Who uses plug trays? - Page 2

Rajun Gardener · January 27, 2018

What are you feeding that thing? It's hard to believe it grew that much in less than a month.

What kind of pepper is it?

rhines81 · January 27, 2018

These are the last of my Billy Biker jalapeno seeds that I wanted to get rid of this year, I decided to grow them as indoor plants to see if I can get ripe peppers by the end of May. They are in cheap Jiffy mix right now, I use Promix when I pot them up. They just got their 1st dose of weak fertilizer this evening, nothing but water since they sprouted. I think root space matters initially.

Rajun Gardener · January 27, 2018

That might be it, what ever you're doing it's working. I can't get that type growth in the greenhouse with low night time temps, I do expect them to jump up in about 3 weeks when the temps stay above 45 at night.

I'll see soon enough, I never paid much attention to pepper growth because it was 2nd on the list behind tomatoes.

bower · January 27, 2018

I use 72 cell for tomatoes and for peppers. They fill those with roots by the time true leaf number 3 is pushing out. I would think smaller cells would just mean you have to pot up sooner.
The smallest cells I've seen were really shallow as well, used for basil at the farm. I'm gonna have to google and ogle those teeny ones!

If I had lots of space and wanted to save time, I would probably go direct from mass germination in big cells right into pots. I have to do mass germination, limited space on heat mat.

I did google and the 392 is the same one we used for basil at the farm.

They are tiny and I found them not really easy to transplant. Bit of a trick to popping them out of the cells, otherwise they get squashed and may as well be bare rooted. Very small soil volume at a third of an inch. But it was perfect size for starting basil, and may be perfect for germinating slow hot peppers too... Let us know how it goes.

rhines81 · January 27, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

That might be it, what ever you're doing it's working. I can't get that type growth in the greenhouse with low night time temps, I do expect them to jump up in about 3 weeks when the temps stay above 45 at night.

I'll see soon enough, I never paid much attention to pepper growth because it was 2nd on the list behind tomatoes.

I can start and grow 12 trays, 300+ pepper/tomato plants, in an 8 sq ft space (3 stacked shelves) indoors (70F) until I pot up ... then a green house would be very nice to have cause I run out of space quickly after that. Tomato plants are more challenging because of their vertical space requirement, hard to stack up after 6 weeks so they need more floor space.

rhines81 · January 27, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by bower

If I had lots of space and wanted to save time, I would probably go direct from mass germination in big cells right into pots. I have to do mass germination, limited space on heat mat.

Most of the time, not all of the time, I toss my seeds into moist coffee filters and baggies. I place numerous labeled baggies in a 1020 tray on top of my room heating unit with several spacers (about 85F at that location). I don't think I've ever tried more than 20 seeds of one variety per filter, but you could probably do 50. The nice thing is that you could literally do 1000 seeds or much more in one 1020 tray and only waste soil space on the ones that germinate.
Dedicating space for a plug tray for germinating is not the most efficient use of that space (or heat), especially in the Spring when you need the space to start other things.
I think once the cotyledons are fully out, the plants can tolerate a cooler location. My house is a 68-70 normally so I haven't experimented with the 50F growing range yet.
But the point is, you really only need a very small space for germination. After that, additional space is dedicated only to sprouted seeds and that requires some pre-planning.

greenthumbomaha · January 28, 2018

I started onions in a plug tray with zillions of cells. It was a mistake. The seeds germinated fine but I couldn't keep it moist indoors for very long.

Those very small cells are intended for use in a professional misted germination chamber. The other option might be a moisture control potting mix. I would get the peppers into a larger cell asap so they don't accidently get dried out.

I seldom use coffee filters because I am a clutz when it comes to potting them, but it is a very convenient method for large scale germination. I have peas going in them now, as well as in soil as a back up.

- Lisa

rhines81 · January 29, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenthumbomaha

I have peas going in them now, as well as in soil as a back up.

- Lisa

Peas? Let me know how those do for you in a coffee filter. I never tried large seeds like that before thinking there is too much surface area.

FourOaks · January 30, 2018

Been a long while since I posted here.. but this question hit home as im currently starting seeds for the High Tunnels for production and seeds for my Spring Plant Sale.

For the longest time I used the 72 cell plugs. Now, im experimenting with using 1204 inserts. You can easily sow 2,3 or even 4 seeds per cell. I have tried "community planting" and didnt care for it.

When its time to transplant just soak with warm water to untangle any roots, then transplant.

As stated earlier, transplanting is a given. Obviously the earlier you transplant the less shock the seedling incurs. Im thinking a really loose seedling mix would be ideal. Right now im just sticking with my go-to peat perlite mix.

BigVanVader · January 30, 2018

What is it y'all don't like about mass sowing? This is 50 pepper seedlings. I love this picture, shows just how much you start in such a tiny space.

Rajun Gardener · January 30, 2018

I had to try the plug tray to make transplanting easier. If it doesn't work then I go back to community pots.

I transplanted a few flats yesterday and have more to do today. I did do my usually mass planting this year, those plants aren't yellow just the sun setting.

FourOaks · January 30, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

What is it y'all don't like about mass sowing? This is 50 pepper seedlings. I love this picture, shows just how much you start in such a tiny space.

Dang!

Since you asked, my main problem was tangled roots. I couldnt get them undone.

But I will say, that is beautiful pic. What did you use to form that size?

FourOaks · January 30, 2018

Rajun...

Good looking transplants.

Just curious, on chilly nights, what is your approach? Frost cover? Space heater?

BigVanVader · January 30, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by FourOaks

Dang!

Since you asked, my main problem was tangled roots. I couldnt get them undone.

But I will say, that is beautiful pic. What did you use to form that size?

Like soil or what? Just potting mix, a old plastic container, and a little urine.

FourOaks · January 30, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Like soil or what? Just potting mix, a old plastic container, and a little urine.

Guess I wasnt clear. I meant the container.

Hmm.. I might have to take another whack at mass plantings. I need to start a bunch of pepper seeds, today.

January 27, 2018	#19
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	I use 72 cell for tomatoes and for peppers. They fill those with roots by the time true leaf number 3 is pushing out. I would think smaller cells would just mean you have to pot up sooner. The smallest cells I've seen were really shallow as well, used for basil at the farm. I'm gonna have to google and ogle those teeny ones! If I had lots of space and wanted to save time, I would probably go direct from mass germination in big cells right into pots. I have to do mass germination, limited space on heat mat. I did google and the 392 is the same one we used for basil at the farm. They are tiny and I found them not really easy to transplant. Bit of a trick to popping them out of the cells, otherwise they get squashed and may as well be bare rooted. Very small soil volume at a third of an inch. But it was perfect size for starting basil, and may be perfect for germinating slow hot peppers too... Let us know how it goes. Last edited by bower; January 27, 2018 at 08:38 PM. Reason: add

January 27, 2018	#16
Rajun Gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Tomato Cornhole Posts: 2,550	What are you feeding that thing? It's hard to believe it grew that much in less than a month. What kind of pepper is it?

January 27, 2018	#17
rhines81 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Zone 5A, Poconos Posts: 959	These are the last of my Billy Biker jalapeno seeds that I wanted to get rid of this year, I decided to grow them as indoor plants to see if I can get ripe peppers by the end of May. They are in cheap Jiffy mix right now, I use Promix when I pot them up. They just got their 1st dose of weak fertilizer this evening, nothing but water since they sprouted. I think root space matters initially.

January 28, 2018	#22
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	I started onions in a plug tray with zillions of cells. It was a mistake. The seeds germinated fine but I couldn't keep it moist indoors for very long. Those very small cells are intended for use in a professional misted germination chamber. The other option might be a moisture control potting mix. I would get the peppers into a larger cell asap so they don't accidently get dried out. I seldom use coffee filters because I am a clutz when it comes to potting them, but it is a very convenient method for large scale germination. I have peas going in them now, as well as in soil as a back up. - Lisa

January 30, 2018	#24
FourOaks Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NC Posts: 511	Been a long while since I posted here.. but this question hit home as im currently starting seeds for the High Tunnels for production and seeds for my Spring Plant Sale. For the longest time I used the 72 cell plugs. Now, im experimenting with using 1204 inserts. You can easily sow 2,3 or even 4 seeds per cell. I have tried "community planting" and didnt care for it. When its time to transplant just soak with warm water to untangle any roots, then transplant. As stated earlier, transplanting is a given. Obviously the earlier you transplant the less shock the seedling incurs. Im thinking a really loose seedling mix would be ideal. Right now im just sticking with my go-to peat perlite mix.