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Home Depot’s Organic Seed Starting Mix
Is Key To A DIY Success
By RON BAKER
We tested Home Depot’s $8 Jiffy Organic Seed Starting Mix to see if there was an advantage over other seed germination options that were worth paying the rather high price.
The Jiffy seed-starting mix consists of peat, coconut coir, and vermiculite. We compared it to SunShine sphagnum peat moss, Best Coco Peat, and a 50/50 mix of peat and coir.
We planted radish and lettuce seeds in the four mediums and evaluated their effectiveness based on seed germination, moisture retention, and crumb (soil fluffiness).
To test water retention, we weighed each medium. The peat held the least water (40%), the coconut coir held the most (74%), the peat/coir held 53%, and the Jiffy mix held 65%.
In terms of crumb, while the Jiffy mix seemed fluffy, it lost the most volume when wet, while the coir was actually the lightest. All of the media fell within the ideal pH range.
After four days, everything had a 100% germination rate except for the peat, which sprouted at 60%, and we didn't see any difference in seedling color or growth rate.
Our verdict is that the best seed-starting mix for large quantities is our 50/50 mix and coir. But the Jiffy mix performed well, so would be fine for small batches of seedlings.