Propagation: PLANT PROPAGATION.....THE BASICS III, 0 by Pfg

Pfg wrote:
I used some coir last year and this year. I'm not so crazy about it. I think it may get too heavy and soggy. Some of my seeds I started Deno method- damp paper towel in a baggy. When I saw the little radicals I planted them in coir and they never came up. I'm trying vermiculite now, as a top layer over seed starting mix and to cover the seeds, depending on how much they need to be covered. I usually use a 4" pot for this step. Once they get up and have a couple of leaves, I give them their own cells or pots, depending how fast they are going to grow.

For that, I used coir as a top 1/2" over potting mix and right around the root. I wanted to give the tiny roots something lighter than regular mix to start with, but richer soil for later.The plants are growing well, but a white crust forms on top of the soil. It doesn't seem to do any harm, but I stir it up when I see it and sprinkle more cinnamon on it. You can see it particularly on the Platys in the pic. It's not fuzzy like fungus, but somewhat similar.