Vermiculite vs Compost

[veggiechicken]

The preliminary result of Two Little experiments

1. Whether these Swedish store rubbery icecube trays (sale price 25p) can be used for seed trays.



2. Whether Vermiculite or a 50/50 mix of bought compost and homemade compost is better for seed germination.


On 7th November I sowed 6 types of seeds in a tray of vermiculite and one of compost. Trays kept indoors.

To my amazement, most of the vermiculite seeds came up within days - none of the compost seeds have germinated. The PakChoi hasn't germinated in either medium (yet).
This was taken on 13th November.



Watch this space to see how they fare

[muddled]

I much prefer the vermiculite.
A friend showed me a nifty trick where you cut a slit in one end of the bottom of a marge tub and put a length of matting through so it lays the length of the tub inside with a little dangling out the cut you made.
Still with me?
Now stack that marge tub inside another one that has some water in it.
Fill the top tub with vermiculite and sow some seeds.
They will not need watering (the matting acts as a wick) they will not rot off (vermiculite seems to impede mould growth) and they won't drown because the wick action is self regulating.
Best of all (for people as cack handed as me) pricking out is a doddle....just lift by the seed leaves, nothing sticks to the roots and there's no soil to hold the seedling down.

Never fails!

[noviceveggrower]

Good thinking. How many times can you re use vermiculite?
My moms friend uses newspaper as a form of matting to help regulate her watering. Been doing it for years. Says it is just as good as that matting.

[muddled]

Ooh, might give newspaper a go. I'm all for something for nothing

I forgot to add that I usually stick my marge tub contraptions in a clear plastic bag until germination.

[Kristen]

I forgot to add that I usually stick my marge tub contraptions in a clear plastic bag until germination.

If you put a seed tray in a plastic bag it won't need any additional water until germination - whatever condenses on the bag will run down and be reabsorbed - same sort of thing with plastic domes that go over seed trays / propagators. Thus I don't think you would need a watering-contraption at all while the seed tray is in a closed plastic bag.

[Vince G]

Like the sound of this, so had a trawl round flea bay, but there are may different grade/size of granule. What size do you use VC ?

[veggiechicken]

I had a sack of the stuff left over after the Ag@ was installed - large pieces used for insulation. To make it a bit smaller I grind it in an old M0uli slicer thingy.
Think its quite cheap in Wilk0s and , if its reusable, you won't need much

[Vince G]

I have problems with those fungus gnat things which whilst not too big a problem in small numbers, do get on my nerves a bit. So I'm thinking a non-soil medium (or maybe a 50/50 mix with compost like you use) for starting off seedlings might not attract them quite so much.