[Ropster]

Hi anyone have a view on which sort of seed compost is better? Siol based of Peat based, I have used peat based untill now and things have germinated but it tends to sink into the pot, the soil based I have used isnt sinking, but no sign of seedlings yet

[compostqueen]

it might depend on the seed. Some do better in soil based compo. I read that Medwyn Wotsit uses soil based seed compost for his prizewinning onions so that's what I did last year and this year and I think it must be because it holds on to moisture etc.  Some seeds require a lighter weight compost such as tiny seeds like basil etc.  Most seeds I think will be ok with a peat or peat substitute compost.  The seed packet will usually say what to sow in

[purplebean]

I use peat free compost for everything and it all seems to germinate quite happily. My current seeds are in coir from a brick that you had to add water to (4 year old loved that)

[Alex 98]

I find J innes seed compost a bit too heavy (for the seed and in practical terms also!). So I mix up my own, some fine vermiculite, some J Innes and then some Westland seed compost, about a third of each. I've has really good results with this mix  p.s.the Westland Organic Veg compost is also an excellent product
Alex 98

[Ruby Red]

Theres only one way to find out. . . FIGHTTTTT  

[woodentop]

I'll probably get told off but my seed compost is a cheapo home mix - one bag of multi compost mixed up with one bag of sharp sand in an old flip top bin. Everything seems to come up ok, no failures this year so far.

[Trillium]

Seedling roots prefer a lighter medium to start spreading their roots, be it in peat, sand, perlite, etc. Once they're a larger size, they can handle heavier soils because the roots are tougher and larger.
Potting mixes won't sink if you push it into the cell with your finger but not too hard. Once I put the transplant seedling into the pot/cell, I add a fair bit of mix, water, then top up a bit if needed. Once they go outside, they go into soil mix. By then the plant overall is tough enough to deal with any potential mold spores which is a killer to younger seedlings in soil mix.