Broadcasting Seeds

Poppy_Golightly

The usual advice is to broadcast seeds with sand. I don't have any and I won't buy a bag just for that. So what else can I use to add to the seeds? Would a small handful of Growmore suffice?

twopenny

How nimble are your fingers? Ive never broadcast seeds. Is it a big area you are covering?
I sprinkle some in the borders but I think the sand thing is for large areas of wildflowers and such.
Or very tiny seeds sowen in trays.

Growmore should be quite large compared to seed. They don't need the nutrient and if wet it could burn the emerging seedling.

So what exactly is it you are sowing and where? That would help  us with ideas 

Poppy_Golightly

Thanks TwoPenny.

Just a mixture of different varieties of Poppy seeds (mainly purple) in a bed 5' x 5' ish!

gwynlas

The reason for sand is to reduce the density of fine seeds which can be miniscule. You could use something from your kitchen like couscous or even sugar just a couple of tablespoons mixed in a bowl with the seeds will give you more volume to broadcast.
You can mentally divide the quantity and the bed into five and sow strip by strip to give you more even coverage

Farway

I've used white flour before, also has the advantage you can see where it went

Self raising is ideal [joke in there]

peewhyeff

What about car litter? There was someone on Gardeners World recently who grows cacti in 2parts cat litter, 1part compost, so can't do any harm. I'm thinking of incorporating  cat litter instead of vermiculite.

twopenny

Something from the kitchen is good
Just wondering if it would get eaten by the birds and inadvertently the seeds too. Caster sugar maybe, too fine to clog if gets wet.

Love poppies, mine used to self seed everywhere even the veg beds but no harm, just cheerful.

twopenny

Something from the kitchen is good
Just wondering if it would get eaten by the birds and inadvertently the seeds too. Caster sugar maybe, too fine to clog if gets wet.

Love poppies, mine used to self seed everywhere even the veg beds but no harm, just cheerful.

Farway

peewhyeff said:

What about car litter? There was someone on Gardeners World recently who grows cacti in 2parts cat litter, 1part compost, so can't do any harm. I'm thinking of incorporating  cat litter instead of vermiculite.

You'd have to be choosy, some cat litter is designed to "clump" when wet, easier to clear up after  cat has visited