Seedling growing containers.

[Worth1]

What do you grow your young adolescent plants in?
I have tried everything and have came up with something that works for me.
It is unorthodox and a little pricey but it works and works very well.
Not only that they last forever if you dont break them.
With normal wood working skills you can use a hole saw and make trays for the to sit in.
They are easy to sterilize and you can see the roots.
The sunlight doesn't bother the roots either.
Each one holds 14.5 cubic inches of soil.
You can see how moist the soil is.
They are 1/2 pint canning jars with 1/2 holes drilled in the bottom with a drill press and a diamond hole saw.
There are 45 in this pictuer.
Worth
IMG_20151203_28598.jpg

[kurt]

One seed per plug,from tray to ground,maters at 1-1 1/2 ft will pop right out.A companion water/fert retention tray does all the watering.No more solo cups/cow pots etc.All the farmers and greenhouses use them here in Homestead Fl.They are reusable,clean and stack easy during off season.

http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Nursery-T.../dp/B00M9ADO66

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by kurt

One seed per plug,from tray to ground,maters at 1-1 1/2 ft will pop right out.A companion water/fert retention tray does all the watering.No more solo cups/cow pots etc.All the farmers and greenhouses use them here in Homestead Fl.They are reusable,clean and stack easy during off season.

http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Nursery-T.../dp/B00M9ADO66

Kurt those look pretty good.
I purchased a bunch some time ago and the sun killed every one of them in one season.
They weren't the ones you have though.

Worth

[Moshou]

In my opinion, containers should not be transparent, because the root might be affected by light

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Moshou

In my opinion, containers should not be transparent, because the root might be affected by light

I have used this several times the sun has no effect on the roots at all.
Even if it did it would only be the ones exposed to light.
I also wrapped one in paper and left one exposed there was no difference in the temperature of the soil.
Worth

[greenthumbomaha]

How do you cajole them out of a solid container? Do you pot up in your climate? I love your hole making though. If you lived closer you'd be making holes 24/8!

I use little black plastic seed trays that look line plastic muffin tins for initial dense tomato seed starting. With a good seed starting mix the roots untangle easily. I use the trays Kirt has for onions. For peppers its a deep six pack because they have to wait their turn for potting up.

If I could, I would use soil blocks for everything. I tried and it requires too much strength for me. It throws everything about sterile out the window and you need good soil in mid winter too. I do love the feel of getting dirty and much less transplant setback.

Whatever method you choose , bigger is better. Less drying out chances.

- Lisa

[ContainerTed]

While you already have them, you might as well use them. But I chose to use the 9 ounce plastic drink cups and drill a 3/8" hole in the bottom. Kind of the same thing except your 8-9 oz glass vs my 9 oz plastic. I get up to 180 cups for 3 or 4 bucks. I also wash some out and reuse. The only real difference is price and mine can be dropped without breaking.

Funny how great minds can come up with the same blueprint and use different materials. I love the bottom watering capability. Bottom watering encourages root growth.

Nice job.

[pecker88]

red solo cups; I think they're 16 oz. Cut the bottom rim with razor blade in 3 places. Stack inside a cup that doesn't have holes. To water, simply fill the outer cup with 1" of water and put the soil cup back inside and walk away. The peat mix will suck up the water. The top never gets wet = no fungus gnats.

[BackyardFarm]

Soil blocks and newspaper pots have been the best for me. Very little transplant shock. No containers to store (that is my favorite part because I'm living in an apartment!).
I just started experimenting with them this year (last spring) I will probably use them exclusively this coming spring (except for the plants I'm growing for other people).

I've seen some awesome self watering planters made by cutting glass wine bottles. You cut the bottle in half and flip the top over so the neck goes into the bottom. Fill with some water to cover about half the neck. I think you add a string then to wick the water up? Then you add soil to the top of the bottle and plant your seedlings. I think they would make lovely herb planters for wintertime, especially if you use the bottles that are pretty colors.

[Worth1]

Guys this thread isn't a contest about the best way it is about what you do.
I like to do stuff that is way outside the box and this is a perfect example.
Many of you here know I am a plastic hater, I hate all things made out of plastic or petroleum and chemicals
So one day I got to thinking what on earth could a person use to plant babies in if they didn't have plastic.
When I was a little boy one of my favorite things was to stop at the nursery we had in town.
I remember being so excited when my mother would stop there on the way home from the store or from my dads body shop.
Of course this was back in the 60's so the place was in the neighborhood and owned by a real person not a pile of investors and a computer.
It was made of steel and had real glass windows.
She kept all of her plants mostly African violets and vines in my bedroom on a huge library table made of real wood from the 1800's.
All of the stuff back then was in terracotta or red wood pots of all sizes.
These jars for me are a reflection of a time gone by.
The world has moved on but some things for me dont have to.
These jars are part of that.
It isn't about practicality or economy it is about what makes me feel good.
It makes me remember the old wooden pop bottle crates in front of the store and the returnable pop bottles.
How when I was a kid and only had a dime for the soda but no money to pay the deposit but the store owner knew you would bring the bottle back.

The plants are easy to get out just a simple circle around the sides with a knife and they pop right out.
I start seeds in little peat pellets they get to a certain size and I put them in the jars and then to the garden.
I also have some nice plastic containers and trays too.
I save my salmon cans to as they are tapered.

Worth

[greenthumbomaha]

I never would have guessed that a seedling would pop out of something solid like your jars. I usually have a tug of war to get plants out of a plastic pot.

I forgot to mention I bought large Cow pots from greenhouse megastore last year. They held together until plant out and had a mild smell. Plant growth was about normal. I add lots of "stuff" anyway.

-Lisa

[habitat_gardener]

I reuse 3-inch and 4-inch containers scrounged from the local nursery's dumpsters. For onions, beans, greens, and a few other crops, i start a bunch of seeds in a single pot (Craig's dense planting method) and then pot up into 6-packs when they're large enough to handle.

I use purchased potting soil to start seeds, then pot up into a mix of compost, reused potting soil, etc., which is different every time.

[clkeiper]

I use standard greenhouse products. I start with recycled produce containers collected from buying produce to start the seeds in and then they go to flats with inserts.

[ChiliPeppa]

I totally get it Worth.

[loulac]

Another suggestion : yoghurt pots with a hole punched in the bottom or burned with a hot soldering iron.
Yoghurt pots -without the hole - can be used for fermenting seeds.
You can write a number of the pot, then make a list of your varieties with their names and number.