Germinating Mediums
Starting seeds will require a good growing medium that will help the seed along in germinating. A few of the different growing and germinating mediums that you can use are peat moss, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, perlite, sand and of course soil. Here we are going to discuss briefly the differences between these growing mediums.

Posted Thursday, April 6, 2006

Peat is sold in just about every home center and often has a high acidity level with a great capacity to hold in water. Consequently, peat is hardly ever used by itself to germinate seeds since water will not penetrate through it easily.

Sphagnum moss comes from bogs and swamps and is then dried out before being sold to gardeners. It can hold up to ten times its own weight in water but has very little value when it comes to the types of nutrients that growing plants need. Vermiculite is able to hold great amounts of water as well, is very light, and is sold already sterile. Vermiculite is not a good growing medium by itself but it is a good additive as it has a high magnesium and potassium content.

Perlite is from volcanic ash and does not hold water but does hold water above it. When perlite is added to soil as a growing medium it allows air throughout the soil, which is great for growing plants. Mixing perlite in your soil is great for germinating seeds. Sand is a medium that is best used for plant cuttings. When sand is used for germinating seeds you will find that it is often too heavy to let the seed grow. Sand does not hold any of the nutrients that a plant needs. Do not add sand to your soil when germinating seeds or you will be highly disappointed.

Soil directly from your lawn or garden is not a good idea for starting germinating seeds as this is soil that may have depleted all its available nutrients. If you have no choice but to use garden soil be sure to sterilize it first before using it for starting seeds.

Mixtures are the best types of growing mediums to start germinating seeds. Create a mixture that you feel comfortable with, include a water absorbing medium, a light type of medium that will allow the seed to breath and a soil that will include nutrients that plants need to grow and thrive with.