Choosing the right capacity for seedlings

From the second half of March to the first of April is the optimal time for planting seeds of cabbage, tomatoes, eggplants and other garden crops for growing quality seedlings. In gardening stores sell several options for the tanks for the comfortable cultivation of different types of sprouts. The main thing - to choose the best device for seedlings of vegetables.

Pots

On the market there are several types of pots for seedlings. They differ not only in size, shape, but also in material. Each tank has its own characteristics.

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Plastic pots. Products with round and square sections are adapted for the cultivation of all types of crops. Available in small and large capacity. Gardeners call the most convenient to use round containers, and for compact placement on a window sill or in a greenhouse - square. Possesses optimum moisture-holding properties, protects the root system from damage. In cheap models, you have to do a drainage hole with your own hands.
Important! On sale you can find pots with additional round inserts on the bottom. The device greatly simplifies the ejection of the soil together with the plant from the plastic container.
Peat containers. Externally, the walls of environmentally friendly products resemble a very thick cardboard. Their structure consists of fiber with a concentration of 70% selected peat, the rest is paper. The main advantage of the device is the lack of further need to remove the seedlings from the pot. It is enough to dig a hole in the ground and place the seedlings along with the pot. Gardeners recommend avoiding excessive watering to avoid early deoxidation of the walls of the peat bog before planting. Tablets and peat knuckles. The main material is compressed peat enriched with substances useful for future seedlings. Peat fibers with young peat simultaneously feed young seedlings and protect against pests and diseases. Honeycomb paper. For the first time paper devices with cells for senate were invented in Finland. Gradually, a tara of paraffin-soaked paper became obsolete due to its fragility. Cartridges from synthetic raw materials. Portable packaging for seedlings, made of PVC material or polystyrene, stands out for its ease of design and relatively low cost. Gardeners and gardeners manage to use containers for about a dozen years.

Types of tanks for seedlings

When choosing plants for breeding seedlings, it is important not to be mistaken with the type of container. Each type of packaging for seedlings is invented for comfortable care and further removal of the grown plants for further planting in the garden.

Learn how to save space and soil when planting seedlings, and how to grow seedlings of flowers, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Pots

Reusable seed pots allow you to do without picking seedlings. In the process of transplanting enough to cross the plants in the ground. Produced with opaque walls and bottom. The undeniable advantages of devices:

  • adapted for growing seedlings of a huge range of different crops (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, etc.);
  • reliable protection of roots from damage during cultivation;
  • minimizes the likelihood of rot;
  • low cost.
However, gardeners say minus round products - they take up a lot of space on the windowsill. The main thing is not to miscalculate with the size of the container in order to provide the necessary conditions for the proper development of the seedling.

Boxes for seedlings

Common materials for the boxes are wood and plastic. On the market you can buy models of different sizes, including, for example, for narrow sills. Craftsmen can make a box of the desired size of the wooden plates with their own hands. The main thing is to lay the bottom and walls of self-made containers with a strong moisture-resistant film and think over the drainage. A pallet or stand will be a useful addition to the box for additional protection of the window sill. Advantages of a "temporary home" for seedlings: fast transportation of containers with a large number of sprouts to another place and convenience in the daily care of plants. From these boxes, over time, the seedlings will have to be transplanted into separate containers, so this option is not suitable for plants that don’t tolerate transplanting, like pepper and eggplant.

Paper honeycombs

For the first time paper cups have come up with the use of Finnish breeders. A soil mixture is placed in advance in the paper cells. The main advantage is the possibility of mass planting of green seedlings along with paper cells to ensure better root survival on new soil. The seeds of small plants with a weak root system are planted in the cells.

To date, a good alternative to the soil for growing seedlings is the coconut substrate.
Now you can find on sale paper cells of different configurations. The maximum number of cells of the early models reached the level of 238. In the functional aspect, they were confidently replaced by cassette devices made of peat, which perform the additional task of fertilizing sprouts.

Peat pots

Environmentally friendly disposable containers are very popular with summer residents. In them it is convenient to sow seeds, cuttings and bulb plants. When planted in open ground, such containers will serve as an additional fertilizer seedlings. This ensures absolute survival of the hardened seedlings of tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, eggplants, squash in the ground.

Did you know? The peat contains fibers that can be used in the manufacture of fabrics. For example, in Finland there are even clothes made from such material.
Gardeners recommend avoiding excessive watering in order to avoid early disintegration of the walls of the peat bog before planting. Too wet peat jar loses its shape. Also, peat vessels with plants are poorly combined with overdried earth. It is important to respect the middle ground in watering.

Peat tablets

Round porous tablets look like compact washers. The manufacturer coats the compressed small-fraction peat with a special durable non-woven material to retain the original shape. Gardeners use a novelty for breeding cabbage, onions, and flower crops. Before planting seedlings on garden beds or in the process of transplanting plants to another container, it is important to release the tablets from the reticulum. Left threads will hamper the development of roots in the new space. In each device there is a special recess for seeds. The diameter of eco-tablets is from 2.5 to 9 cm. Gradually, the product swells with the growth of a seedling - its dimensions increase in height, on average, by 5-7 times, although the diameter remains the same. Tara provides a compact dilution of a large number of seedlings on the windowsill. The tablet has good breathability. The disadvantage is that it is important to monitor the moisture level of the substrate.

Read also about whether to buy cassettes for seedlings.

Peat Cartridges

Capacity is adapted for germination of the same types of seedlings that are grown in peat cups and tablets. Externally, the cassettes of this material are similar to a chicken egg tray. There is no need to remove the seedlings from the cells of the peat structure in the process of transplanting plants into the soil of a vegetable garden. Experienced gardeners recommend completely bury the cassette in the ground to avoid drying out of the walls. Minus products - the rapid formation of mold with excessive watering.

Did you know? Peat is so safe for humans that even a Scotch whiskey is made from it.

PVC cassettes and polystyrene

Unlike plastic boxes, mobile nurseries with cells are connected by a thin partition. This ensures the compactness of the container. Due to its compact form, the cassettes gently fold one another after planting. Other advantages of portable PVC and polystyrene products in the horticultural sphere:

  1. Ease.
  2. Compactness.
  3. Sophisticated drainage.
  4. Protection against excessive seedling growth.
  5. Low cost of the product.
Tara is not suitable for growing varieties of eggplant and pepper. Often fragile walls break from prolonged use. From cassettes with a huge number of holes it is difficult to remove adult plants without the risk of damaging the roots.
Important! Poor PVC transparencies contain toxic substances. Pay attention to PVC marking. In particular, chlorine, digested by a sprout, can cause great harm to health. Therefore, they prefer safer polystyrene honeycombs.
For growing seedlings at home, you can buy and tinker yourself different containers. The choice of a certain shape and material of the pot for seedlings depends directly on only three factors: the compatibility of the container with the needs of the garden crop, preferences in size and budget possibilities.

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