[Goosegirl]

Has anyone tried this method? Given the lumpy commercial compost we've been getting, I read about this and wondered if it was worth a try.

[senrab_nhoj]

I thought you sowed the seeds on top of compost then covered the compost with vermiculite rather than planted them in it

[JulesJ]

That's what I do - a sprinkle of vermiculite on the top.

[Aidy]

You can of course use vermiculite to start your beans and stuff off, but generally as above for small seeds.

[Trillium]

Vermiculite and perlite are both used to simply help aerate soil/compost better. They've no real support to offer once the seedling sprouts, nor food for it, and tiny seeds are easily lost unless they fall to the pot bottom and drown in any standing water. So, its best used as a pot surface topper rather than the actual growing starter medium.

[Paul Plots]

It's good stuff for covering tiny seeds and you can, apparently, mix it with compost to lighten the soil...

                      ....but it's quite expensive isn't it?

[Goosegirl]

Thanks for that. Yes - I usually sprinkle some on top after sowing seeds. I get mine from Wilko and it's quite cheap. Hadn't thought about the nutrient issue but might still give it a go anyway and feed by watering dilute feed on. Will let you know if it's worth trying.

[celjaci]

On it's own vermiculite has no nutrients so seeds cannot grow for long without starving.

vermiculite can be good to mix with other compost for sowing seeds. One advantage you can see as you lift out seedlings for pricking out. The ends of the root hairs enter blocks of vermiculite and are protected = less root damage.

I sometimimes use vermiculite to cover seeds, because of the colour contrast with compost it's easier to get even coverage. Seeds seem to do well covered with it as well, it's rather like the self-sown seedlings which do much better in the gravel path than in the border.

[GD]

                      ....but it's quite expensive isn't it?

I've found that it's quite a bit cheaper to get it from builders merchants  than garden centres

[Paul Plots]

                      ....but it's quite expensive isn't it?

I've found that it's quite a bit cheaper to get it from builders merchants  than garden centres

Thanks for that tip - We don't have a Wilko around here so next time in town I'll try the builders merchants and hope they don't look at me as if I'm mad! 

[richyrich7]

It's quite acceptable to germinate seeds in vermiculite, the nutrient levels are not an issue as seeds carry enough "food" for a while anyway. Hence if you buy a sowing compost it has generally a low level of nutrients compared to that of say growbags which you really should not start your seeds of in although I know some do.  Trilliums point about very small seeds however is a good point.