Seed compost

dangermousie · 10 March

Do I need to mix anything into my shop bought seed sowing compost? There are lots of mixes and recipes online, but surely the bag of stuff that says seed sowing compost on it is ready to use?

I ddin't have the most success with it last year, but I probably made other newbie mistakes.
Thanks

Fairygirl · 10 March

It's mainly used for sowing in autumn as it has little to no nutrient value, and is therefore better for over winter when you don't want excess growth. It might be a bit heavy for some seed too, so you might need a bit of grit or perlite mixed through it.

You may find it ok for germination, but will need something more substantial for pricking out and potting on, depending on what it is you're growing

thevictorian · 10 March

I was given some seed compost and I've been using it with good success as a layer, where I place the seed, above normal multi purpose compost. I do this because it seems a better medium for the seeds I'm germinating and it doesn't matter that the compost isn't the greatest.

dangermousie · 10 March

Thanks! It's for tomatoes, basil, sunflower, cosmos, and more...
I'll try both of those suggestions

philippasmith2 · 10 March

You will probably have noticed how many threads/post there have been recently re the quality of various composts available.
Seed compost is pretty basic for many seeds. The problem often comes when the seeds have germinated and you want a suitable medium for potting on. It can depend on what you are growing as to what is the best mix once the seeds are up. If you have had minimum germination with your compost then consider which seeds, heat, light and so on.
If you can specify what you are trying to grow, it may be easier for someone to help. Perhaps also what you used last year and what happened - believe me, you don't need to be new to gardening to make mistakes.

dangermousie · 10 March

The ones that failed last year were Gaura and Ms Wilmott's Ghost

thevictorian · 10 March

I had very poor results with Ms wilmotts ghost because I think it really needs a cold stratification period to reliably germinate. It's a bit annoying as it's such a weed when it's growing in the garden self seeding everywhere. I guess that's why she threw seed in the gardens she visited, so it appeared from nowhere after winter.

Seeds have the nutrition they need in them to germinate but it's when growing the plant on that they need more nutrients and it's partly why people grow them in straight nutritious compost from the start. I think this method is better if you sow sparsely and have enough depth for them to grow on for a while but if you pick them out early and pot on quickly I don't believe it matters as much.

punkdoc · 10 March

I have never used seed compost in over 30 years, just MPC, sometimes with added perlite.

Fairygirl · 11 March

Same here - never used it. I don't sow much in autumn, when it's most beneficial, but if I did, I'd just use spent compost from one of my containers.

Dovefromabove · 11 March

Same here. Seedlings that are going to be pricked out as soon as they’ve gotten some proper leaves don’t need nutrition. 😊

Simone_in_Wiltshire · 12 March

dangermousie said:

The ones that failed last year were Gaura and Ms Wilmott's Ghost

Has no scientific proof, but I tried Gaura seeds last year and failed, too. When I looked at our nearby garden centres, none of them had Gaura plants.
Reminds me on 2019, when the daffs in my garden had no flowers, and while walking through a nearby park, none of the daffs had flowers either

Seed compost

Posts