First Time with Jiffy Pellets - Page 2

oakley · March 29, 2019

I find them pretty handy as well as coir bricks. I always have them on hand. Since I grow
year round indoors and seed inside, they are compact and less likely to dust the indoor
environment.
I don't use them for small seed like tomatoes but perfect for dwarf sunflowers and early
spring peas, beans, squash, etc.
Larger seed root systems will bust right through the mesh no problem.

Our Spring can be cold and very wet often tragic for direct sowing of seed that is said to
not like transplanting like a pea. At the same time I direct sow peas, I start a couple dozen
in peat pellets. 7 out of ten times the direct sown either rot or are food for birds and such.
The head start in the pellets really helps me get going...then succession planting by
direct sowing weekly is a good combination. Same with the winter and summer squash.

I grow tomatoes densely, 5+ seeds per cell and many varieties. Would not make sense for
me to use pellets.

Don't love them but I would not worry about success rate. Same as any other cell system.
And the mesh just needs a couple simple pulls to ripe it open before re-potting.

greenthumbomaha · March 30, 2019

When I worked in a nursing home, I used peat pellets to start basil seeds. I had low to no expectations, but was proven wrong. A resident had a very nice collection of various basil varieties growing on her window sill, and took in foster plants from the other ladies too. Her secret was that she kept them in the original foam bowl and bottom watered every day. I fed with a little blue stuff once in a while. They were a big hit with the care that they received.

- Lisa

NarnianGarden · March 30, 2019

I am sure anything would work. Nature is quite resilient and willing

My experiment is simply based on the hopes to avoid buying heavy soil bags (I will have to buy them later for the final planting) and many folks seem to use the jiffy pellets so... I thought I'd give them a try. They definitely are lighter to bring from the store than a ten kg bag..!
Will keep a close eye on them, we'll see how it goes.

March 30, 2019

I've not tried them, but I can see where they would have a niche... good luck with them and let us know how it goes!

NarnianGarden · April 6, 2019

An update. About a half of my 24 pellets have come to life! Those are the strong and vigorous ones; there were a few sickly looking ones which had surfaced and died after a few days (or I accidentally managed to give them coup de grace).. As for the remaining ones, I am hopeful. Sowing more seeds 'just in case' would be unwise, because that is a foolproof way to get too many seedlings.
We'll see..

ContainerTed · April 6, 2019

Because of my MG Seed Starting Mix disaster, I went immediately to Jiffy plugs and Jiff Seed Starting mix. I have no complaints about Jiffy. I put some saved seeds from 2012 into the mix and they were up in numbers after day 3.

I also started a bunch of the plugs and have had the same results. But, I agree with a previous comment about not leaving the seedlings in the plug very long. I have potted up most of the 9 dozen plugs I started after the disaster. To do so, I break the netting off and chunk it. Then I break the plug apart enough to get to the individual seedlings and their roots. At this point I am treating them like any other seedling being potted up.

With some of the seedlings, I am combining the material from the broken up plugs and some of the loose Jiffy mix and loading up some of my usual 9 oz cups. I'm also beginning to apply some ferts. I'll repot with my usual potting mix ASAP. Right now, it's a fast pace task to save these seedlings from attempt number two for the first time.

But, I must confess that I have a heat mat. And I love it. You must find a way to add heat to the bottom of your germination flats.

NarnianGarden · April 7, 2019

All that popped up are growing well and seem to have survived their birth trauma. Still waiting for seven - those are varieties I really want to try, including Anmore Dewdrop, Boloto, and Green Grape..

greenthumbomaha · April 7, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

All that popped up are growing well and seem to have survived their birth trauma. Still waiting for seven - those are varieties I really want to try, including Anmore Dewdrop, Boloto, and Green Grape..

If you have extra seeds of the no show varieties, you could try starting them using the Deno (paper towel) method and transplant into the peat pellet after they put out a root. Good luck either way !

- Lisa

Harry Cabluck · April 7, 2019

Find it best to strip off the pellet webbing when transplanting. Don't use them any more, just Jiffy-starting mix. No need to fertilize until the plant develop second set of true leaves.

Edited to add: Now use diatomaceous earth to start tomato seeds. Jiffy mix for basil, lettuce, catnip, etc. Get the DE from automobile parts supply store. Not the claylike stuff that is kitty litter. DE has prevented dampoff.

NarnianGarden · April 9, 2019

Three more babies appeared - woohoo! Antonovka Myeodovaya, Boloto and Golden Eggs. So that brings the total number to 19. Which is enough, under present circumstances.

Will keep a close eye on all of these and transplant them as soon as I can see more than one true leaf...

NarnianGarden · April 9, 2019

But now I saw that one of them has three-leaved cotyledons - I read years ago that it's not good news .. Well, I shall wait it out and hope for the best ..!

Worth1 · April 9, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

But now I saw that one of them has three-leaved cotyledons - I read years ago that it's not good news .. Well, I shall wait it out and hope for the best ..!

I have had them with no problems.
Bad news for pecans though as it produces three nuts not two and you get a lower price.
It can be passed on in the seeds of anything.

NarnianGarden · April 9, 2019

Thanks Worth, that's good to hear.
I found a couple of old threads about the same subject, and it seems to be something quite benign after all ... *feeling relieved*

NarnianGarden · April 20, 2019

Update: Most seeds have germinated and the seedlings are growing well. They are outside on the balcony during the day, not too much direct sunshine, but enough light to make them sturdy and strong. It is good they aren't growing too quickly, because I cannot plant them outside before the end of May.
Following the advice given here, I will soon transplant some of the earliest ones to their own cardboard pot..

Milan HP · March 6, 2021

Being a lazybones I once tried peat Jiffy pellets in hope they'd save me a bit of extra work. I can't remember the diameter, but tomato seeds didn't germinate well in them unlike cucumbers which took the Jiffies in a stride. I never thought of taking the cover off, so I found it still in place when I pulled out my dead cucumbers at the end of the season. That's how I realized the "lazy ways" were not exactly what my plants deserved. Elbow grease is what they appreciate.

Milan HP

April 6, 2019	#6
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	Because of my MG Seed Starting Mix disaster, I went immediately to Jiffy plugs and Jiff Seed Starting mix. I have no complaints about Jiffy. I put some saved seeds from 2012 into the mix and they were up in numbers after day 3. I also started a bunch of the plugs and have had the same results. But, I agree with a previous comment about not leaving the seedlings in the plug very long. I have potted up most of the 9 dozen plugs I started after the disaster. To do so, I break the netting off and chunk it. Then I break the plug apart enough to get to the individual seedlings and their roots. At this point I am treating them like any other seedling being potted up. With some of the seedlings, I am combining the material from the broken up plugs and some of the loose Jiffy mix and loading up some of my usual 9 oz cups. I'm also beginning to apply some ferts. I'll repot with my usual potting mix ASAP. Right now, it's a fast pace task to save these seedlings from attempt number two for the first time. But, I must confess that I have a heat mat. And I love it. You must find a way to add heat to the bottom of your germination flats. __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

April 7, 2019	#9
Harry Cabluck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 217	Find it best to strip off the pellet webbing when transplanting. Don't use them any more, just Jiffy-starting mix. No need to fertilize until the plant develop second set of true leaves. Edited to add: Now use diatomaceous earth to start tomato seeds. Jiffy mix for basil, lettuce, catnip, etc. Get the DE from automobile parts supply store. Not the claylike stuff that is kitty litter. DE has prevented dampoff. Last edited by Harry Cabluck; April 7, 2019 at 10:42 PM. Reason: Now use DE for tomato starts.

March 29, 2019	#1
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	I find them pretty handy as well as coir bricks. I always have them on hand. Since I grow year round indoors and seed inside, they are compact and less likely to dust the indoor environment. I don't use them for small seed like tomatoes but perfect for dwarf sunflowers and early spring peas, beans, squash, etc. Larger seed root systems will bust right through the mesh no problem. Our Spring can be cold and very wet often tragic for direct sowing of seed that is said to not like transplanting like a pea. At the same time I direct sow peas, I start a couple dozen in peat pellets. 7 out of ten times the direct sown either rot or are food for birds and such. The head start in the pellets really helps me get going...then succession planting by direct sowing weekly is a good combination. Same with the winter and summer squash. I grow tomatoes densely, 5+ seeds per cell and many varieties. Would not make sense for me to use pellets. Don't love them but I would not worry about success rate. Same as any other cell system. And the mesh just needs a couple simple pulls to ripe it open before re-potting.

March 30, 2019	#2
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	When I worked in a nursing home, I used peat pellets to start basil seeds. I had low to no expectations, but was proven wrong. A resident had a very nice collection of various basil varieties growing on her window sill, and took in foster plants from the other ladies too. Her secret was that she kept them in the original foam bowl and bottom watered every day. I fed with a little blue stuff once in a while. They were a big hit with the care that they received. - Lisa

March 30, 2019	#3
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	I am sure anything would work. Nature is quite resilient and willing My experiment is simply based on the hopes to avoid buying heavy soil bags (I will have to buy them later for the final planting) and many folks seem to use the jiffy pellets so... I thought I'd give them a try. They definitely are lighter to bring from the store than a ten kg bag..! Will keep a close eye on them, we'll see how it goes.

March 30, 2019	#4
MdTNGrdner Guest Posts: n/a	I've not tried them, but I can see where they would have a niche... good luck with them and let us know how it goes!

April 9, 2019	#10
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Three more babies appeared - woohoo! Antonovka Myeodovaya, Boloto and Golden Eggs. So that brings the total number to 19. Which is enough, under present circumstances. Will keep a close eye on all of these and transplant them as soon as I can see more than one true leaf...

April 20, 2019	#14
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Update: Most seeds have germinated and the seedlings are growing well. They are outside on the balcony during the day, not too much direct sunshine, but enough light to make them sturdy and strong. It is good they aren't growing too quickly, because I cannot plant them outside before the end of May. Following the advice given here, I will soon transplant some of the earliest ones to their own cardboard pot..

March 6, 2021	#15
Milan HP Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Ústí nad Labem in the north of the Czech Republic Posts: 332	Being a lazybones I once tried peat Jiffy pellets in hope they'd save me a bit of extra work. I can't remember the diameter, but tomato seeds didn't germinate well in them unlike cucumbers which took the Jiffies in a stride. I never thought of taking the cover off, so I found it still in place when I pulled out my dead cucumbers at the end of the season. That's how I realized the "lazy ways" were not exactly what my plants deserved. Elbow grease is what they appreciate. Milan HP