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| I had Burpee Organic last year, had a little left over this year and that seemed to be good but I couldn't find it any more. So I bought a bag of Jiffy Organic and it just seems to be really dry, though am trying to keep it watered. The tomatoes I started 3 weeks ago are doing well, I decided to start more Cosmonaut so just put a few seeds in the cells where ones didn't germinate, and not only have those new ones germinated (plus some stragglers so now I have 2-3 seedlings in 1 cell) but they've caught up to the original ones. That particular flat was a mix of Burpee & Jiffy, but the 2nd flat (heirlooms) that was just Jiffy seems to be doing well also, though both seem noticeably lighter than when I just soaked them Wednesday afternoon. I think the Jiffy-only flat (which was really heavy Wed, soaked a long time waiting for surface to appear damp) is drying out a lot faster. The peppers in Burpee-only don't seem to require as frequent watering (once a week instead o every 3-5 days). The kale and broccoli in Jiffy have done well, the spinach and some tomato seed I got later not so much. I'm potting up the kale today since I planted it too densely (those tiny seeds!), will pot up the tomatoes and peppers next week into separate cells. If I have time I may repot everything since I've given up on the empty cells of spinach and tomatoes germinating now, don't know what's different from the heirlooms and the kale, broccoli in the Jiffy. I bought some Espoma starter yesterday at a going-out-of business sale, has anyone got any experience with that? It seems to have a high % of peat as well, but also contains "humus" - though it is clearly marked as starter mix. Wondering if that would be good to put up in (since I'm going to be using 3606's - 6-packs - not 4" pots right now)? The Espoma I bought is the 2nd bag on this page - says the "Myco-tone" blend of mycorrhizae promotes root growth and requires less water. Would that be better just to go up to larger/separate cells right now than using the heavier Fafard #2? Or save the Espoma for starting seed next year? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Espoma Organic Seed Starter
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Well, the Espoma does seem more like the Fafard potting soil (you can see the humus, not as peaty as the Jiffy or even the Burpee). Might be a little too dense for starting seed - we'll see next year, could be OK if not packed and seeds just lightly covered/misted. I was worried it might be too dense and water-retentive, but the kale I potted up on Friday seems to be doing OK, I'll pot up more (plus tomatoes, maybe peppers) tomorrow and see how long it goes without watering. The tomatoes in Jiffy mix that I soaked well on Wed aren't wilting, but the trays are much lighter now and the surface is dry - I'll have to see how the roots are when I pot up. The kale was pretty densely planted, so each seedling didn't have a very extensive root system, but I managed to tease them apart and haven't seen any wilting since Friday so I think they're going to make it through the surgery ;-) |
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