seed and propagation medium other than peat?

ClareBroommaker's picture

Does anyone here use some medium other than peat based mixes for seed starting and cuttings? It is an import where I live and, of course, does not renew itself as fast as we harvest it. Coir is also an import and expensive.

My own compost is full of all kinds of seeds and I don't make enough of it anyway. If you live in a city that does composting, have you used that for seed starting? Or have you tried a local commercial compost that has been made largely from trees and yardwaste? How about leaf mould you've made yourself? I do pick up scads of leaves, but an unsure how much it would take to get a decent volume of leaf mould.

Blueberry's picture

Clare try using builders sand a little harder to get the wetness just right. When doing hardwood cutting of blueberries had better luck with sand than peat and perlite. I stopped using commercial compost about 3 years ago the stuff was just full of @#$%. Leaf mould did not work for me. Like to mix my own compost with sand just can not make enough.

ClareBroommaker's picture

Yes, I can get sand that is mined locally. Ya know-- in a school plant propagation class we stuck woody cuttings in a rather course chert sand. That provides lots of air to the roots. But the cuttings were placed under an automatic mister and lights and a heated table. You're right, though, I think I probably should get some sand.

If you live where Spanish moss grows, have you ever tried rooting anything in it?

Blueberry's picture

Spanish moss is great for growing bed bugs, best to leave it where it grows.

Serinde's picture

Have you tried to sterilise some of your compost? Once you have brought well-sieved compost up to about 180C (350F?) for at least half an hour, you should be able to combine it with grit or sand to make a good seed medium. I've not tried this myself, but know people who have. I confess it does seem odd cooking dirt... but no peat.

ClareBroommaker's picture

When I was a child, a few times my mother crumbled up soil on a cookie sheet and sterilized it in the oven. It stunk to high heaven. I don't remember what she started with it, or if she added sand. So I had thought of that, but had not thought of using compost that way.

I'll mention here, too, so maybe it will motivate me, that I had thought I could sweep up the oak catkins from our front sidewalk (we live in city) and see if I can grow a seed or two in that. It's been raining, though, so there might not been any sweepable catkins anymore. I'll go have a look now! Yall, make me follow through on the seed attempt!

Serinde's picture

I'd not considered that aspect. More easily, I would use a sieved peat-free compost plus perlite (or similar) plus sand for a seed mixture. It doesn't need to be especially nutritious, but simply a place for the seed to germinate to the two true leaf stage, when it can be potted on into something more substantial.

ClareBroommaker's picture

My mate is home with a camera, so he made a photo of the oak catkins for us. You see it kind of fluffed up. Compressed just a little, it fills about a 3/4 gallon jar. I'll stuff some into a small container, dampen it some more and see if I can start some small herb seeds on it. I'll try a medium sized seed (zinnia?) and large seed (bean?) in it, too, though I can direct sow those in the garden. Just to get an idea whether it will work for any seeds. I do have to sort the maple seeds out of it first, though. Ha, the maples evidently "think" it is a good seed starting medium.

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Serinde's picture

look really interesting. Worth an experiment -- and maple helicopters will seed anywhere at all, I think! ;-)