Sometimes, buying bargains can pay off but buying ultra inexpensive potting soil . . don’t do it. My hope is that Vince bought one bag and not his usual “more because it’s cheap”. As I began starting my seeds, I noticed rocks and huge chunks of bark and something that closely resembles sunflower seeds. Hmm . . I can pick out rocks and big pieces of bark but I can’t pick out all the seeds.
Seedlings
These big things are not tomatoes! Some of them still have the seeds attached to their little heads as they pop through and my guess is still that they’re sunflowers. I will plant them and see what I get and I will buy my own potting soil from now on and not ask Vince to pick it up for me!
Vickie VanDyken says
you never know!!! When a bargain is not. I got some cheaper potting soil at Walmart, lucky me it was ok. Hard to tell? I guess if the bag isn’t clear I would take your advice and steer clear of that bargain.
Maybe the company wants to expand the sunflower numbers???
It will be interesting to see what they become, my guess is your right.
Vicky says
I had that happen to me, too, except it was grass seeds in it. I took pictures and took samples to the nursery where I got it, along with one of the empty bags that still had a little in the bottom that was sprouting the grass. They said I must have contaminated the potting soil and refused to refund. I know it wasn’t contaminated because it was a brand new area that had never had grass or anything else in it. Never went back to that nursery again. I just dug it all out and started over.
Karen langseth says
I don’t think they are sunflowers. What you could do is bake the dirt in the oven and that will kill all the strange seeds (most likely weeds). Or is you have a compost pile, you could add the dirt directly to the pile and “recook” it naturally to remove the unwanted seeds.
JudyL says
I found lots of things that look like sunflower seeds in the dirt and when I google “sunflower seedlings”, they look similar but I’ll just wait and see.
Pdudgeon says
another thing to do would be to pre-screen the potting soil.
that is, grab an old window screen, pour a pot of potting soil on the screen, and sift the potting soil through the screen. all the lumps and seeds and rocks should stay on top of the screen, while the potting soil falls through the screen.
JudyL says
I don’t think the potting soil I use would sift through window screens. This stuff had so many chunks in it, I know it definitely would not. I’ll just buy better quality stuff next time. I’m not going to pay for soil and then have to go through that to get something I can use.
wanda j says
Looks like sunflower seeds to me too. I get them coming up under my bird feeders all the time.Matter of fact I’ve got some coming up now next to side walk. Guess one of the Red birds dropped their load. Hey the sunflowers with your tomatoes will be pretty and think you can save the heads and use to feed the birds next fall and winter. I’m sorry you got this bad stuff. I ‘m trying to feel the bags myself from now own. Rub the stuff between the bag and see if very big pieces. Poor Vince he was trying to help .
Judy Laquidara says
Lucky you. I seem to mostly get thistle under my feeders.