Supersoil
Telos Rare Bulbs (Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:32:55 PST)

I have to comment on the recommendation for starting Tecophilaea seeds in
Supersoil.

I used to use Supersoil, and it was a great product, steam sterilized and
mostly finely ground fir bark. Good stuff. Then the company was bought and
everything changed. It is no longer sterilized, and I won't say what it
looks like, since I don't want to get sued. It sure doesn't look like
ground fir bark. I don't use it any more and I would never recommend it,
even for mature bulbs.

For seed starting I now use a seed starting mix from McConkey. It is very
finely ground peat moss with some vermiculite and perlite, plus a wetting
agent and some dolomite to adjust the pH. I add more perlite, since for
some species it is a bit too moisture retentive. It is very expensive,
especially with shipping. For small batches of seed you can make your own
seed starting mix by buying sphagnum peat moss and grinding it in a food
processor or blender. You can add a wetting agent, although it's not really
necessary for small pots, plus about 30% perlite for bulb seeds, and about a
quarter teaspoon of dolomitic lime for a quart of mix to adjust the pH. The
mix will be sterile, very important if you are sowing precious seed like
Tecophialaea.

Diana
Telos Rare Bulbs
http://www.telosrarebulbs.com/
http://www.thebulbmaven.typepad.com/