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Post by daylilydude on Feb 26, 2018 5:19:42 GMT -5
Do you prefer the soil in the little 6 pack pots, the plugs that swell up when wet or the little peat pots that are 100% biodegradable that you fill with soil... or maybe you have a special way and would love to share it with the forum?
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 26, 2018 7:28:52 GMT -5
I hate peat pots because they never seem to degrade for me. I use the little 6-pack plastic pots with seed starting media and then when the plants get too tall for my light set-up I transplant the seedlings into 4" plastic pots with potting soil.
I have not used them yet but I bought a few of those peat pellets that swell up to try with some cuke seeds so that I can start them early indoors and get a jump on the cuke season. I read that cuke seedlings don't like to have their roots disturbed when transplanting so I thought that peat pellets might be a good idea. I have never used them before.
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Post by octave1 on Feb 26, 2018 9:17:22 GMT -5
I start seeds in plastic cells, with seed starting media. When they are big enough to be handled, I move the seedlings into small individual pots. Then maybe I transplant one more time before they go outside for good. brownrexx, cucumbers are not as fussy as you heard. I always grow mine from seeds and I transplant them with no problem. I don't use pea pellets and pea pots because they never degrade. In the fall when I clean up I find they are both still there. I am sure they prevent roots from developing fully.
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Post by paulf on Feb 26, 2018 9:48:13 GMT -5
Seeds get started in smaller plastic 6-pack pots with soilless mix as medium. Special seed starter mix has been used but I have gone to any quality soilless mix for many years and it does the job for me. Lately I have been using Miracle-Gro with fertilizer. Some of the other cheap-o brands seem like they are ground up wood chunks and don't perform very well.
At transplant time, two or more true leaves, everything goes into 2"X2"X2 1/2" plastic individual pots. A couple of years ago I bought a case of each size (Harris Seeds was the best price) about 1000 count, so I'll be good for many years.
Other than peppers and tomatoes and herbs for my wife, everything else gets direct sown. Cucumbers and melons this year will get started inside. I agree with Octave1 that cukes do OK with transplanting.
I have used the peat pots and plugs before and it was pure disaster. Got them as an experiment and again as a gift. Never, never, never will I use that system even if they are free.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 26, 2018 10:07:36 GMT -5
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Post by ahntjudy on Feb 26, 2018 10:08:47 GMT -5
Like others, I start in plastic 6 packs...washed well and re-used from previous year...in sterile soil-less mix...then re-pot up as needed... Those peat pots did not degrade for me either...I ended up breaking them up and adding them right to the soil here and there...
When those 6 packs get too old and ratty, I use them crunched up in the bottom of the big flower pots outside for a little drainage... They're nice and lightweight...
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Post by spike on Feb 26, 2018 11:21:25 GMT -5
I hate peat pots. They never degrade for me. Not those plugs that swell up totally amuse me. They remind me of those capsules that you put in a glass of water and LORD HONEY LOOK it is a dinosaur sponge . . . Don't like those plugs much either. (picky little thing aren't I)
I tried two different things last year and know what I like best (for now). In the past I always used the 6 cell packs. Last year I tried those and the 2" pots. I like the bigger pots much better. Can easily plant 5 seeds per pot and they are easier for me to transplant with less damage to the plants.
SO (I know I know GEEZ Spike get on with it) this year I am using a seed starting mix with the 2 inch pots. Then eventually seedlings will be transplanted into solo cups!
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Post by ladymarmalade on Feb 26, 2018 11:30:37 GMT -5
I use a 72-cell tray for most of my seed starting, and I use potting mix instead of seed starter because sometimes it takes me a while to get to transplanting, and if I use a potting mix, there is sure to be some nutrients in the cells with the sprouts. Plus, then I buy one large bag and it's good for everything for the season. Usually it takes me two of the large bags to get through an entire seed starting season- and there's always some left in the bottom of the second bag, so I use it to fill my planters on the deck. The current potting mix in favor is Fox Farms Ocean Forest. I also use their Grow Big liquid fertilizer every other week when my sprouts have been upgraded to the 3 inch pot. It's a little pricey, but my plants sure seem happy in it!
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Post by brownrexx on Feb 26, 2018 11:33:17 GMT -5
cucumbers are not as fussy as you heard. I always grow mine from seeds and I transplant them with no problem. Good to know. thanks octave1,
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Feb 26, 2018 12:34:07 GMT -5
I have a pile of 9-cell packs that I've had for about 10 years. Yesterday, I did my first transplant of tomatoes and peppers. Flowers and herbs are still small yet.
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Post by spike on Feb 26, 2018 12:34:14 GMT -5
cucumbers are not as fussy as you heard. I always grow mine from seeds and I transplant them with no problem. Good to know. thanks octave1 , I agree with Octave! I have always started my cukes from seeds and have never ever had an issue transplanting them.
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Post by bestofour on Feb 26, 2018 12:44:26 GMT -5
Guess I'm the spoiled one here because I direct sow seeds except for tomatoes which I start in old pots that I clean and fill up with potting soil.
I've never had luck with the peat pots breaking down either. They stay in the compost pile, which I turn weekly, forever.
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Post by tomike on Feb 26, 2018 12:53:39 GMT -5
I used modified Pro Mix seed starting mix. Modified in that I start with the Pro Mix and I add to it. Then, I moisten the mix and fill small individual seed pots that fit in a self watering system. The system goes on a heat mat under grow lights.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Feb 26, 2018 13:50:07 GMT -5
I don't like the peat pots, either - they don't break down. The peat pellets I have trouble keeping moisture consistent in - they always seem too wet or too dry. I use plastic cells, and up-pot to bigger plastic cells or small individual plastic pots. For starting, I either use Pro-Mix or a sterile seed-starting mix in the small cells, and either Pro-Mix with a bit of fertilizer added, or another potting soil with fertilizer when I pot up. I try different brands at different times. I HATE the original Jiffy seed starting mix - that stuff is impossible to get wet. But surprisingly I have been happy with the new Organic Jiffy Seed Starting mix this year. It has a nice fine texture for starting small seeds, and it wets right up. But I think it stays too wet for keeping seedlings in for more than a couple of weeks. The Burpee XL Seed Starting System is nice for tomatoes and peppers: www.burpee.com/gardening-supplies/grow-kits/32-xl-cell-self-watering-ultimate-growing-system-prod002628.html. I don't use their peat pellets; just a potting mix or seed starting mix with a high percentage of peat, and it wicks just fine. It's much easier to keep stable moisture levels with this system than with hand-watering. And you can re-use the base tray + wicking mat from this system with any plastic cells or pots that you want, so long as each cell or pot has big enough drain holes on the bottom. I don't recommend the Eco-Friendly version, though. It warps badly if you have it in the sun on a really warm day while you're hardening off your plants. The regular version does not warp, so it can be re-used for years.
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Post by guruofgardens on Feb 26, 2018 14:32:30 GMT -5
This year I tried 3 different mediums - Pro Mix with added peat, peat pellets, Botanicare Ready Gro Plugs.
The Pro Mix was the worst with little germination, so it must have been either too old or had some 'bad blood'. I'd opt for the OLD.
The peat pellets have been doing much better. (The peat pellets did better than I thought).
The best this year were the Ready Gro plugs, made with composted forest product. I think they are really for cuttings, but seem to be doing well. They are a bit expensive, so I seeded 3 in each. Hopefully I can separate each seedling if and when they germinate. (They did not separate well.)
I don't ever use peat pots or even coir pots.
Then I transplant into FF Ocean Forest or Happy Frog, whichever I have on hand.
UPDATE - I am quite disappointed in the Botanicare plugs as the pepper seedlings just didn't seem to grow/thrive. I transplanted them into Ocean Forest so we'll see how they survive. Experiment - I planted pepper seeds into Ultrasorb DE from the car store and most of the seeds germinated in 2 weeks or less. I'm hoping to use the same medium for my tomatoes the end of March.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Feb 26, 2018 19:21:52 GMT -5
Like Hairy, peat pellets followed by foam or plastic cups. I do strip off the netting during the first transplant. The previous is for Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Cucumbers go straight into potting soil in plastic cups but their lead time is a lot shorter.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 26, 2018 21:19:19 GMT -5
mgulfcoastguy, I strip that netting off too and I dip The roots in water to get rid of all the peat.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 26, 2018 21:58:32 GMT -5
I use Pro Mix BX, with mico for most of my seed starting, with some coir added - seems to keep it wet better than just peat, yet not excessively, and I add some perlite, to keep that at about the same %, though I just eyeball it. I start all of my greens in 72 pots/flat, and put them out only 3 weeks later or so, just so I don't have to thin them outside, as I cover those immediately after planting, due to rabbits here. Peppers I soak first, the later ones along with all of my tomatoes and eggplants: DSCF0488 by pepperhead212, on Flickr I start all of the later peppers in in shallow strips of vermiculite: DSCF1068 by pepperhead212, on Flickr I have been doing this for many years, starting back when I grew a lot of peppers - just kidding...I meant, a lot MORE peppers, when I shared them with a friend, who no longer lives in the area (so he has to start his own!). The tray sits over my pilot lights on my griddle, so keeps at about 90º, and even when I was starting over 140 pepper plants, they could all be started in the one tray, then the tiny seedlings transferred to a 32/pot tray. I plant a few more than I need, instead of 2/pot, which wastes a lot more. Of course, there is always one or two that don't make it, and I can see what I have extras of easily, to fill in those pots. I use peat pellets for things like squash, melons, cukes, and all those odd Asian cucurbits that I grow. I only grow them in those long enough to see the first or second set of true leaves, then put them in the SIP or ground. Often, the roots will be coming through before the sprout appears! With those kinds of plants, the pellet breaks up easily, with their roots. My early peppers will go in in a couple of days, and those go in larger pots (18/tray size), on a heat mat. Later, they will be transplanted to larger pots, but that's just the chinense peppers, since they are slower. Something I forgot to mention: with the soil mix for the plants that will be inside for longer - peppers, tomatoes, eggplants - I moisten it with a solution of BT israelensis, to prevent fungus gnats. Haven't had a hint of them for years, after putting this in my house plants and seedling trays. I don't bother with the ones that are only inside for a few weeks or less.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 26, 2018 23:27:03 GMT -5
pepperhead212, Where on earth did you find those super cool stainless steel cups?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Feb 26, 2018 23:29:22 GMT -5
Where on earth did you find those super cool stainless steel cups? Restaurant supply! You can't imagine how much stuff in this house came from restaurant supply places, long before it was available on internet. I knew Amazon would have them: www.amazon.com/Individual-Condiment-Sauce-Cups-Dozen/dp/B00M0SITQM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519705849&sr=8-5&keywords=Stainless+steel+cups++2+ozI never use all of them while cooking, but when making things with a lot of spices and other ingredients in them - all those Indian and Chinese dishes I make - I measure out the ingredients into cups, a cup for each time a batch of them will be added during the cooking. Makes it much easier, and I don't need a cup for each ingredient.
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aqua
Pro Member
Posts: 295
Zone:: 8b9a
Favorite Vegetable:: all of them
Joined: March 2012
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Post by aqua on Feb 27, 2018 8:07:27 GMT -5
Whatever the torn bags are, that I can get the manager to knock off 50%. I bring the duct tape.
Those 72cup trays. I keep repairing them, yeah with more duct tape.
A grow light in the kitchen, singing, and the threat of more singing if they don't grow and go outside.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Feb 27, 2018 8:22:07 GMT -5
Where on earth did you find those super cool stainless steel cups? Restaurant supply! You can't imagine how much stuff in this house came from restaurant supply places, long before it was available on internet. I knew Amazon would have them: www.amazon.com/Individual-Condiment-Sauce-Cups-Dozen/dp/B00M0SITQM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1519705849&sr=8-5&keywords=Stainless+steel+cups++2+ozI never use all of them while cooking, but when making things with a lot of spices and other ingredients in them - all those Indian and Chinese dishes I make - I measure out the ingredients into cups, a cup for each time a batch of them will be added during the cooking. Makes it much easier, and I don't need a cup for each ingredient. I wouldn't mind having a gross of those! Handy as can be!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 1, 2018 2:27:14 GMT -5
I saw two things in my seed starting room, while getting things ready for the pepper seeds, that I forgot to mention before. First, when watering those trays, I always water from the bottom, adding more water than needed, then sucking out the excess with a large baster, that has over a 1 cup capacity (I saw that baster, and it reminded me!). Second, a "fertilizer" that I add, when wetting the mix initially, and every few times I water, after that. It is something designed for hydroponics :Skunk brand Silicate 78. It is added for stronger stems, in hydro, and only a very small amount is used. The 6.8 oz bag of powder is dissolved in 32 oz of water, and just .1 ml -.2 ml is added per galllon. I only mixed half of it, for a pint of solution, and have used it for two seasons, with about 25% left.
The first season I tried this on tomatoes and tomatillos. Tomatillos have always had thin stems, when I've started them from seed, but this definitely helped them, as I didn't have to stake them with skewers, like I always have in the past. After seeing that it helped them, I added it to the rest, as the amount used is small - only an eighth of a tsp/gal, for the watering.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Mar 3, 2018 8:55:50 GMT -5
Tomatillos have always had thin stems, when I've started them from seed, I can't imagine anything that is so invasive once matured starting out spindly and weak!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 3, 2018 12:25:42 GMT -5
bluelacedredhead Tomatillos aren't invasive...as long as you pick every single fruit before they drop! lol
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Mar 3, 2018 14:13:15 GMT -5
I rest my case!
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