After much googling for the ideal seed starting mix for bulb seeds, of course I arrived at the PBS list, where I should have begun. In November 2008 Jane McGary wrote "my normal seed mix, which is equal parts sharp sand, screened peat, and ground pumice" Jane do you still use that same mix as 11 years ago? I notice it contains no compost and so will have nearly zero nutrients. That seems appropriate for long germination times where N-P-K will just grow algae, accumulate salts and do no good for the seeds. I assume once seeds are growing that you apply fertilizer. I grow mostly Iridaceae, if that matters. I only grow winter-rain species. I keep my seed pots on shelves outside under a screen with early morning full sun then dappled shade. So my plan, unless you wise PBS growers of bulbs from seed advise otherwise, is to start the seeds in this mix: * 1 part coarse silica sand labeled #12 * 1 part small-grain pumice, smaller than the 3/8" I use for bulbs * 1 part coir, fibre and fines All ingredients I have rinsed thoroughly. The silica sand needs rinsing because silica dust is a health hazard. And the fines that rinsed out of the pumice seem to have the opposite property of the porous purpose of pumice. I have not yet mixed the batch so I could change proportions. I do have an old bag of peat, which I did moisten, but I hesitate to use it. I have had trouble with peat becoming too hydrophobic and dense. And now I see Jane wrote in July 2012 that the fines in the pumice contain nutrients. Well, I still have the rinse water so I can add that back in. My plan is to set the seeds on the surface of the mix and cover with a thin layer of coarse silica sand. For my own seeds, all "rampant reseeders" that grow themselves in the sand between plunged pots or even sometimes in the lawn or cracks in the sidewalk, I do not mess with a special mix. But for this late batch of special seeds, and the ones I eagerly, optimistically, await from the latest BX, I want to mix some media more special since these include some I have had challenges getting to grow. Gastil _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…