transplant containers
 

Does anyone know where to get cheap plastic conatiners that could be used for transplanting my seedlings. Ideally, those cheap nursery flats would be perfect (5" or 4") containers would work for me. I need only 2 dozen or so, so I really don't want to buy 500 of them. What do other people use? love to hear some ideas

Some of the plant nurseries around here have a large selection of things they throw away when they transplant that can be bleach-water washed. 10% bleach

I think the sizes on the common flats are 11"x17" or 17"x17"

One nursery I know of has a mountian of plastic and most of it is perfectly good and going to be thrown away.

Brad......

16- or 20-oz plastic drinking cups work GREAT! I use the slightly smaller styrofoam cups for mine, but that's because I want to fit a few more in the same tray.

Nice thing is, you can get a pack of about 20 of the plastic cups for under $2. Just drill some holes in the bottom and you're ready to rock.

I did bite the bullet and buy 4" pots from Charley's Greenhouse (discounts start at qty of 90), but for 2 dozen plants, Styrofoam or plastic cups with holes drilled in them is probably perfect for your needs.

Of course if you start growing other crops like cucumbers and squash from seeds you start yourself, or flowers, etc. etc. pretty soon you'll find a reason to buy 4" pots. ;) ;) ;)

Are the 20 oz plastic cups big enough? I used them last year only to have to repot them again when the plants outgrew them. That was why I was shooting for 4" pots. Seems to me that the styrofoam cups are great if you can get the plants into the ground quckly

4" pots are 3" x 3" x 4". A 20 oz plastic cup should be that big or bigger.

I really cheap out; go to the $1 store and buy 20, 16 oz plastic cups and use them for transplants after I poke a hole in the bottom and put a small piece of paper towel over the hole - fill 1/4 of the way - put the plant in the cup ? and back fill ~
Has worked great every year & supa cheap ~

Tom

Okay, I did some looking.. 1 cup = 14.4375 cubic inches.

By this figure, a 20 oz. cup should hold roughly 36.09375 cubic inches.

Feldon's figures of 3" x 3" x 4" = 36 cubic inches.

That's a pretty close comparison, if you ask me :D

oh boy , i use the foam cups too, first i use the 11 x 20 inch trays with 72 count cells then trans plant to 8.5 oz foam cut then the 16 oz cup, if u buy a lot go to sams. holes in the bottom, hym gas stove old phillips screwdriver heat and burn makes a nice hole or holes i like 3 and can burn thru 5 cupa at a wack.

going to a green house show in juce with lots of vendors and will be looking for trays that fit the cups to make life more stable
taking foam cups with me in a bad to test fit samples
lol

Yep...use the 16 ounce styrofoam cups. I just bought 20 for $1.24. I poke four or five holes in the bottom and place the seedling where just the top of the plant is evern with top of cup. I back fill up to the leaves and then add more as the plant grows...this really allows for great root development.

I use the foam cups---they are really easy to tear away from the plant without disturbing the roots at all. I just bought a pack of 60 for a $1. (at the Dollar Store!)

Sirtanon, are you an engineer? very impressive analytical skills

Anyway you guys must transplant outdoors when the plants are smaller than mine. My plants outgrew 16" cups last year and I had to go for bigger.

What is the height of your plants when transplanting? Mine are about a foot high- usually-maybe not this year if all goes according to plan. I know they have 32" cups as well but I guess its a trade off with how much money I spend on the xtra dirt

If you need bigger, save your half-gallon and gallon milk jugs. Cut off the top part of the jug to just below the handle. Wash thorougly with soap & hot water, then rinse with a 10% bleach solution and follow it up with a thorough rinse in plain water. I just stab drain holes with a tiny kitchen knife. And I use a knitting needle on the styrofoam cups.

[quote=where_with_all;54174]What is the height of your plants when transplanting? Mine are about a foot high- usually-maybe not this year if all goes according to plan. I know they have 32" cups as well but I guess its a trade off with how much money I spend on the xtra dirt[/quote]
Of course everyone has different growing techniques. In Houston, because temperatures ramp up dramatically from plant out, we tend to grow and plant larger plants so they will hopefully take off faster. So we do pot up from 4" pots to half gallon or gallon pots when the plants surpass 8".

But in New York, I think you could probably just start seeds a week or two later and not have to fool with potting up after 16/20 oz cups or 4" pots. Because of cool temperatures around the time you plant out, the smaller plants will probably catch up quickly to the ones in gallon pots. It really comes down to soil temperature. If you can check your soil temperature at time of plant out, that will tell you if the tomato plant is going to stall or take off.

Based on no scientific analysis but just looking at my garden, I will say my plants that were in gallon pots have about a 2 week advantage over the ones that were still in 4" pots and much smaller transplants. But then again temps at the time of plant out were mid-70's during the day and mid-50's at night. And we're back to that for the foreseeable future, until the furnace kicks on.

[quote=where_with_all;54174]Sirtanon, are you an engineer? very impressive analytical skills

Anyway you guys must transplant outdoors when the plants are smaller than mine. My plants outgrew 16" cups last year and I had to go for bigger.

What is the height of your plants when transplanting? Mine are about a foot high- usually-maybe not this year if all goes according to plan. I know they have 32" cups as well but I guess its a trade off with how much money I spend on the xtra dirt[/quote]

Engineer? :lol: No, can't say that I am... although I did study Nuclear Engineering in college. Got bored with it, actually :shock:

I work with computers now.. much more interesting. I have always been good with numbers though, so that would explain it.

I see no need in potting up or putting multipule fancy hole in them. I don't even put holes in them until I set them out in the sun/rain. Then I just poke them with whatever ususally my knife so technically its a slit not a hole. LOL But that's just me.

I raise over 300 plants each year and transplant from seed starting tray to 10-12 oz cups and that's it. Haven't got time to baby them like most of you seem to have.

When March 1 rolls around I plant out in the garden. Usually my plants are 18" tall by then. Yes, the cup is packed with roots.

My raised beds are around a foot to 15" above ground. I use a post hole digger to dig to grade and set the plant which leaves around 4 to 6" exposed above the bed. My plants begin growing like wild fire. We get 45 inches of rain a year and some downpours are up to 10" in a few hours.

This is what works for me. Take it for what its worth.

By the way my plants are now 2.5 to 3 ft above the raised beds and loaded with fruit. I'll be harvesting the first of May through June. How about you?

Well I've got to get back to my sandwich and work.

See ya!
Michael

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm using Styrofoam cups this year (16 oz) and was wondering what others use to tote them in and out when hardening them off.

I'll have to carry them up and down stairs, so I can definitely see myself dropping a few without something to keep them packed together.

Go to walmart and buy a kitty litter pan. They are strong enough to handle the weight of cup with plants and soil. They are cheap enough that if you donot need them after your plantout just throw it away.

Hunter, you might also consider one of those totes with the handle in the middle intended for carting cleaning supplies around. Those are usually in the $2-3 range. Or if you have a big, old-fashioned turkey roaster, you can fit several dozen 16 ounce cups in each half. Those are around $10 or so at Walmart BTW.

Flats from a garden center or nursery work just fine. A lot of folks just buy a few small 4 packs of flowers which leaves the flats /trays. Ask if you can have a few of the extras? If customers don't ask for them, often they just get tossed in the trash.

[quote=Deer Park;54306]I see no need in potting up or putting multipule fancy hole in them. I don't even put holes in them until I set them out in the sun/rain. Then I just poke them with whatever ususally my knife so technically its a slit not a hole. LOL But that's just me.

I raise over 300 plants each year and transplant from seed starting tray to 10-12 oz cups and that's it......Usually my plants are 18" tall by then. Yes, the cup is packed with roots.[/quote]
Michael, I am always interested in your growing techniques. I am a member of your unofficial fan club. And I haven't even seen pictures (not for lack of trying or offering to come down and be your unofficial or official photographer :)). Wow...18" plants in 10-12oz cups. I'm guessing they start trying to flower and set fruit and you have to pinch the blossoms off at least once before transplanting?

[quote=Deer Park;54306] My raised beds are around a foot to 15" above ground. I use a post hole digger to dig to grade and set the plant which leaves around 4 to 6" exposed above the bed. My plants begin growing like wild fire. We get 45 inches of rain a year and some downpours are up to 10" in a few hours.[/quote]
I know the rain all too well. I'm curious if you add anything to the hole?

[quote=Deer Park;54306]By the way my plants are now 2.5 to 3 ft above the raised beds and loaded with fruit. I'll be harvesting the first of May through June. How about you?[/quote]
I did not get my plants out until March 10th because of the freezes we were having at night. It actually got to 32.

My plants are all about 2 - 2.5 ft tall and setting fruit. I have some good fruitset on some varieties, but not all. New Big Dwarf, Brad's Black Heart, Paul Robeson, Brandy Boy, 1 Cherokee Green, Gary O'Sena, and Tom's Yellow Wonder are each loaded up with blossoms, but I don't see anything set yet except 2 BB's. I've been diligently buzzing each blossom with an electric toothbrush. More status in the Houston Progress Report. ;)

[quote=Deer Park;54306]See ya!
Michael[/quote]
Hoping to see you you-know-where. :)

According to Carolyn's book (and my experience so far this year) a 2" cell (32 per tray) can support a 6" to 9" seedling ready for the garden. This is after 6 to 8 weeks of growing. A 16 oz. cup should support a much larger plant than that. I have a 15" plant in my garage in a 4" pot and it is doing fine so far.

hunter, I use a cheap plastic storage box from kmart. I have also used a kitty litter box but the one I have has a bottom that is slightly raised (1/2in) in the middle. I guess it so that- well- I don't think I have to explain. Anyway, if the bottom is not flat the stryofoam seedlings topple over when moving them around- Just soemthing to consider

Feldon- The whole point of the exercise is to get my long season tomatoes earlier. I have not even started the seedlings to my cherry or paste yet because I did not want to bother with all the effort. But My BW and EF have to get into the ground by early may if I am going to get fruit in August. Hence the need for larger transplant pots.

Last year my plants in 20oz styrofoams were all root bound in two-three weeks. I must be doing something wrong. Maybe too much ferterlizer? I don't think a foot long plant can live in a 20oz cup and not be hurting. Not from what I have seen.

hunter, I use a cheap plastic storage box from kmart. I have also used a kitty litter box, but the one I have has a bottom that is slightly raised (1/2in) in the middle. I guess it so that- well- I don't think I have to explain. Anyway, if the bottom is not flat the stryofoam cups topple over when moving them around- Just something to consider

Feldon- The whole point of the exercise is to get my long season tomatoes earlier. I have not even started the seedlings to my cherry or paste yet because I did not want to bother with all the effort. But My BW and EF have to get into the ground by early may if I am going to get fruit in August. Hence the need for larger transplant pots.

Last year my plants in 20oz styrofoams were all root bound in two-three weeks after transplant. I must be doing something wrong. Maybe too much ferterlizer? I don't think a foot long plant can live in a 20oz cup and not be hurting. Not from what I have seen.

I have bought 6 packs of tomatoes and peppers and when I planted them out they were extremely root bound and they did just fine. From what DeerPark says, planting plants with a large root ball hasn't hurt his plants at all. If you are still worried, 2 liter soda bottles cut in half would be good cheap container and they are always easy to find. It is my understanding that you don't need to fertilize very much or maybe not at all before planting out. Maybe just a weak solution of liquid kelp or fish emulsion. I've never fertilized mine before I plant out. Good Luck!

Tyff

I potted up over a dozen plants into 1/2 ~ 2 gallon pots when they got to the 12-16" stage.

[URL="http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/photos/v/memberphotos/morgan/spring2007/CIMG1868-seedlings22.jpg.html"] [IMG]http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/photos/d/3028-2/CIMG1868-seedlings22.jpg[/IMG]
Click for Larger Size[/URL]

[quote=where_with_all;54464]
Last year my plants in 20oz styrofoams were all root bound in two-three weeks after transplant. I must be doing something wrong. Maybe too much ferterlizer? I don't think a foot long plant can live in a 20oz cup and not be hurting. Not from what I have seen.[/quote]

Personally, I'd say that if your plants were ALREADY rootbound after being in the 20-oz cups only 2-3 weeks, you were doing something RIGHT. Root growth of that magnitude to me says that the plant is growing well and doing what it needs to establish itself.

Don't worry about it having that many roots.. it's just trying to improve its chances at getting nutrients as fast as possible. When you transplant, just water it well before you take it out of the cup, and then spread the roots out by hand. More roots = Faster growth after transplant.

Thanks for the great ideas everyone!

Feldon,

Yes, I do put something in the bottom of my hole.

I put a mixture of the following: crushed egg shells saved throughout the year, lime, ironite, epson salt, composted manure and 12-24-12 fertilizer then a layer of year old leaves and then I set my plant. I continue to place leaves and grass clipping on top of the ground all year round. I don't do anything else but water and pick off bugs later on. There, you happy now you drug it out of me. LOL

Michael

Aha! I have the secret recipe of 2 greats, Earl and Michael. ;)

Er, now what? ;) ;)