soiless potting mix

Walmart is selling is bag of this, peatmoss, vermiculate, finely ground coco fiber and calls it "water saver" or something like that, approx $3.50. Nowhere in the package did it say FOR SEED GROWING. Can I use this?

I don't know why it wouldn't work. I use ProMix that has huge pieces of bark in it as well as some big perlite and I just sift them out and use it for seeds. I have started pouring boiling water through my soil to kill any fungus gnat larva or eggs though. Then after I plant, I put the pot or tray inside a plastic bag and tie it shut. Those little stinkers have ruined a lot of my seeds over the years.

Vossner, a watersaver mix probably contains polymer crystals. These little fellows are small granular pieces that will expand to the size of gummy bears when the are totally water logged. This soil is particularly effective for hanging baskets, etc. that cannot depend on regular watering.

Brugie has given you good advice concerning the fungi and bacteria that can live in soil. Most potting mixes aren't actually soil, but rather soiless mixes that are ground peat, perlite, and vermiculite. Some add nutrients, some don't. Check your ingredients.

Sterile soil is fine for starter since the new seedlings live off the cotyledons (first leaves) in the beginning. However, when used indoors, I would recommend 'sterilized' soil, as did Brugie. I bake mine in the oven in a turkey baking bag, maintaining an internal temp of between 180 and 200 degrees for at least a half hour. This will help prevent dampening off, that regrettable condition that cause lovely young seedlings to rot at ground level and fall like little trees.

The fineness of the mix is more important for tiny seeds than for the larger. I like the finer mix for sedums and lobelia. I mix a bit of sand with these tiny seeds to get a more even distribution in the starter tray.

Brugie - what are fungus gnats? Where do they come from? What do they do to seedlings? I have many daylily seeds I started in Promix. Is there anything I can do if I get them? I know now to steralize the soil BEFORE I use it. Can you help?