I have gathered everything up to start my tomato seeds, the first wave of them, which will be about 50 of them. I am going to be using Bob's seed starting kits with coconut coir and his special fertilizer. Instead of soaking the coconut coir in water to expand it though, I'm using a mixture of Merrill's compost tea and Celestial Seasonings chamomile caffeine free herbal tea. I am using messenger to presoak my tomato seeds, it has harpin protein in it and will help the plants ward off disease and help them sprout better. The chamomile tea will help ward off any dampening off disease that might start to occur and of course the compost tea is always good for veggies. My seedlings are getting started the 12th of February and of coure I'm using heating pads.
Bob: I have my epsom salt and your fertilizer but forget how much to mix at full strength. I mix it at full strength and then rinse out my 2 ltr soda bottles and pour it in there using a funnel, then refrigerate it. When I get ready to water my plants I mix it in another container half and half with hot water, that way the plants get warm water and not cold water and fertilizer.
joy
joy
Seed starting tommorow
Joy, if I'm not mistaken, I think it's recommended that you mix the fert just before you use it. Something about having it sit around for a long period of time before using it changes it, or weakens it, perhaps?
I could be thinking of something else, but ask Bob.
Gymgirl: With messenger you have to use it within 4 hours. With Bob's I mix it and then store it in the refrigerator; but it gets used almost within a day or two with all the plants I have. Of course, putting it in the fridge makes it cold so I mix it full strength and then mix it with the same amount of hot water when I use it, it dilutes it and also heats it up so it's not so cold. When I transplant them all to my 5 gallon buckets and again use liquid to wet the coir with I will use the sea magic then. That combination I used last year with the exception of the messenger and it worked really well for me. So; I'm gonna try it again this time. Bob gave me the correct measurements to use in his fertilizer. I do wish I could see his garden in person, I just know it's beautiful.
joy