Thread: Seedling Starter Mix Lowe's/HomeDepot/Walmart

Hi everyone ,I am having trouble finding a starter mix to
start my seedlings in.I have only Lowe's /Home Depot/Walmart to shop at.If anyone could tell me what i can buy at any of these stores that will work. A How to do starter mix using stuff from Lowes/Home depot/Walmart would be great as I have been to all three and asked for a starter mix and this is what they tell me to get:
Lowe's >:
1.5 Cu. Ft. Seed and Sod Soil
will this stuff work??
garden center link:
Lowe's Garden Center: Home Garden Supply, Garden Tools, Garden Decor, Garden Furniture
Home Depot >:
Seed Starters - Seeds - Garden Center - Outdoors at The Home Depot
garden center link:
Garden Center - Outdoors at The Home Depot
I guess Home Depot doesn't list the soils they sell at the store online. I can't find them, I did a search on the HD website for soil and got nothing.Lowe's has alot of their soil list online so maybe
it is better to use Lowe's and can link to the exact product or products.
I have asked my buddies who grow and they tell me "just go down to your local Garden Center and pick up a bag of starter mix"
so i ask them does that Stagreen starter mix work and they say: does it have fertilizer in it?, I say: the package says it has fertilizer in it. then they say: no it won't work . wtf?....plz if anyone can help, as i have already lost $200$ in seed.

You can use prefertilized soils to start seedlings in, your buddies are just worried about them being burned by rich soil... which is easy to do in the very beginning. If you decide to use this kind of soil, it would be a very good idea to cut it with about 1/4 perlite. In fact, most starter soils could probably use added perlite, as they generally contain a good bit of peat, which retains moisture really well.

If you're willing to order products online, I've heard some really good things about a brand of soil called Promix. They won't sell it at any of the stores you listed, but you may be able to pick up a bag from a hydro shop near you. Try to Google hydro shops in the area that you live in, and maybe it'll surprise you with a location that's not too far from where you live. If you break down and just decide to buy the prefertilized soil, make sure you add the perlite to it, even if the bag says perlite already comes mixed in. They never seem to add enough.

Originally Posted by Mr. Clandestine

If you're willing to order products online, I've heard some really good things about a brand of soil called Promix. They won't sell it at any of the stores you listed, but you may be able to pick up a bag from a hydro shop near you. Try to Google hydro shops in the area that you live in, and maybe it'll surprise you with a location that's not too far from where you live. If you break down and just decide to buy the prefertilized soil, make sure you add the perlite to it, even if the bag says perlite already comes mixed in. They never seem to add enough.

Promix is actually sold at select home depots.

Although promix is 100% peat I believe. It's not bad as long as you stay on top of your monthly flushes and transplant once every 4-5 weeks if possible.

MG organic isn't horrible if you add your own perlite. I may actually start out in MG organic in 4" pots from now on and then start transferring into fox farms ocean forest.

Question
What is in a good starter mix?
How can I make a starter mix?
Maybe start with some top soil and add some stuff to it?
Plz post any recipe's for making a starter mix here I have searched this forum and haven't found anything on starter mix. I thought there would be a grow faq for it.
I guees I'll have too try a $200$ more of seed in this:
1.5 Cu. Ft. Seed and Sod Soil
or i guess use the crappy jiffy peat pellets, so when I tranplant them they fall apart

I don't know what else todo.. all these grower's on this site and all of my friends who are growers all say quote [go to the farmers supply or a garden center for a 'seedling starting mix' ] If i hear that one more time!! I am very sick, I don't have the energy to be hunting all over the state for a starter mix.I am considering going hydro know cause this soil sh*t is f*cked up.and seeing sNs stealth grow the FF is fucking making his shit sick!!

diahashi MG/OG ...is what i just lost $200 worth of seed in..
nothing will sprout in it ,,i have seed from 3 different plants in it.

Mr clandestine I don't have very much money I live on $250 a month
ordering online is so expensive you gotta slap on a extra $30 on everything for taxes and shipping and the local Hydro shop is even more expensive.Is there nothing at Lowes/HomeDepot/walmart????
that can be mixed to make a good starter soil what about TOPSOIL
I have been looking for a starter mix since August 2007 wtf!!!!
this is just

Originally Posted by veggii

Mr clandestine I don't have very much money I live on $250 a month
ordering online is so expensive you gotta slap on a extra $30 on everything for taxes and shipping and the local Hydro shop is even more expensive.Is there nothing at Lowes/HomeDepot/walmart????
that can be mixed to make a good starter soil what about TOPSOIL
I have been looking for a starter mix since August 2007 wtf!!!!
this is just

Yeah, shipping is generally what puts most buyers off from ordering online. Call around to your local stores and see if any of them carry a brand of soil called Promix. I believe it's manufactured by a company named Farfard, or something like that. Promix is a good starter soil with no added fertilizer, so if you can pick some of that up, you'll have what you want for your seedlings. As for other seed starting products from Lowe's/HD/Walmart, I'm not familiar enough with them to give a good recommendation. I've started seedlings in prefertilized soil on numerous occasions with little difficulty, but I always added a good amount of perlite to the soil, which tends to make it less "hot".

Best of luck.

You can use promix just as Mr. C said, no problem.
But better still, look in the phone book for an actual farmers supply or garden center, and look for a mix from a company called Farfard. That stuff is lovely, and Agway carries it (East Coast farm supply chain). You should be able to find it at any agri oriented store.

FoxFarm Soil & Fertilizer Company if you click on the where to buy they have a list of stores for the state you live in, then you can save the shipping and get some yummy ocean forest soil

Thread is about seedling starting soils. FFOF will KILL seedlings.

O.o uuuh I know a guy who used it without problem but i'll be sure to tell him to knock it off for the future lol

I've been to the website before, and foxfarm doesn't have any distributor in my state. So that's just not going to work for me on my next grow.

The current grow I am doing has been regular miracle grow from seedling. Some of the plants had the little round leaves wither and die, but other then that there is no signs of being burnt as far as I can tell. I didn't add anything to the soil either. So really, I don't think it matters. I'm sure I could be getting a better grow if I had the correct stuff, but right now I'm very pleased with what I have.

I did find a local hydro shop, so hopefully they will have nutes and some promix for my next grow. If not, I'll just get some MG organic and add some perlite.

Although, I haven't even seen any perlite anywhere. Haven't really looked too hard either though. Mostly been trying to find soils and nutes.

perlite should be available and home depot/lowes/walmart i know i've seen it there before in the big white bags otherwise if there are any nurseries (the plant kind) near you they should also have perlite as i've seen it there as well..they even had it in bulk lol why you would need bulk perlite i have no idea unless you are the uber grower

since I see you are in California, go to most any nursery or garden shop .. buy the 'Whitney Farms' Premium Potting Soil ... not very expensive, and is outstanding for all stages of growth ... I went to Fox Farms' soil for awhile, and hurried back to the Whitney Farms ... I used to add a little Perlite to it, but now I add the Fox Farms' 'Happy Frog Soil Conditioner' instead ... about 3-4 parts Whitney Farms, to one part Happy Frog Soil Conditioner ... can't be beat ... P.S. while pulling these pics from their websites, I see Whitney Farms just recently got purchased by 'Scott's/Miracle-Gro', so we may see it nationwide soon

Originally Posted by veggii

Question

diahashi MG/OG ...is what i just lost $200 worth of seed in..
nothing will sprout in it ,,i have seed from 3 different plants in it.

Some how I don't think MG OG killed your plants. I sprouted 6 seedlings recently as a test to see if they could survive in this soil. I let them grow to 2 weeks with no problems at all. Then I tossed themin the trash (they were bag seed and I didn't have any space for them really.) I used a 3:2 ratio of MG OG to perlite.

I'm curious to what you were doing on a day to day basis. Do you have a grow log with pictures of your plant as the your problems were occuring?

MG OG does have some nutes but it's very weak. If you mix it with perlite and line the bottom with more perlite for good drainage then you should be fine.

Try flushing the pot prior to putting your seedling in it.

Also test your soil with bag seed if you have some laying around. This make sure you don't kill a seedling that cost you a decent chunk of change.

this soil mix is what i used & these are my plants @ 14 days old

2 parts pro mix soil
1 perlite
1" pea gravel in bottom of pot for drainage
1 cup lime per 2 gallons soil (2-6" pots = 1 gallon)
1.5 tsp terracycle organic castings per 6" pot

watered w/ plain distilled water

don't get frustrated & stay away from chemical soils & ferts if you go organic its alot harder to nuke ur plants don't start feeding until 3rd water (water 3-5 days).get ur self fish emulsion, superthrive, epsom salt, blood meal, bone meal. ill post later w/ some of my growers log on what & how ive been doing gotta get my daughter to a birthday party.
peace

I actually got 1 seedling sprouted today in the MG/OG soil.
I cannot post my plants cause thier not MMJ against cannacom RULES.papaver somniferum and some milk thistle both cold weather plants/both love full sun!I even fridged them for a week!
I have been on the Whitney Farms Starter Mix search since August of Last year, it is the Best. Osh is the Redding,ca distributor but the Manager of the garden section won't order the Whitney Farms Starter Mix! I have a few choice words about that person Maybe they have the Potting soil, I'll have to go and see and then just add the Happy Frog!!
If they don't have it. I'll have to quadruple check HomeDepot for the promix

docfishwrinkle ty for your very simple directions! you rock!
As I am getting very fustrated with this soil!!
It is very friggn heavy too,I transplanted 5 plants a couple mths ago and it took me 3hrs it was brutal !! everyone needs to try to remember most people like me are very sick and need things to be just a bit easier so they can actually grow thier own .
weedhound's grow is looking better eveyday!

ok just got off phone with OSH and they have the
Whitney Farms Potting Soil Uncle Malcom's Life Link and they have a Starter Mix!
guess ? MiracleGrow starter mix! and their buying out
Whitney Farms! they'll prolly close it ... noooo!
Like Norton antivirus did too sygate.. nooo!
oh good looks like they will run the products i wonder if they
will change the soil formula's
Whitney Farms Brand : The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
the starter mix!
Speciality & Amendments : Product Category SubSelf : The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company

So I have concluded the Best Starting Method available and cheap is the Jiffy Peet Pellets .I used them last time with 100%
sprouts I am gonna try this time to cut that bag they come in off.
I had problems @ transplant time with those bags not lettting dirt pack in proper so off they go.and this time i won't fluff them as much! I will see how this method works I think it will work better.
I just find it so hard to believe out of those 4 stores nothing
but the Jiffy Peet Pellets! Go Jiffy!!

Have you tried calling one of the many compassion clubs, and ask if there is anyone local that's willing/able to help you with your situation? You don't need a card for soil, so should be no laws broken. Just a thought...