've been playing with ratios this week in between sourcing further seeds, I have found that a good light seed mix is simply 1/2 sifted worm castings to 1/2 sharp sand, it's working wonders for tomato seed and goji seed at the moment.

[silverseeds]

I will let you know next year. Im still playing around with composting worms now. I just started. Im using local worms, depite everyone saying to use the red wrigglers. Im going to make worm towers in my garden bds next year, and Id like some of them to survive, the red wrigglers would die in the winter. So I might as well work with what is adapted to my area.

I dont have any sharp sand. So far for starting seeds, I use whatever I have which is usually, the build up fine black powdery stuff I find under pine trees here, some sifted compost if I have it, aged manure, and 1/4 of the soil from my yard, which is like a silty havy clay. Sounds alot different then using sand, but its worked very well for me so far. It ends up alot lighter then it might sounds, and holds water well.

I actually have three tomatoe plants in large pots growing very well now, all three are about to bear fruit. I put them out in the sun in the warmth of the day, and inside at night.

When I use to light of a mix, with this arid climate, it seems to dry out way to fast, and I have constant issues with seedlings drying out, or damping off. So with the little bit of the clay soil I seem to greatly lessen that effect, and can kep the soil at a much more consistant dampness.

Ive been incorporating the smaller pieces of charcoal, from wood fires, Ive made as well. the bigger pieces up to a inch, Im digging into the beds. The smaller pieces I mixed into my potting mix.

[mnjrutherford]

I've been pondering this in conjunction with our terra preta. I'm not so sure I'll be willing to give it enough time to "cure" as we had originally hoped. Bunkie put up a link to a website called "AnnaDana" that has a great article called "Terra Preta in Auroville" at this address: www.annadana.com/actu/new_news.cgi?id_news=159

I'm kinda thinking about digging a hole around the forest edge about a foot or two down, pulling up some soil from that level and mixing it half and half with the bottom layer of the terra preta. We can get SOME amendments, but anything with a price tag beyond the cost of going out an picking it up is more than we can afford right now.

Alan, you mention "sharp sand". Why sharp? Does it have anything to do with "scratching" the seed coat with the idea of making it easier for the seed to emerge? What the heck IS sharp sand?

[bunkie]

that's interesting about alan using sharp sand. i thought i had read somewhere that it can hurt the roots of baby plants? i mix sand that we get from a sand pit nearby with sunshine potting soil...haven't got a soil mix yet...i sift the big pieces out. the sand tends to help the soil from compacting.

jo, here's some info on sharp sand....

www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=sharp+sand&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

i missed the anna blog piece on terra preta...will go read it now. thanks!

[Alan]

I had figured the sharp sand might hurt the roots as well, but it came highly reccomended via Luther Burbank and via some other materials I had read.


I've been feeding some finished compost through to the worm herd over the past couple weeks which they are eating up in 2-3 inch incriments every couple of days, makes harvesting much faster.

[solarguy]

I tried a new mix last spring and found out what ingredient NOT to use.

for a five gallon bucket, my mix was:

1/3 screened compost
1/3 topsoil from the best spot in the garden
1/3 peat moss (yes, looking for alternatives...)
a handful of blood meal
a double handful of alfalfa pellets (aka rabbit chow)

I am not an overwaterer, but I noticed within just a few days, what looked like fungus/rhizomes on the surface. Especially around the alfalfa pellets. So I opened up one pot and honestly, have never seen such a healthy crop of fungus ever. The alfalfa pellets seemed to be the hotspots. So, nix on the alfalfa pellets, at least in a non-sterile mix.

As an emergency measure, I started all new everything in a 50/50 mix of peat moss and vermiculite and got excellent results using liquid fertilizer in the water. I start everything in a hot box between 75-80F.

Will continue to watch for better home brew mixes. Please carry on with the grand experiment.

Finest regards,

troy