diy seed compost

**pigletwillie** · 07-12-2007, 05:25 PM

Whilst I make my own for potting on plants, I always buy in seed compost as its very precise with its nutrient content etc and this is the time you really need to "get it right".

Others way well be able to enlighten you.

**hawthorns** · 07-12-2007, 06:01 PM

piglet what is your recipe for home made compost. im looking to make my own with coir block, loam, sharp sand and growmore.

**rustylady** · 07-12-2007, 06:46 PM

No way would I even try to make my own seed compost. It must be sterile, balanced and with not too much nutrient content. You can germinate seeds on damp cotton wool, kitchen towels, etc, but from the point of germination they need feeding in precise quantities. I always buy in seed compost, or use multi-purpose diluted with coir, sand or vermiculite.

**Snadger** · 07-12-2007, 06:49 PM

Originally posted by hawthorns View Post

piglet what is your recipe for home made compost. im looking to make my own with coir block, loam, sharp sand and growmore.

I personally think you've got all the right ingredients apart from growmore!

Substitute blood,fish and bone meal for the growmore and you have the basic ingredients for all the John Innes formulaes which you could google for!

**veg4681** · 07-12-2007, 07:32 PM

I had thought about making my own seed compost after acquiring packets of strawberry seeds that specified vermiculite (& I want to make sure the strawberry germinate)....otherwise I had never bothered with seed compost other than multi-purpose compost or homemade compost that didn't feel too heavy with soil for seed sowing.

I read somewhere that seed compost is a mixture of peat, sand, steriled loam (which I thought I might sieve with kitchen sieve and heated in oven

) and add to it superphosphate that is supposed to help with root growth. But I think I won't bother as most of my veggies have been fine with normal compost except for stuffs like strawberry that I don't feel too confident.

**helly** · 08-12-2007, 09:49 AM

Thanks for the info, I think I'll stick to buying in ,as I have alot of seeds to get through next year.

**pigletwillie** · 08-12-2007, 09:59 AM

I use 2 parts sieved allotment compost, 1 part leaf mould, 1 part sharp sand and blood fish and bone to make mine.

**helly** · 08-12-2007, 10:04 AM

humm ...might give it a go with some of the seeds
cheers

**suee** · 09-12-2007, 06:16 AM

Originally posted by hawthorns View Post

piglet what is your recipe for home made compost. im looking to make my own with coir block, loam, sharp sand and growmore.

Sorry to be dumb, but what is coir block and where do you get it from?
Loam would be garden soil?
Cheers, Sue.

**Snadger** · 09-12-2007, 10:08 AM

Originally posted by suee View Post

Sorry to be dumb, but what is coir block and where do you get it from?
Loam would be garden soil?
Cheers, Sue.

Coir is coconut husks methinks, a waste product from a renewable source! Most composts now use coir instead of peat.
Any garden centre should have coir in either a block form that you soak before use or bagged coir!
Loam is good garden soil (preferably, but not necessarily, sterilised!)

**hawthorns** · 09-12-2007, 10:17 AM

the coir i got hold of came in block form about the size of a house brick. tried loads of garden centres but none stocked it so had to go on ebay.

**pigletwillie** · 09-12-2007, 12:57 PM

Originally posted by Snadger View Post

Coir is coconut husks methinks, a waste product from a renewable source!

But not as green as you think as transporting it from the far east is not sustainable. Try reclaimed peat that does not involve digging up peat bogs, about 4000 miles less for it to travel.

**suee** · 09-12-2007, 02:37 PM

Originally posted by pigletwillie View Post

But not as green as you think as transporting it from the far east is not sustainable. Try reclaimed peat that does not involve digging up peat bogs, about 4000 miles less for it to travel.

So, given that it's not necessarily 'green', is it (or is re-claimed peat) any cheaper in large quantities? If not, maybe we should stick to buying in seed compost as originally suggested?

**Snadger** · 09-12-2007, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by pigletwillie View Post

But not as green as you think as transporting it from the far east is not sustainable. Try reclaimed peat that does not involve digging up peat bogs, about 4000 miles less for it to travel.

Do you mean to tell me you have no coconut palms in Leicestershire piglet?

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