Re: Seed starting list??

In a message dated 1/13/99 1:40:49 AM Central Standard Time, WHTROS@aol.com
writes:

<< Last fall I bought a large bag of Scott's ProGro Professional Potting Mix.
 The bag says it is the same type of soilless mix used by professionals &
 contains horticultural-grade Canadian sphagnum peat moss.
 I opened the bag tonight & it looks just like other potting mixes I have
used.
 Would you recommend it specifically for seed starting?
 I don't understand how a soilless mix could contain peat moss.
 But I have no clue what else a soilless mix would contain or would look like.
>>

NO do not use it for starting seeds. Find some mix like Peter's professional
-' Redi-earth'
Your scotts grow is to coarse and does not wet well enough for good seed
starting.
A soilless mix is one that contains no top soil-black dirt loam -- that type
thing.
Peat moss is not a soil per say, but a mat of decaying/pressureved vegetation.
Remember soils do not have as a rule large amounts of organic materials they
are mixture of different particle sizes. Clay, sand, etc., this refers to the
size of the particles. In nature most good soils have about 10-15% or less
organics.
The most fertile and productive soils are wind blown and deposited soils call
loess and river flood plain soils.
Sorry I am losing track of the subject. 
A good seed starting mix will be very free draining and have good amounts of
air space in the medium-even when wet. To test this-all you have to do is poor
on a small amount of water on the medium (when it is dry) and see what
happens. If the water forms a pool or runs off the mix-do not use it for
starting seeds.
also a good seed starting mix will have good water holding capacity without
getting soggy-stays damp but not wet.
I had better stop other wise I will ramble on even more-it's late again-time
for sleep.

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