Vermitculite's purpose in WS

I've heard some of you mention that you sprinkle a light layer of vermituculite on top of your WS seeds. Do you do it on all you plant and what is the purpose of it?

It holds small seeds in place, but does not cover them from the light.
Some use sand as the topper also. It heats up in the sun and could promote warmth of seedlings while holding them in place.

I was at Home Depot yesterday and looked for the Vermitculite and an employee told me they stopped carrying it a few years ago. Can't believe that. Will Jiffy mix serve the same purpose as Vermitculite? Couldn't find that either but it was there a few weeks ago when I bought my first bag of potting mix. Will call around today to some other nurseries nearby. Not spending my entire day running from place to place looking for it. I bought some creeping phlox yesterday and want to get them planted and also want to put down Critter Ridder see if I can't stop the squirrells from digging in my flowerbeds. Supposed to be a repeat of yesterday's 68 degrees so want to make good use of it.

I am having a hard time finding vermitculite..can I use Jiffy seed starting mix on top of my seeds if spread lightly?

I believe the purpose of vermiculite is to hold moisture near the seeds on the surface and facilitate germination.

Karen

Finally found the vermitculite and also Pro-mix BX in bales. Since I just bought two bags of MG, I will wait until November to buy the Pro-mix BX.. certainly am not that pleased with MG. Also invested in Bobbex spray for small animals like rabbitts, squirrells and chipmunks..A lady who is a gardening coach and has her own business was here for a consultaion back in Nov. and she highly recommended Bobbex for the deer. I sprinkled Citter ridder on Sunday and it rained hard on Monday, so I see some fresh digging holes so Bobbex to the rescue!

Okay, how much of this vermitculite do I sprinkled over my seeds when I plant them? For you that use it, do you use it on everything that you WS?

If I remember to use vermiculite, I just sprinkle a little on the top- not very much. I often forget :-)

Karen