Soil mix for seedlings

[farah fayyaz]

what is the source of bhaalu matti in islamabad

[Farhan Ahmed]

Red soil of Islamabad is equally good.

[Izhar]

what is the source of bhaalu matti in islamabad

You can use fresh bhal (any soil which is used for growing plants in your area), do not use the old garden soil as it contains harmful fungi which will cause dampening off disease in seedlings...

[rafique]

Really commendable effort and very helpful for us. Great sharing.

[Izhar]

You earlier said Bhaalu matti isn't available outside Karachi,what alternative should they use and instead of coco coir can shredded wood from carpenter shop be also used because if I am not wrong, coir isn't providing any nutrient to seed for growing,its just for covering the seeds & keeping soil moist and damp right?

wood shavings absorb nitrogen during decomposition so their use can cause nitrogen deficiency, coco coir decomposes very slowly and proved to improve soil's water holding capacity and softens the planting media structure ...

[Izhar]

They germinated yesterday...

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[S.Ahmed]

That was fast!

[Izhar]

Yes zinnia germinate quickly, most important is how many germinate i.e. germination rate..

[S.Ahmed]

what was germination rate,low? How many seeds you sowed and how many germinated?
Did coco coir played any role in fast germination?

[Izhar]

The germination rate was good 7 out of 11 seeds have been germinated so for, coco coir plays an important role as it holds up the moisture for a longer time compared to soil thus enabling the use of less water and as it is very light in weight the seeds can easily sprout without utilizing much of their limited energy to break through the surface...