Jiffy Mix= no support for plants?
Guys, I started some tomatoes last year in Jiffy mix, and while germination was great, the mix just doesn't seem to have any support for the plants. Once they gained some height they had a tendency to lean over. Also, during repotting, the mix seems to just fall away from the roots. Can anyone recommend a mix with more "body"? Using Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil was suggested to me, but I'd prefer to get a few more opinions.
I would use regular miracle grow not moisture control. Moisture control retains water but that isn't always a good thing.
Jiffy pots were designed to decompose when transplanting, but they are hard to keep from over watering and hard to move when they are soft.
Apple makes her own soil blocks you can search the thread on soil blocks.
Read about them here
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/infor ... 0maker.pdf
Jiffy pots were designed to decompose when transplanting, but they are hard to keep from over watering and hard to move when they are soft.
Apple makes her own soil blocks you can search the thread on soil blocks.
Read about them here
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/assets/infor ... 0maker.pdf
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
I think Jiffy mix is a seed starting mix. That means it has little to no fertilizer/ nutrients in it. That is ok for seed germination, but for growing out plants nutrients are needed. Seed starting mixes do have a very fine texture. Again, that is nice for the seeds, but not so much for the plants as thy grow.
I don't use seed starting mix, because I don't want to have to repot right away. I just use regular potting mix from the beginning. But as imafan noted, not the moisture control kind, which can cause a lot of problems, by never drying out.
Leaning over could mean a lot of things, lack of nutrients, too small of pot for the size of the plant, too light of soil, not enough light (plants that are grown in front of windows will always lean toward the light), etc.
I don't use seed starting mix, because I don't want to have to repot right away. I just use regular potting mix from the beginning. But as imafan noted, not the moisture control kind, which can cause a lot of problems, by never drying out.
Leaning over could mean a lot of things, lack of nutrients, too small of pot for the size of the plant, too light of soil, not enough light (plants that are grown in front of windows will always lean toward the light), etc.