media Sphagnum Peat Moss...Jiffy Pellets...Burpee Mini-Greenhouse

[Roguejim]

Last season, my first pepper growing season, I used Jiffy pellets for my seed starting.  Results were good.  This season I decided to get fancy and use a seed starting mix in my Burpee mini-greenhouse.  Results were the same. 
 
Why can't you just use straight peat moss in those Burpee seed cells, and forget the seed starting mixes altogether?  I mean, if Jiffy pellets work fine, shouldn't loose peat moss work just as well in my Burpee greenhouse?  The only issue I can foresee might be when removing the seedlings from the cells, i.e., the peat moss might crumble.  Anyone tried using straight peat moss this way?
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[ThePepperManiac]

I never tried it but I don't see why it cant be done.. Other than what you brought up about the peat moss crumbling I couldn't see anyother problem with it. Try it out and let us know how it goes.

 

[Proud Marine Dad]

I use an organic seed starting mix and put a little perlite in it as well to make it more airy but it would be fine by itself.
Peat alone would work as well I think. What do the cells look like? If they are like my Charlie's Greenhouse propagator I just push them up from the bottom with a finger and grab the seedling soil plug with my other hand and transplant it into a 4" pot.
 
This is what mine looks like:

 

[Roguejim]

Mine's not nearly as fancy as yours, but i have to say, yours looks pretty slick!  How often do you have to add water to the tray?  Does the wicking mat work as advertised?  My only gripe with the Jiffy pellets is that they seem unnecessarily large.  I think Burpee has smaller pellets that will actually fit the cells in my tray.  I'll check.
 
Well, Burpee sells the small peat pellets @ 72 pellets for $11...rip off.  I'll buy the bulk peat.  This will work.
 

 

[Proud Marine Dad]

Mine's not nearly as fancy as yours, but i have to say, yours looks pretty slick!  How often do you have to add water to the tray? 

The reservoir holds quite a bit of water and I only have to add water maybe once every two weeks I would say.
If I had it full of soil in all the cells it would use more water obviously but I only use maybe twenty of the 55 cells normally.
 

 
Does the wicking mat work as advertised? 

Yes it does. The cells stay very moist but not wet. This is a link to them if you are considering one.
This is my second one and I love it. Only $25 plus shipping. http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_productdetails&productid=8044&s=propagator&cid1=-99&cid2=-99&cid3=-99

 

[Jeff H]

I used straight peat moss mixed with perlite. No issues. Just remember that there are no nutrients in this mix so the plants will need fertilizer sooner than in some other seed starting mixes.
 
One member commented in my glog that straight peat has a pH that is too low. While that may be the case, a test that I did showed that the pH of the water you use will temper this somewhat so something like 5pH peat moss will get more basic just by watering it with 7ph water. YMMV.

 

[juanitos]

the cotyledons use nutrients contained in the seed not the soil so for seed starting it doesn't matter too much what the heck you sprout in, as long as its not detrimental conditions like extreme ph or really dry.
 
As far as the soil falling apart, that's fine, you want the plant not the soil, you don't need to transplant the whole plugs. If you let them get a little rootbound the roots will hold the soil together, so its ok. 
 
 

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[Proud Marine Dad]

You don't want to leave them in a propagator like mine for too long though as the roots will grow into the fabric below the cells that wicks the water.