potting up - keep plug or remove?

navajoah · April 19, 2011

hello - probably a stupid question but do I remove the tomato start from the plug when I pot up ("gently rip" it out) or do I pot up with the peat plug?

rwsacto · April 19, 2011

remove the net (if you haven't already) and pot up the whole peat plug.

Rick

danwigz · April 19, 2011

Last year I started my seeds with those peat plugs and did a few experiments with ripping off the net or leaving it on. By the end of the season I couldn't tell the difference.

But yes, pot the entire plug. One of the good reasons for using a peat plug is that you don't break up the root system when you transplant. Beyond that, I suggest investing in some seed starting mix next year, I've found its much less expensive.

Danwigz

navajoah · April 19, 2011

perfect - the plugs I have do not have netting, so that solves that. thanks for the advice! some of the seedlings are leggy, and I am not potting up into big pots, so I imagine laying the plugs sideways so that I can bury a lot of the "leg" of the stem would make sense then, correct?

danwigz · April 19, 2011

Yeah, if you're potting up, try to get the plant buried up to the first set of leaves. That will really help with root development; remember you're starting early not to necessarily produce a huge plant, but to have a developed root system so when you do plant in the ground your plant will be able to concentrate on fruit development as opposed to struggling to find the nutrients in needs to grow. Granted it will take a while for fruit to develop, it will happen sooner the stronger your plant is, and a good root system is key to that.

Danwigz

navajoah · April 24, 2011

Just wanted to thank everyone again for advice - plants immediately took to the new trays and are thriving. Actually, I feel like growth seemed stunted in the plugs while within a day or two of potting up they just exploded with growth. Yay!

navajoah · April 26, 2011

Now that I have the plugs re-potted, I wanted to see if anyone else had experienced more of a stunted growth using peat plugs and then when transplanting the seedlings find that they just take off and grow like mad? My seedlings were getting nowhere after about 3 weeks sitting in the peat plugs under strong T5 grow lignts, but when I potted up to seedling mix they just skyrocketed (in a good non-leggy way). I think I am going to go with the seedling potting mix from here on from start to planting outside....

danwigz · April 26, 2011

Depending on the size of the plug, they have not a whole lot of room to get a large root system developed (I'm a proponent of more space, even if the plant doesn't necessarily need it for strong root development). I usually try to transplant my plants into a mix of potting soil/black earth as soon as they show their first true leaves to help give them some nutrients. In general, when seedlings get more room they grow faster/bigger.

Now I just wish I had time to pot up all my seedlings, they're getting mad at me. Hopefully I'll be able to this weekend!

Danwigz

Worth1 · April 26, 2011

Seed starting mix plug or what ever you use is just that seeds starting.

I put the critters in good soil when the first roots appear to grow from the nets.
be it 3/4 inches tall or whatever.

I usually put 2 seeds per plug and rip the net off then rip the plants apart.
Sometimes I will even put 2to4 plants in one 3 to 4 inch pot and rip them apart when planting out.

Plants are not mammals and tomatoes can put up with a lot.
I could care less what I do to the roots.

Worth

April 19, 2011	#1
navajoah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 22	potting up - keep plug or remove? hello - probably a stupid question but do I remove the tomato start from the plug when I pot up ("gently rip" it out) or do I pot up with the peat plug?

April 19, 2011	#2
rwsacto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 288	remove the net (if you haven't already) and pot up the whole peat plug. Rick

April 19, 2011	#3
danwigz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 150	Last year I started my seeds with those peat plugs and did a few experiments with ripping off the net or leaving it on. By the end of the season I couldn't tell the difference. But yes, pot the entire plug. One of the good reasons for using a peat plug is that you don't break up the root system when you transplant. Beyond that, I suggest investing in some seed starting mix next year, I've found its much less expensive. Danwigz

April 24, 2011	#6
navajoah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 22	Just wanted to thank everyone again for advice - plants immediately took to the new trays and are thriving. Actually, I feel like growth seemed stunted in the plugs while within a day or two of potting up they just exploded with growth. Yay!

April 26, 2011	#7
navajoah Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 22	Now that I have the plugs re-potted, I wanted to see if anyone else had experienced more of a stunted growth using peat plugs and then when transplanting the seedlings find that they just take off and grow like mad? My seedlings were getting nowhere after about 3 weeks sitting in the peat plugs under strong T5 grow lignts, but when I potted up to seedling mix they just skyrocketed (in a good non-leggy way). I think I am going to go with the seedling potting mix from here on from start to planting outside....

April 26, 2011	#9
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Seed starting mix plug or what ever you use is just that seeds starting. I put the critters in good soil when the first roots appear to grow from the nets. be it 3/4 inches tall or whatever. I usually put 2 seeds per plug and rip the net off then rip the plants apart. Sometimes I will even put 2to4 plants in one 3 to 4 inch pot and rip them apart when planting out. Plants are not mammals and tomatoes can put up with a lot. I could care less what I do to the roots. Worth