Back to the Roots 12qt Organic Seed Starting Mix Potting Soil
$7.99
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The seed starting mix has received mixed feedback from guests, with many expressing disappointment due to the presence of large chunks, bark, and sand that hinder seed germination. While some guests found success with their seedlings, others reported stunted growth and issues with pests. However, there are positive mentions of its organic composition and nutrient-rich qualities, making it suitable for certain gardening needs. Guests appreciate its lightweight texture and moisture retention, which can benefit various plants when used correctly.
Summary created by AI from text of reviews reflecting recent feedback provided across different star ratings (includes incentivized reviews)
3.4 out of 5 stars with 368 reviews
quality: 1.63 out of 5
value: 1.89 out of 5
10% would recommend
119 recommendations
4 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
13 May, 2026Verified purchase
Works well for roots development but lots of large bark pieces
It works well for roots development in my experience, but some small seeds do best with a layer of pure coir on top so that you get good germination without them having to battle the large bark pieces in this mix. I have also used it along with the back to the roots standard 5lb bag of fertilizer and the liquid houseplant fertilizer, so it's hard to say which has helped the roots develop exactly, but based on comparison ro some pure coir I tried and some of another garden soil I tried, this mix seemed to have the strongest/largest root systems when it came time to transplant.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
8 May, 2026Verified purchase
awful starter soil
I hadnt tried this mix before but was excited about all the gimicky add ins like the mycorrhizae but it is truly an awful soil for starting seadlings. I noted when I was setting up trays it had a lot of large wood chunks but what wasnt aparent until i had watered it a few times is it is mostly sand. the drainage and water retention was all over the place and after a month and a half my tomato seadlings were such sad sickly little things I went out for a bag of miricle grow soil and transplanted them hoping to save them. The only upsides of this soil is that the cells all fell out/apart easily (because its mainly sand) and although the seadlings themselves were so stunted they had good root development as they desperately tried to get away from this awful soil.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 12 days ago
Hi EJD! We are sorry to hear you've had this experience, and that does not sound standard for our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Soil. If you could send us photos of the soil and photos of the front and back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com, we'd love to take a look and make this right.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
23 April, 2026Verified purchase
Too coarse for most seeds
A lot of pieces too large for a seed starting mix. They would completely block most seeds from growing.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 27 days ago
Hi there! We are sorry to hear you have had this experience. This does not sound standard for our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Mix. Please send photos of the soil and photos of the front of the back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com. We would love to take a look and send a replacement as needed.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
20 April, 2026Verified purchase
Sad.
If I could leave a zero review, I would, to save others from going through what I have. I wish I had looked at the reviews before I bought this seed starting mix, because now all my seedlings are stunted and unhealthy, and it's too late to start over with peppers. As others have mentioned, my seed starting mix was full of sand, large stringy pieces of bark, and perhaps salt or some type of chemical that hinders growth. There is something in here that has completely ruined the seedlings I "potted up" into it. Sad.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 27 days ago
Hi ND! We're sorry to hear you're having this experience. Please send photos of the plants and details about how you're growing (moisture, light, fertilizing, etc.), photos of the soil, and photos of the front and back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com. We'd love to help you troubleshoot and make this right!
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
15 April, 2026Verified purchase
Awful
Absolutely horrible. Full of bark and sand. Plants in this "soil" died. Do not reccomend.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 30 days ago
Hi Morgan! We're sorry to hear you've had this experience. This does not sound standard for our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Mix. Please send us a photo of the soil, photos of the full front and back of the bag, and photos of your plants as well as details about how your growing environment (moisture, light, temperature, and fertilizing, etc.) to contact@backtotheroots.com. We'd love to help troubleshoot and send a replacement bag as needed.
2 out of 5 stars
3 April, 2026Verified purchase
(no review title)
I used this seed starting mix along with another I mixed myself and all the seedlings grown in this mix were either stunted or did not grow as well as the ones planted in the other mix. All other variables were the same.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hi Jessica! We are sorry to hear that you've had this experience, and we'd love to help you troubleshoot. Please send photos of your plants, and details about your care routine (moisture, temperature, fertilization) to contact@backtotheroots.com. We look forward to working with you to get your plants back on track!
1 out of 5 stars
2 April, 2026Verified purchase
(no review title)
Terrible, large wood chips and sandy soil, not good for delicate seeds. Even tried sifting soil, it stunted the growth of ALL of my seedlings, pH is way off and eventually transplanted my seedlings out and they started flourishing. Do not buy.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hi Andrea! We are sorry to hear you've had this experience, and we'd love to help you troubleshoot and turn your seedlings around. Could you please send a photo of the soil, photos of the front and back of the bag, and photos of your seedlings including details about moisture, temperature, light, and fertilizing to contact@backtotheroots.com? We look forward to hearing from you and helping you grow!
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
24 March, 2026Verified purchase
Not worth it
Full of chunks. Not worth the money. Looks more like mulch than seed starting mix. Don’t waste your time or money.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hi Carrie! We're sorry to hear you have had this experience, and we would love to hear from you. Please send us photos of the soil and photos of the full front and back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com. We'd love to take a look and send a replacement bag as needed.
3 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
23 March, 2026Verified purchase
Wood chip filler
Just in one 36 cell starter tray, I picked out enough wood chips for 5 handfulls. The chips aren’t small. The soil itself is alright and my seeds germinated, but the amount of soil I’m left with after removing the wood chips is not worth the price of the bag. Doesn’t hold water very well.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
21 March, 2026
Save your money
Full of gnat eggs which kept hatching ... and hatching ... and hatching. Mfg. offered a refund but I really don't want more gnats. Seedlings were stunted as well. Many died. Changed mixes, used same seed lots and zero problems. Save your money.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hi there! We're sorry to hear you've had this experience. Fungus gnats are common in all organic mixes, but this does not sound standard. Please reach out to us at contact@backtotheroots.com. We would love to hear from you and make this right.
1 out of 5 stars
15 March, 2026
(no review title)
It’s very disappointing and ugly ! I came from 8mikes! Now you are telling out of stock even your site is showing
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hello there! If you have any questions about our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Mix, please feel free to reach out to contact@backtotheroots.com. We'd be happy to help troubleshoot!
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
14 March, 2026Verified purchase
Junk "Potting Soil"
This is more like junk fill! There is very little actual nutrient rich soil and quite a bit of peat moss followed by mostly LARGE pieces of mulch. But not any mulch, dyed black mulch! They must use the mulch as filler! Save your money. I am hesitant on using this because the dye even stained my hands.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hello MJ! Thank you for your feedback. This does not sound standard for our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Mix, but it is peat-free. Please send photos of the soil itself and photos of the front and back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com. We'd love to take a look and help with a replacement as needed.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
12 March, 2026Verified purchase
Large wood chunks, very disappointing
Disappointed. Seed-starting mix should be light and fine, but the first scoop from the bag had three large wood chunks in it. That’s not appropriate for starting seeds. I returned it because it felt more like overpriced soil than a proper seed-starting mix.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 2 months ago
Hi Emily! Thank you for your feedback — this does not sound normal for our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Mix. If you have any photos of the soil, and the front and back of the bag, please send them to contact@backtotheroots.com. We would love to hear from you and make this right.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
6 March, 2026
Do not use for seed germination!
This is not a good seed starting soil there are wood chips that are too big for germinating seeds in. My snapdragon seedlings have been growing in the soil for seven weeks and the growth has been abnormally slow. I’ve talked to a few other gardeners who have used this soil and they said they had the same problem. i’m sure it’s OK for more established plans, but definitely not for seed starting.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 3 months ago
Hi there! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This does not sound normal for our Organic 3-in-1 Seed Starting Mix. Could you please send photos of the soil, your plants, and photos of the front and back of the bag, as well as details about your care routine, to contact@backtotheroots.com? We'd love to help troubleshoot and send a replacement bag as needed.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
6 March, 2026Verified purchase
Large chunks of mulch, to big for seed treys
I was expecting seedling soil, but I got a mix of large mulch and sand that I was surprised to see in a bag labeled for seed starting. Definitely would not recommend or buy again
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 3 months ago
Hi Hailey! We're sorry to hear your seed starting mix was not what you were expecting. This is not the experience we want for our customers, and we'd love to take a look and make this right. Please email photos of the soil and the front and back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com. We'd be happy to send a replacement!
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
22 February, 2026Verified purchase
Terrible
Seed starting mix is supposed to be light and fluffy so the delicate seedlings don’t have to fight big chunks of debris to break the surface and develop roots. This mix is full of large wood chips. It’s pure greed selling this stuff before it’s broken down enough and/or filling it with crap to take up space.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 3 months ago
Hello Abby! We are sorry to hear that you've had this experience, but we'd love to hear from you and make this right. Please email photos of the soil itself and the front and back of the bag to contact@backtotheroots.com so we can take a look. We look forward to hearing from you!
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
29 January, 2026Verified purchase
Extremely Poor Quality
There should be ZERO stars allowed for accurate rating! This seed starting mix it pure garbage. There are so many chunks in it that it cannot be used without sifting. Im not sifting soil when its below zero. ZERO STARS!
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 4 months ago
Hi there! We’re really sorry to hear about your experience and understand how frustrating that must be—especially in those conditions. That’s definitely not what we want for our customers. So we can look into this and help make it right, could you please email us at contact@backtotheroots.com with a few photos of: The soil itself and the full front and back of the bag you received Once we have that information, we’d be happy to review and assist with a refund or replacement, pending approval. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and giving us the chance to help.
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
12 January, 2026Verified purchase
Filled with Flies!!!
Ive purchased this on three separate occasions out of desperation- all 3 contaminated with fungus gnats. Do not buy!
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 4 months ago
Hi there! We’re really sorry to hear about your experience — we understand how frustrating fungus gnats can be. Fungus gnats are unfortunately very common in houseplants and can occur with any soil brand, especially since they’re naturally present in indoor environments and are attracted to moisture and organic matter. While our soils are carefully formulated and quality-checked, gnats can still find their way into open bags or freshly potted plants once they’re in the home. That said, we absolutely want to help make this right. If you’re willing, please reach out to us at contact@backtotheroots.com with photos of the full front and back of the bag, and our team would be happy to look into this and help with a replacement. We truly appreciate you sharing your feedback and giving us the opportunity to support you 🌱
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
18 April, 2025Verified purchase
Flies
I opened the bag and it was filled with tons of small flies. Do not buy.
1 reply from Back to the Roots, Inc. team - 1 year ago
Hi Haley! We're truly sorry about the experience you've had with our Organic Seed Starting Mix. While flies are not standard with our soil, we would love the chance to help troubleshoot and see what you're dealing with. Please send a few photos of the soil and the flies to contact@backtotheroots.com along with a photo of the lot number on the bag. Our team would be happy to take a closer look and offer tips to help you grow or a replacement or refund. We look forward to hearing from you!
5 out of 5 stars
15 April, 2025
originally posted on influenster.com
Great!
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love gardening so this seed starting mix was the perfect blend to help out my leafy green veggies. It worked well and now my greens are very happy and thriving.