Tuesday 8 May 2012

THE SEEDS OF IGNORANCE

Marks and Spencer are a brand that stands for quality.  To that end I bought a cylinder of seeds for £4.00 last week.  They are a mixture (never a good idea, I have found but never mind....).


I opened the cylindrical tube and emptied out the contents.  It is mainly vermiculite; there are about 10 seeds.  There may be more but I cannot identify them. There is nothing on the packet stating contents composition nor number of seeds although the flowers to be produced is given.  Furthermore, I had no idea what to do with it (no instructions on the packet).

So for the record  ... and to fill the gap in my ignorance... [according to Wikipedia] this stuff is 

[1] "a  soilless growing media: exfoliated vermiculite is combined with other materials such as peat or composted pine bark compost ... for the professional horticulturalist and for the home gardener. These mixes promote faster root growth and gives quick anchorage to young roots. The mixture helps retain air, plant food and moisture, releasing them as the plant requires them.

[2] Seed germination: either used alone or mixed with soil or peat, vermiculite is used to germinate seeds. Very little watering is required."

[3] Here is what to do with it:
(a) Fill a plastic sandwich bag with moistened vermiculite.
(b) Place the seeds into the vermiculite and seal the bag.
(c) Place the bag in a warm, bright area. When the seeds germinate, carefully remove them from the bag and plant in a small planting pot filled with a mixture of equal parts of vermiculite and sphagnum peat moss. [Full reference is here.]



Art out of ignorance.

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