Troubleshooting my mix

clkingtx · May 13, 2013

I started my seeds in February/March this year, mixing potting mix from old pots(houseplants that died), and dirt I dug up from my yard.(

It was all I could get at the time. Other than a few problems with damping off(but not as much as I expected), I got nice starts to go out in the garden. When I was able, I bought peat and perlite, and mixed the two for my seed starting mixture. I don't think my babies and seeds are doing as well in this as they should. A few seem stunted, not growing as well as they should. I put a jobes fert stick in each, but they don't seem to be doing too great. I thought maybe it was just one of those things, but I just saw that a tomato seedling has purple leaf bottoms(cotyledon leaves). I know it is not the cold, as they are outside, and temps have been warm enough, plus none of the other tomato seedlings are having that issue. I had read that sometimes peat is too acidic...I had used peat/perlite/vermiculite(1/1/1) in the past, and it worked perfect for everything. I just didn't have the funds this time around. Could my mix be too acidic? Is there something I could add to the mix as is, or would I have to combine with vermiculite to neutralize ph? I have potted MANY plants with this mix, and it only seems to be the tomato seedlings that are having problems, that I can tell. All the others plants(older tomato, pepper, citrus trees, lambsquarter, etc) seem to be doing fine.

Thanks a lot,
Carrie

BennB · May 15, 2013

When I first started to read your post I thought that pH could be a problem. Commercial peat moss comes from a wide range of sources, and likely has different acidity and buffering capacity. How old it is and how broken down it is may also make a difference in terms of pH and also how many other basic elements and nutrients are in it.

I would suggest doing a test on some of the plants. I'd go to the home store and get a bag of "Super Sweet", which is a fine dolomitic lime that is processed to be faster acting. Any fine powdered standard dolomitic lime will work too but is messier. You don't want "Soil Sweet" which is larger granular and slower acting.

Super Sweet is relatively inexpensive at $6.50 for a 25 lb bag, which will last you a while. A neighbor may also have a bag in their shed or garage, so you may want to ask around first since you only need a few cups.

Mix in about a half table spoon into the top inch of soil around the outer edges of the container. Water it well and wait couple days until it is fully drained. Then the next time you water use a dilute complete water soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro all purpose or tomato food. You want something with a good mix of micronutrients.

I mix the Miracle Gro about a tsp (small end of the scoop) per half gallon of luke warm water. Water well with the dilute fertilizer. Make sure some comes out the bottom of the container. Do this each time you water for a week or so and see if they perk up. If they do, do the rest.

I can't say for sure if this will help the plants. It may be some other problem entirely, but this will not hurt them and is a simple and low cost first step.

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

Benn

Durgan · May 15, 2013

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCJYP 31 May 2012 Seedling soil.

It was a nice day and all the ingredients were available, so it was decided to make seedling soil for the 2013 season. The underlying nutrient soil was the compost heap. It was modified using some knowledge and information from previous subjective experience.Ingredients added to the basic underlying compost was, coconut coir, mason sand, some garden earth, wood chip shavings, a bit of urea. My mental process was this. Coconut coir for moisture retention. Mason sand to inhibit coagulating of the basic compost. Garden earth to supply a few microbes. Wood chips shavings for aeration.Urea to replenish any nitrogen lost as the wood chips compost or break down.The wood chips also are an indicator of how through the mixing is, since they are easily seen.

The subjective quantities selected were mixed thoroughly on the compost pile using the Honda FG110G rototiller. The finished product was stored in 20 litre buckets and closed with lids tapped into place with a rubber hammer. A total quantity of about 540 litres was obtained for use in the 2013 season.Holes were drilled under the lid lip to allow air in.

May 13, 2013	#1
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	Troubleshooting my mix I started my seeds in February/March this year, mixing potting mix from old pots(houseplants that died), and dirt I dug up from my yard.(It was all I could get at the time. Other than a few problems with damping off(but not as much as I expected), I got nice starts to go out in the garden. When I was able, I bought peat and perlite, and mixed the two for my seed starting mixture. I don't think my babies and seeds are doing as well in this as they should. A few seem stunted, not growing as well as they should. I put a jobes fert stick in each, but they don't seem to be doing too great. I thought maybe it was just one of those things, but I just saw that a tomato seedling has purple leaf bottoms(cotyledon leaves). I know it is not the cold, as they are outside, and temps have been warm enough, plus none of the other tomato seedlings are having that issue. I had read that sometimes peat is too acidic...I had used peat/perlite/vermiculite(1/1/1) in the past, and it worked perfect for everything. I just didn't have the funds this time around. Could my mix be too acidic? Is there something I could add to the mix as is, or would I have to combine with vermiculite to neutralize ph? I have potted MANY plants with this mix, and it only seems to be the tomato seedlings that are having problems, that I can tell. All the others plants(older tomato, pepper, citrus trees, lambsquarter, etc) seem to be doing fine. Thanks a lot, Carrie

May 15, 2013	#2
BennB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Seattle, Wa Posts: 77	When I first started to read your post I thought that pH could be a problem. Commercial peat moss comes from a wide range of sources, and likely has different acidity and buffering capacity. How old it is and how broken down it is may also make a difference in terms of pH and also how many other basic elements and nutrients are in it. I would suggest doing a test on some of the plants. I'd go to the home store and get a bag of "Super Sweet", which is a fine dolomitic lime that is processed to be faster acting. Any fine powdered standard dolomitic lime will work too but is messier. You don't want "Soil Sweet" which is larger granular and slower acting. Super Sweet is relatively inexpensive at $6.50 for a 25 lb bag, which will last you a while. A neighbor may also have a bag in their shed or garage, so you may want to ask around first since you only need a few cups. Mix in about a half table spoon into the top inch of soil around the outer edges of the container. Water it well and wait couple days until it is fully drained. Then the next time you water use a dilute complete water soluble fertilizer like Miracle Gro all purpose or tomato food. You want something with a good mix of micronutrients. I mix the Miracle Gro about a tsp (small end of the scoop) per half gallon of luke warm water. Water well with the dilute fertilizer. Make sure some comes out the bottom of the container. Do this each time you water for a week or so and see if they perk up. If they do, do the rest. I can't say for sure if this will help the plants. It may be some other problem entirely, but this will not hurt them and is a simple and low cost first step. Good luck and let us know how it works out! Benn

May 15, 2013	#3
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCJYP 31 May 2012 Seedling soil. It was a nice day and all the ingredients were available, so it was decided to make seedling soil for the 2013 season. The underlying nutrient soil was the compost heap. It was modified using some knowledge and information from previous subjective experience.Ingredients added to the basic underlying compost was, coconut coir, mason sand, some garden earth, wood chip shavings, a bit of urea. My mental process was this. Coconut coir for moisture retention. Mason sand to inhibit coagulating of the basic compost. Garden earth to supply a few microbes. Wood chips shavings for aeration.Urea to replenish any nitrogen lost as the wood chips compost or break down.The wood chips also are an indicator of how through the mixing is, since they are easily seen. The subjective quantities selected were mixed thoroughly on the compost pile using the Honda FG110G rototiller. The finished product was stored in 20 litre buckets and closed with lids tapped into place with a rubber hammer. A total quantity of about 540 litres was obtained for use in the 2013 season.Holes were drilled under the lid lip to allow air in.