How to make Seed Starting Mix at Home/ Homemade Seed Starting Mix

Posted on by sumit

There is no better feeling than starting your plants from seeds. Not only it’s a fun but it also saves you lot of money.  When we talk about starting seeds indoors or starting seeds in seed-trays to transplant them later, we always wonder about the medium to use. Should we use garden soil, peat moss, coco coir, perlite, sand or should we buy ready made expensive commercial Seed Starting Mix because the kind of medium we use can make a huge difference. I love making my own medium as I can modify the ingredients as per the need of the seed or plant. Let’s discuss how to make Seed Starting Mix of your own at home.

how to make seed starting mix

Seed Starting Mix

Seed’s Nutrients Requirement

First, let’s discuss the nutrients required by a seed to germinate. We can broadly divide them into three categories:

  • Low requirement seeds – require very less or no nutrients to germinate like lettuce, petunia, pansies, most of the herbs etc.
  • Medium requirement seeds – require less nutrients to germinate like Dahlia, gourds, cucumber etc.
  • High requirement seeds – require more energy to germinate like pepper, tomato, potato, sunflower and many vegetables.

Ingredients for Seed Starting Mix

Seed starting mix should be light, spongy and must not be very high in nutrients. Main ingredients are peat-moss or Coco Peat and perlite or vermiculite though alternatives are also suggested

  1. Peat Moss or Coco Peat. Alternatively you can use Bark Humus, Leaf Mold.
  2. Vermiculite or Perlite. Alternatively you can use Sand.
  3. Lime (only if using Peat Moss – add 1/4 tablespoon per 4 kg of moss)
  4. Compost (in some cases)

Seed Starting Mix RECIPE

Following are the few recipes which I use as per the specific seed requirement and in general. Mix the ingredients well in the prescribed quantity:

Recipe 1 (For Low Requirement Seeds)

Coco Peat or alternative – 8 Part or 80%
Sand – 1.5 Part or 15%
Compost or leaf mold – 1/2 part or 5%

Recipe 2 (For Medium Requirement Seeds)

Coco Peat or alternative – 7 Part or 70%
Compost (well matured & fine) – 2 part or 20%
Garden Soil – 1/2 part or 5%
Sand – 1/2 Part or 5%

Recipe 3 (For High Requirement Seeds)

Coco Peat or alternative – 4 Part or 40%
Compost (well matured & fine) – 3 part or 30%
Garden Soil – 2 part or 20%
Sand – 1 Part or 10%

Recipe 4 (Basic Recipe)

Coco Peat or Peat Moss – Half or 50%
Vermiculite or Perlite or Sand – Half or 50%

Recipe 5 (Basic Recipe – for High)

Coco Peat or Peat Moss – 1/3 part
Vermiculite or Perlite or Sand – 1/3 part
Compost – 1/3 part

Tips

Sterilize the garden soil before adding it to Seed Starting Mix. You can sterilize the soil either by keeping it in a discarded oven for 45-50 minutes at 150 C or in microwave oven for 10 minutes at 800 watts.

In Conclusion

Seed starting mix is a crucial ingredient in starting seeds indoors. It’s typically a soilless mix made of a blend of organic materials, like peat moss and perlite, that provide the ideal environment for seed germination. The best seed starting mix for vegetables is organic and has a loose, light texture. You can easily make your own seed starting mix at home using coco coir and other organic materials. With the right soilless seed starting mix recipe, you’ll have healthy seedlings in no time.

seed starting mix, seed starting soil, what is the best starting mixture for seeds, what is seed starting mix made of, seed starting mix organic, best seed starting mix for vegetables, soilless seed starting mix recipe, diy seed starting mix with coco coir, seed starting soil recipe, seed starting soil organic, make your own seed starting mix, make your own organic seed starting mix, how to make soilless seed starting mix, how to make your seed starting mix at home, how make seed starting mix, homemade seed starting mix, make seed starting mix, best soil mix to start seeds

44 thoughts on “How to make Seed Starting Mix at Home/ Homemade Seed Starting Mix”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

sumit@kitchenhomegardener.in
Zerif Lite developed by ThemeIsle