Good gritty mix link?

9 years ago

Lol Ok I am impatiently waiting for my seeds to arrive so of course have still been poking around ebay and well I bought a few plants to play with in the meantime of starting seeds. I have been seeing a lot of talk about planting in gritty mix and was wondering if someone would have a good link for the basic gritty mix concept. It would also be nice if the link might have a good suggestion for a variation for my location. For the time being I will be growing under lights on my light stand inside. If you want to just give a quick reply I am thinking 1.1.1. = one part, one part one part what are the first, second and third ingredients most popular at the moment.

Thanks in advance, John

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Comments (7)

Dain (Zone 5a, high NM Desert)
9 years ago
Here ya go!

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1375349/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention-xviii
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
9 years ago
Of course you will have read that it's not ideal to start the seeds in a very fast draining mix as they need a constantly moist soil in which to germinate. Teenage and adult plants should be fine with it though. Just wanted to mention :-)

Gill
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John
Original Author
9 years ago
Great link thank you so much. And thank you for that extra info Gill.
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
9 years ago
John, I should have said, moist but not swimming in water, does that make sense? Bit of a balancing act is needed!

Gill
bragu_DSM 5
9 years ago
It is possible to start seeds in gritty, but you may find a simpler mix is more effective for starting seeds. I usually use a plastic food container, filled with a MG mix that has been amended/cut with plenty of perlite, and sometimes add a small handful of pumice and floor dry … plant the seeds, dampen, place in a zip bag and put on top of my water heater for about three days. Sometimes, I think I need a bigger water heater …
Jon
9 years ago
I started my adenium in Miracle Grow because a) the high peat / moisture content seems ideal and b) I was used to starting seeds in miracle grow. However once the plants reached a certain size, they seemed to stop growing all together. I waited a few weeks, and even though they were still smaller than ideal for transplanting, I moved them to gritty mix, which I bought on etsy (the seller is nice, the shipping was slow, but worth it IMO). The plants have taken off since then. I might try my seedlings in gritty mix if I plant from seed again any time soon - I certainly don't want to use miracle grow, but I'm always trying to find a way to use up the bag I have left. I use it for propagation and plants that I don't mind killing.
joe (Wisconsin USA)
9 years ago
Good morning, I start my seeds in a 100% grit mix, 1:1:1, pumice, #2 cherrystone, zeolite. They are started in 3 oz. solo cups, in a covered seed tray, on a heat mat.

After sprouting I fertilize with 1/4 tsp. 9-3-6, 1/4 tsp. Pro-TeKt. In my conditions that's daily, every 2 weeks or so I will water with plain tap water.

The DNF below were sown on 8-8-16, and sprouted in 3 to 5 days.

Good growing, Joe