Jiffy Seed Starting Mix

[pacmanJohn]

Pictures speak for themselves. This picture was taken 4 weeks after sowing. On the left is Miracle Grow and on the right is Jiffy. Multiple varieties of tomatoes all seeded on the same day.

[coloken]

Man! That is proof enough for me. At least in your case.
Not to say that it applies to every bag, or just certain bags of jiffy.
Like I said, my last bag of MG potting was nothing like I am used to. It left much to be desired.
Could you guess that the problem is some thing with the way it handles water, or is the stuff just plain toxic to seeds?
Kenny

[ASFx2600]

I make my own all purpose mix which works extremely well for germination as well as potting up. I also use it for my self watering containers which works very well. I stay away from miracle-gro products since they are not organic and have chemicals in them.

What I do is buy large bags of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite, and mix them at a 70/20/10 ratio (in that order). I mix them in a large 25 gallon plastic tote outside, the put the lid on and bring it in the house near my seed starting area. Making my own mix is much cheaper than buying pre-bagged stuff. It's enough to start thousands of seeds, pot them up, and get them out to the garden.

[pacmanJohn]

Thanks for the info on the 'mix your own'. Nice to know. Will have to try that.

I will say that when I put the seeds in the mix I thought that I would stick with Jiffy as it was much 'finer' and was easier to cover the seeds as the MG has more clumps of 'stuff'. But I have to say that I have used Jiffy in the past that I'm once burned twice shy now. I repotted all of the plants shortly after the picture and and all rebounded. I did get a late bunch of seeds that I started probably end of March which have all been at about one inch tall with tiny leaves for for over a month. I used MG Cactus soil as that's all I could find at that time. Even though I'm sure these are all great products (and we all know there are others) I will either mix my own as suggested or use Miracle Grow Seed Starter, period.

[Mischka]

Fafard makes an excellent, finely-screened seed starting mix that can't be beat. Wets easily, doesn't compact excessively and has no sticks or other debris to block seedlings from sprouting. The problem is that I don't think Fafard products are as widely distributed as the big name retail products, since much of their business caters to commercial growers.

If you can find it, you won't be disappointed!

Link to the product mentioned above: http://www.fafard.com/index.php?p=136

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by Mischka

Fafard makes an excellent, finely-screened seed starting mix that can't be beat. Wets easily, doesn't compact excessively and has no sticks or other debris to block seedlings from sprouting. The problem is that I don't think Fafard products are as widely distributed as the big name retail products, since much of their business caters to commercial growers.

(sigh) The closest retailer is 170 miles away.

[Mischka]

Perhaps you could check with any wholesale greenhouse suppliers that may be in your area? This is where I buy mine.

[coloken]

I am just going to add to this to say that the last bag of MG potting mix that i have is the worst stuff i have very used. I may lose the seedling I have started in it. The only way I can keep them wet is to keep the pots in a bottom of water. Note that I have all ways used MG before and liked it, but this last stuff is nothing like what it used to be.

[b54red]

Just started some seed in mix from my latest bag of Jiffy. I hope mine is better than some I have read about because I have 4 bags bought on sale. Should know something on the tomatoes in a week or so and the peppers in two or three.

[Timmah!]

Lol, this post was started the day after I bought a bag of jiffy mix. gonna use it & see what happens.

[camochef]

About the only seed starting medium I use anymore is Ferry Morse. I do utilize a few "tricks" with it. I never use this years bags! I always keep a supply from the year before or even better two years before that is kept dry in my garden shed. Then I fill my trays a good month or more before I begin to sow any seed. I soak it really well and cover with the clear plastic domes. It will become it's own little eco-system and condensation forms on the cover and falls back into the medium. I'll add more moisture as needed.
After at least a month of this I'll plant my seeds on a good moon sign and they usually germinate within 3-4 days. I keep them in the gas oven where the pilot light supplies enough heat to keep temperature ideal. Once germinated they go under the lights during daylight hours and back into the oven at night.
Have had almost 100% germination doing this for a few years now.
I would never buy any miricle grow product ever again. It used to be decent but lately I have had all sorts of debris, including large pieces of wood, stones, metal and lots of old used peat pots, but what really convinced me to stop using it was a large shard of glass that was in a bag and wound up it my hand as I was reaching for an additional handful.
I also make sure any bags I buy are dry inside. Too many places allow them to sit out unprotected and they freeze during cold weather and develop mold, once wet, from either condensation or outdoor storage.
Just little things that one picks up over the years. I've also done comparison tests between different mediums, planting at the same time, and treating all equal. there are major differences from one to another!
Camo

[kath]

That's quite a system, Camo! Whatever works, though, right? I am using ProMix for the first time and haven't had any problems yet. Is the Ferry Morse brand found in local stores in PA? What difference did you notice that makes you prefer to 'age' it first?

[dustdevil]

I have been using MiracleGrow potting mix to grow seedlings for years with good results. In this age of mass production, you're bound to get a bum bag sooner or later...no matter what brand you use. I feel if you grow testtube transplants, they're gonna have a tough time making the transition to yard soil.

[camochef]

Kath,
I've always found Ferry Morse brand in Lowe's, but I think its carried by many major chain stores.
I first discovered "aging bags a couple years ago, when I noticed that sseds planted in older leftover seed starter were germinating in half the time of those in new bags of the same medium. I discovered the filling and wetting the little eco-systems by accident just this year as I started a tray only to discover the moon phase wasn't correct so I set it aside for almost a month before actually planting and then got another tray started the same day. Had 100% germination on the original tray, it took over two weeks for everything to sprout in the second tray. To be fair and honest, the second tray was 3/5 tomatoes most of which germinated in 3-4 days but the 2/5 sweet peppers only had two come up right away and seemed to take forever for the remainder!
I keep very accurite journals of all my garden activities year after year, and by going back over them you begin to notice trends that would normally have been missed or overlooked.
Happy Gardening and good luck with using Pro-mix.
Camo

[camochef]

Originally Posted by dustdevil

I have been using MiracleGrow potting mix to grow seedlings for years with good results. In this age of mass production, you're bound to get a bum bag sooner or later...no matter what brand you use. I feel if you grow testtube transplants, they're gonna have a tough time making the transition to yard soil.

Dustdevil,
Whatever works for you, but after a large number of their largest bags (I think they were 6 cubic feet, and I was going through 6-8 of them /season), having so much debris and having to go into the emergency room for stitches I was done with them forever!
Camo