When to start fertilizing seedlings?

[akflyfisher]

When do you all start fertilizing your seedlings and what do you use?

[Brian M]

I'm only one year into this, so take it with a grain of salt... I started my seedlings in ProMix, which has just a touch of fertilizer, but then I never fertilized them again. I planted them in a soil that had a significant portion of compost in the mix. I'll add some soil to the top of the soil every year, and hopefully that's it. Chemical fertilizers go a long ways towards killing off productive soil organisms. Again, I'm new at this...but I'm pretty well sold on compost.

[mudbuddy]

When? Man that's a fine line. Usually they are in the starter soil for a short time. If you are
going to re-pot them, then the get new soil then.
I guess it really is the starter soil or the repot soil & how long in the soil.
I watch the plants, if growing well & a good green color, no fertilizer, If they slow down
growth, lose their green color some & have been in the pot for over 4 weeks, mix a real weak
fertilizer solution. Trick is "mild", because you can really damage them by giving them too much.
Also depends on plant type too.
I think, normally, it is better to re-pot with new soil in larger pots as needed VS the risk of over fertilizing.
But use the fish foods or a very week mix of pellet or crystal foods.
I have over fertilized before; it is like over watering is worse than under watering.
Hope this helped some, as you learn your plants, they will show signs of needing food.