Pots for starting seeds ?

daylilydude · September 12, 2006

I was wondering what other pots or what have you used to start seeds.I'm thinking of trying empty toilet roll cardboard tubes cut them in half and plant the whole thing in the ground. I save them to keep cutworms off my tomatoes and i have alot of them has anyone tried these and how did it work out ? Now is there any other weird pots that you all have used :wink: ?

Polar_Lace · September 12, 2006

I'll have to look for the pictures of mine on my computer. They're of triple yellow datura's; started in the empty toilet roll cardboard tubes cut in half.

travis · September 12, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by daylilydude

I'm thinking of trying empty toilet roll cardboard tubes cut them in half and plant the whole thing in the ground. I save them to keep cutworms off my tomatoes and i have alot of them ... :wink: ?

You have a lot of empty toilet paper tubes?

Or a lotta cutworms?

Or maybe a lotta tomatoes ...

PV

dcarch · September 12, 2006

I use Jiffy peat pellets. They seem to work, but I am concerned with the fact that the netting around the pellet does not seem to decompost after you transplant the seedlings.

dcarch

**mdvpc** · September 12, 2006

I dont like the peat pellets-I have tried them and have found they dont really decompose-although the roots will grow right through them. I use styrofoam cups, or the parks system-one of them-there are different sizes.

http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/s...&OfferCode=SH1

kimpossible · September 13, 2006

I did actually experiment with the toilet paper roll thing - I had these plastic containers that lettuce leaves came in - about 6" wide x 9" long x 6" deep. I filled it with the rolls, then added the seed starting mix & seed.

They were adequate for a couple of weeks, but then the cardboard started to show alot of white mold on the outside - they couldn't dry out - & after that, the plants seemed stressed - longer & lankier than others planted in conventional containers.

I won't bother with it again.

Adenn1 · September 13, 2006

I used the jiffy peat pellets this past spring...they worked okay...but I did cut off the webbing when I transplanted them.

I am going to seed directly into 16 or 20 oz styrofoam cups this year...will take up more space...but I was very pleased with how healthy the plants developed when using these. At most, I will planting about 25 cups and my neighbor said I could use his green house.

kimpossible · September 13, 2006

This past season I used:

1)toilet paper rolls
2)peat pots
3)small (2x2) square plastic pots
4)Dixie paper drinking cups - 3oz size (about 1-1/2"w x 2" deep)
5)Styrofoam coffee cups - 6oz, 16oz

I had the best results with the large styrofoam, then the smaller. I used a pen to poke 6 to 8 drainage holes in the bottom. The smaller sytrofoam were good to, and I used those to save space.

The plants from the 16oz styrofoam had really strong root systems and transplanted with very little shock.

travis · September 13, 2006

The only damping off I had this year occurred on seedlings in 8-ounce styrofoam cups. It happened across several varieties both PL and RL and mostly to plants about four weeks old with two or more sets of true leaves.

Upon very close examination of the damped off plants, I found the smaller cups had a layer of mold or mildew lookin' stuff on top of the growing medium and overly damp medium in the smaller cups.

I think what happened is the crowded conditions and the growing leaf canopy promoted condensation, cut down on air circulation, and created an atmosphere conducive to damping off.

This problem was totally non-existent in the hundred or so seedlings started in the 12 and 16-ounce styrofoam cups or in the 4-inch square plastic cups ... only the 8-ounce styrofoam cups.

I detest peat pellets ... they don't remain seated in the flats, they float, they stay too damp and rot the seeds, the netting never degrades even in the garden ... I detest them.

I used peat pots for some pepper starts this year because I had some given to me. BIG MISTAKE. The only thing peat pots are good for is growing mildew.

PV

LoreD · September 20, 2006

I've had very good luck with the soil blocks. I don't have a lot of storage area for supplies so this works very well. I then transplant into 8 oz paper coffee cups that I get from a restaurant supply store. When they get bigger I transplant into a 16 oz cup that I saved from my morning cup of coffee.

I didn't have any problem with damping off, mold, or mildew.

LoreD

sirtanon · September 21, 2006

I have, in the past and this year as well, used 2.5 oz little plastic bathroom cups as my seed starters, usually with reasonably good success.

However, this year, I have noticed some resultant problems...

1 - Drainage - Either the holes in the bottom are too small and the water just kind of congests in the soil mix, leading to rot and/or damping off... or the holes are too big and the soil dries out way too fast and the plant dies.

2 - Water holding capacity - While in the past, I've had a somewhat more controlled seed starting/growing area and lived alone so the wife never bugged me about 'running off and spending time with my plants', now I can only get in and water them every so often.. so the soil dries out or becomes a plug.. and when it becomes a plug, water just runs out around it instead of going through it. Let's face it - 2.5 oz just doesn't hold much water when most of it is soil and root.

3 - Tangled roots - When you're starting 10 seeds per cup, those little roots get tangled up and pot-bound quite fast. When it comes time to pot them up, pulling them apart can require a bit of work.

-- Now, don't get me wrong.. In the right environment with the right seed-starting mix, the little 2.5 oz cups are great for starting the seed. They don't take up much space, or soil.. and they will support the plant through at least 4-6" in height. I'm just finding that, if you've got the room, moving up to a slightly larger cup works much better in the long run.

...which brings me to my new best friends -

8 oz styrofoam cups!

There are so many good reasons to use these:

1 - CHEAP - I can go to the local dollar store and buy a 66 pack of them for only $1.00! That works out to about 1.5 cents per cup

2 - INSULATED - I never really even thought about this issue until I got my house and started putting plants out back on the patio to harden off. Thin plastic cups or pots let the heat right in and ended up cooking the roots. These styrofoam cups keep the heat out and keeps the root zone more moderated. I would expect the help against the cold too.

3 - EASY TO WORK WITH - Want to put drain holes in the bottom, or on the side? I have used drill bits and soldering irons, and they both work great. Just like a knife through butter. The root ball comes out easily as well, when it's time to pot up... and if they don't you just tear the cup off and get a new one!

4 - WRITE RIGHT ON THEM - With plastic cups or pots, you either have to use a heavy black permanent marker or something sticky. With the styro, I just grab a roller pen or similar and write on them what's in them.

Now, I also use the 16 oz styro cups as well, but at this point, I don't really have much need to. Most of my plants either get planted out or sold before they get big enough to need the 16 oz size. Then again, if I do need them they're only $1 for about 30 or so.

spyfferoni · September 21, 2006

I have also had bad luck with peat pots. The plants that I had growing in peat pots were stunted compared to the ones growing in styrofoam cups. They are a waste of money if you ask me, I have also seen better results with seed starting mix then the jiffy pellets. If I need to transplant plants into something bigger, the bottom half or 2/3rd of a 2 litre soft drink bottle works great.

Tyffanie

bizzarbazzar · September 21, 2006

I have seed start trays now, but before I got them I used anything and everything. Empty cleaned and washed styro food containers or the containers wendys (or other fast food restaurant) salads comes in always did the best for me. A friend of mine used ice cube trays with holes in the bottom that she got at a yard sale (she got 100 or so for 5.00) Ive never tried tp rolls...

montanamato · September 21, 2006

In the last few years I have switched over to the plastic , square containers that nursery plants come in. I saved them from bedding plants over the years and also ordered several hundred new ones last year.
I start my seeds in large flats, and then pot up to the small squares....I move my seedlings from flat to flat and also harden off for several weeks...I tried two flats of plastic cups last year and hated them. They blow over in the wind, they fell over in my car when I was delivering them to people...Several broke, and I was forever setting them back upright...
I really like the square containers that pack tightly in a flat.

Jeanne

Plant Lady · September 27, 2006

I also have used every posible container for starting seeds. I use those plastic tub containers that hamburger comes in...I sterilize them after washing very good. I make drianage holes in the bottle of the container, the ones I use fit nicely into a gallon recycled zip lock freezer bag, you can write on the plastic container or the ziplock bag. When the seedlings have sprouted and have their first or second set of leaves, I transplant each one into strofoam coffee cups..the larger sized ones. The styrofoam cups are easy to write on also and you can recycle them or tear them up when you transplant outdoors, I have never had a problem with mold using these cups, but I also have a fan blowing on the plants to keep good air flow and I also bottom water. I do not like the peat type pots, as they do not seem to break down as they are said to, there fore they do not allow the roots to grow like they should. The jiffy pellets are alright, but for me they wouldn't work, since I start my tomatoes very early and they are very large plants when I set them outdoors. Here are the size mine are when they are still indoors:

September 12, 2006	#1
daylilydude Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Iuka, Mississippi Zone 7b Posts: 482	Pots for starting seeds ? I was wondering what other pots or what have you used to start seeds.I'm thinking of trying empty toilet roll cardboard tubes cut them in half and plant the whole thing in the ground. I save them to keep cutworms off my tomatoes and i have alot of them has anyone tried these and how did it work out ? Now is there any other weird pots that you all have used :wink: ? __________________ Richard

September 12, 2006	#2
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	I'll have to look for the pictures of mine on my computer. They're of triple yellow datura's; started in the empty toilet roll cardboard tubes cut in half. __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

September 12, 2006	#4
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	I use Jiffy peat pellets. They seem to work, but I am concerned with the fact that the netting around the pellet does not seem to decompost after you transplant the seedlings. dcarch __________________ tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato

September 12, 2006	#5
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	I dont like the peat pellets-I have tried them and have found they dont really decompose-although the roots will grow right through them. I use styrofoam cups, or the parks system-one of them-there are different sizes. http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/s...&OfferCode=SH1 __________________ Michael

September 13, 2006	#6
kimpossible Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Z5b SW Ont Canada Posts: 767	I did actually experiment with the toilet paper roll thing - I had these plastic containers that lettuce leaves came in - about 6" wide x 9" long x 6" deep. I filled it with the rolls, then added the seed starting mix & seed. They were adequate for a couple of weeks, but then the cardboard started to show alot of white mold on the outside - they couldn't dry out - & after that, the plants seemed stressed - longer & lankier than others planted in conventional containers. I won't bother with it again. __________________ *So Many Tomatoes ... So Little Time*

September 13, 2006	#7
Adenn1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philly Posts: 559	I used the jiffy peat pellets this past spring...they worked okay...but I did cut off the webbing when I transplanted them. I am going to seed directly into 16 or 20 oz styrofoam cups this year...will take up more space...but I was very pleased with how healthy the plants developed when using these. At most, I will planting about 25 cups and my neighbor said I could use his green house.

September 13, 2006	#9
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	The only damping off I had this year occurred on seedlings in 8-ounce styrofoam cups. It happened across several varieties both PL and RL and mostly to plants about four weeks old with two or more sets of true leaves. Upon very close examination of the damped off plants, I found the smaller cups had a layer of mold or mildew lookin' stuff on top of the growing medium and overly damp medium in the smaller cups. I think what happened is the crowded conditions and the growing leaf canopy promoted condensation, cut down on air circulation, and created an atmosphere conducive to damping off. This problem was totally non-existent in the hundred or so seedlings started in the 12 and 16-ounce styrofoam cups or in the 4-inch square plastic cups ... only the 8-ounce styrofoam cups. I detest peat pellets ... they don't remain seated in the flats, they float, they stay too damp and rot the seeds, the netting never degrades even in the garden ... I detest them. I used peat pots for some pepper starts this year because I had some given to me. BIG MISTAKE. The only thing peat pots are good for is growing mildew. PV

September 20, 2006	#10
LoreD Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chicago Suburbs Posts: 306	I've had very good luck with the soil blocks. I don't have a lot of storage area for supplies so this works very well. I then transplant into 8 oz paper coffee cups that I get from a restaurant supply store. When they get bigger I transplant into a 16 oz cup that I saved from my morning cup of coffee. I didn't have any problem with damping off, mold, or mildew. LoreD __________________ Its not what you get to keep in life, its what you get to give away.

September 21, 2006	#11
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	I have, in the past and this year as well, used 2.5 oz little plastic bathroom cups as my seed starters, usually with reasonably good success. However, this year, I have noticed some resultant problems... 1 - Drainage - Either the holes in the bottom are too small and the water just kind of congests in the soil mix, leading to rot and/or damping off... or the holes are too big and the soil dries out way too fast and the plant dies. 2 - Water holding capacity - While in the past, I've had a somewhat more controlled seed starting/growing area and lived alone so the wife never bugged me about 'running off and spending time with my plants', now I can only get in and water them every so often.. so the soil dries out or becomes a plug.. and when it becomes a plug, water just runs out around it instead of going through it. Let's face it - 2.5 oz just doesn't hold much water when most of it is soil and root. 3 - Tangled roots - When you're starting 10 seeds per cup, those little roots get tangled up and pot-bound quite fast. When it comes time to pot them up, pulling them apart can require a bit of work. -- Now, don't get me wrong.. In the right environment with the right seed-starting mix, the little 2.5 oz cups are great for starting the seed. They don't take up much space, or soil.. and they will support the plant through at least 4-6" in height. I'm just finding that, if you've got the room, moving up to a slightly larger cup works much better in the long run. ...which brings me to my new best friends - 8 oz styrofoam cups! There are so many good reasons to use these: 1 - CHEAP - I can go to the local dollar store and buy a 66 pack of them for only $1.00! That works out to about 1.5 cents per cup 2 - INSULATED - I never really even thought about this issue until I got my house and started putting plants out back on the patio to harden off. Thin plastic cups or pots let the heat right in and ended up cooking the roots. These styrofoam cups keep the heat out and keeps the root zone more moderated. I would expect the help against the cold too. 3 - EASY TO WORK WITH - Want to put drain holes in the bottom, or on the side? I have used drill bits and soldering irons, and they both work great. Just like a knife through butter. The root ball comes out easily as well, when it's time to pot up... and if they don't you just tear the cup off and get a new one! 4 - WRITE RIGHT ON THEM - With plastic cups or pots, you either have to use a heavy black permanent marker or something sticky. With the styro, I just grab a roller pen or similar and write on them what's in them. Now, I also use the 16 oz styro cups as well, but at this point, I don't really have much need to. Most of my plants either get planted out or sold before they get big enough to need the 16 oz size. Then again, if I do need them they're only $1 for about 30 or so. __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

September 21, 2006	#12
spyfferoni Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 675	I have also had bad luck with peat pots. The plants that I had growing in peat pots were stunted compared to the ones growing in styrofoam cups. They are a waste of money if you ask me, I have also seen better results with seed starting mix then the jiffy pellets. If I need to transplant plants into something bigger, the bottom half or 2/3rd of a 2 litre soft drink bottle works great. Tyffanie

September 21, 2006	#13
bizzarbazzar Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 811	I have seed start trays now, but before I got them I used anything and everything. Empty cleaned and washed styro food containers or the containers wendys (or other fast food restaurant) salads comes in always did the best for me. A friend of mine used ice cube trays with holes in the bottom that she got at a yard sale (she got 100 or so for 5.00) Ive never tried tp rolls...

September 21, 2006	#14
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	In the last few years I have switched over to the plastic , square containers that nursery plants come in. I saved them from bedding plants over the years and also ordered several hundred new ones last year. I start my seeds in large flats, and then pot up to the small squares....I move my seedlings from flat to flat and also harden off for several weeks...I tried two flats of plastic cups last year and hated them. They blow over in the wind, they fell over in my car when I was delivering them to people...Several broke, and I was forever setting them back upright... I really like the square containers that pack tightly in a flat. Jeanne

September 27, 2006	#15
Plant Lady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Arkansas-6b/7a Posts: 55	I also have used every posible container for starting seeds. I use those plastic tub containers that hamburger comes in...I sterilize them after washing very good. I make drianage holes in the bottle of the container, the ones I use fit nicely into a gallon recycled zip lock freezer bag, you can write on the plastic container or the ziplock bag. When the seedlings have sprouted and have their first or second set of leaves, I transplant each one into strofoam coffee cups..the larger sized ones. The styrofoam cups are easy to write on also and you can recycle them or tear them up when you transplant outdoors, I have never had a problem with mold using these cups, but I also have a fan blowing on the plants to keep good air flow and I also bottom water. I do not like the peat type pots, as they do not seem to break down as they are said to, there fore they do not allow the roots to grow like they should. The jiffy pellets are alright, but for me they wouldn't work, since I start my tomatoes very early and they are very large plants when I set them outdoors. Here are the size mine are when they are still indoors: