Do I need drainage in peat pots. The use of peat pots for seedlings. Video: a prerequisite - do not overdry
Many have heard of peat pots designed for growing seedlings, rooting cuttings, but not everyone dares to use them.
Some treat them with distrust. For other flower growers, peat pots turned out to be a real find. They are made from peat with the addition of wood or cardboard.
To reduce the acidity of peat, chalk or lime is added to the mixture (in some cases).
Benefits of peat pots
- quality peat cups are durable, so they are resistant to soaking, severe deformation during the entire period of growing seedlings.
- There are peat various sizes, which allows you to grow seedlings of various crops, while the roots will develop well.
- During their manufacture, they can be added mineral fertilizers, which subsequently serve as additional nutrition for seedlings.
Disadvantages of peat pots
Given all the disadvantages, the costs may not be justified. However, knowing some tricks, peat cups can be successfully used to grow seedlings of flowers and vegetables, such as marigolds, physiostegia.
For example, to make the moisture evaporate more slowly, the pots can be wrapped in polyethylene.
The containers can be used to grow plants with strong root systems, such as petunias, surfinias, etc. When planted in the ground, the roots will be able to break through the walls.
When planting in the ground, the cups should be completely buried in the soil (which will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture), before that, small holes can be made in the walls, then the roots can develop freely.
Before landing in open ground seedlings are watered abundantly. Some flower growers deliberately soak the pots, then take out the seedlings and plant them in the ground together with an earthen clod.
How to use peat pots?
The process of growing seedlings of any plant at home is not an easy task and requires compliance with all necessary conditions which are acceptable for seed germination. Many owners of summer cottages and household plots make considerable efforts to grow strong and hardy plants, which subsequently give excellent yields and beautiful flowering. Read the article:
Video: Yeast, beer - fertilizer, fertilizing vegetables and flowers. Grandfather's feeding methods
Planting plants with seedlings shortens the period of vegetative growth in open ground and brings the harvest time closer. Seedlings are especially applicable in cold territorial climatic zones, where summer period much shorter compared to warm edges.
Video: Peat pots for seedlings are dangerous! Sharing experience
especially important point during sowing is the choice of a vessel that should not be too deep and heavy, but at the same time roomy and comfortable for carrying and transporting. A professional gardener always prefers to grow seedlings in individual molds in order to avoid them diving.
Video: How to plant seedlings of cucumbers from peat pots
A completely new product has appeared on the market for summer residents - peat pots for seedlings, which are a convenient container for growing them. Comfort is an acceptable property for the owner himself land plot, peat is applicable more in order to create optimal right conditions for the development of shoots and compliance with minimal damage to the root system when planting them in open ground.
Video: WATERING seedlings with broth. INVENTION FOR WATERING delicate seedlings of flowers and vegetables
Peat containers can have a completely different look - round, square, in the form of cups and solid sectional forms of pots, with the possibility of piece or block use, having completely different parameters of diameter and depth: 100 * 100mm, 90 * 90 mm, 80 * 80 mm, 70*70mm, 60*60mm, 50*50mm, with wall thickness from 1.5mm to 2.5mm.
High-quality peat containers are sold in packaged form in order to comply with proper storage standards and prevent premature soaking.
Many vegetable crops it is impossible to cultivate and get a bountiful harvest without growing them from seedlings. To improve the development of plants, many summer residents buy peat pots for seedlings. How to use them? We invite you to find out the answer to this question from the article.
Peat cups for seedlings
Peat cups - how to use?
Such containers are made from peat (50-70%) and various impurities (50-30%) - cardboard, wood. When choosing cups, you should not buy too cheap options. Often they contain a large percentage of additives and much less peat. The best ratio is 70% peat and 30% paper.
Peat cups for plantings are an environmentally friendly "home". It contains no harmful microflora, weed seeds, pathogens. The cups have a different volume (from 0.05 to 0.5 l), shape and light weight. For well-made products, the wall thickness should not be less than 1.5 millimeters, after planting in open ground, they should easily decompose (no more than 30 days).
TO positive qualities Such containers include:
- Due to the porous structure, they provide good penetration of air and water to the roots.
- When transplanted into open ground, plants adapt more easily, their roots easily penetrate through the bottom and walls of the pots.
- Peat containers have sufficient density and resistance to minor mechanical damage.
- When decomposed in the soil, the cups serve as a fertilizer, as peat improves the quality of the soil and is an ecological material.
The main disadvantage when using pots is that seedlings require frequent watering, due to fast drying soil. In order for the seedlings to grow and develop well, the seeds must be sown in peat cups correctly. Some pots are sold as a single tray with cells. Before use, they must be cut into separate containers, soaked in a solution of mineral and organic fertilizers and dry well. Small holes should be made at the bottom of the cups, and eggshells can be put on the bottom as a drainage layer.
Planting seeds in peat cups
Containers are slightly filled wet ground, taking it a little. The soil is not completely poured, 10-15 millimeters from the edge should be left.
You can plant seeds, bulbs, sprouts after picking in them.
How to use peat pots for seedlings
Before sowing, it is useful to water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Pots are placed in a tray. Seedlings need to be watered regularly, maintaining constant soil moisture. It is important to ensure that the cups do not dry out. To prevent this, you can wrap each container on the outside cling film. As the seedlings grow, the peat pots need to be spaced more freely so that the seedlings are not crowded and can get more light.
In peat containers, you can grow seedlings of any plants, especially those with fragile and tender root system(cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes). Since peat increases the acidity of the soil, these pots are recommended for crops that prefer neutral or acidic soil.
So, now you know everything about peat cups for seedlings - how to use or how to sow seeds in them. When purchasing cups, their size (depth, diameter) should be selected depending on the type of seedlings grown. Also, it is necessary to pay attention to the quality of products. If the cups are of poor quality, and there are more impurities than peat, this can interfere with the development of the root system of crops, which cannot break through the walls of the containers. Such pots do not decompose well in the soil. Quality can be determined by touching them. The material of peat pots is more fragile and porous, and for containers with big amount additives - dense and compressed.
A few decades ago, universal containers for growing seedlings appeared in stores - peat cups. Comfortable shape and low price containers quickly attracted the attention of summer residents, thus ensuring an active demand for products. Learn how to use peat cups from our article.
Traditionally, the composition of products includes cellulose, humus and peat, the content of which in high-quality pots reaches 70%. In some cases, lime or chalk is added to the mixture to reduce acidity.
They are made by pressing in molds with a diameter of 5-10 cm. They can be round, trapezoidal or square. The wall density should be about 1-1.5 millimeters, thus guaranteeing the free development of the roots.
The technology for using containers or peat tablets is quite simple: the plant is transplanted into the ground along with a glass. As a result, the root system is not damaged and seedlings take root well. To prevent rapid evaporation of moisture, it is recommended to completely bury the cups in the ground, having previously made holes in the walls. Some owners specially soak the pots, after which they take out the plant and plant it together with the ground in the ground.
How to use peat pots
Within a month, the container decays and turns into fertilizer. Less quality containers for seedlings decompose in the soil for a long time. This is due to the fact that some enterprises use large volumes of dense pressed cardboard in the manufacture of peat containers. As a result, the young root cannot grow through the pot. You can remove the obstacle by making holes in the bottom of the glass.
Mode of application
Pour into the bottom of the container drainage layer in the form of crushed eggshell. Then added nutrient soil, previously washed with a solution of potassium permanganate. When backfilling the layer, it is important not to overcompact the soil. For the natural development of the root system, it must remain airy. The earth is spilled warm water and plant seeds. For prevention, peat containers are treated with an antifungal agent.
In the process of seedling growth, the containers must be moved apart from each other in order to prevent the roots of neighboring plants from intertwining.
Advantages and disadvantages of peat pots.
Peat does not contain weed seeds and pathogenic microflora.
When transplanting seedlings from a pot into the ground, the roots of plants are not damaged.
Cups decompose naturally, fertilizing the soil with peat.
Convenient containers for sowing seeds. It makes sense to start growing seedlings in small square pots, and transplant the grown plants, along with cups, into larger round pots.
The only drawback of such containers is the rapid evaporation of water. Therefore, seedlings in them need to be watered more often than when using plastic products. For slow evaporation of moisture, the container is wrapped food foil or polyethylene.
Peat cups are used on acidic or neutral soils, including when growing crops with brittle roots. These include cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes. It is not recommended to use such products for seedlings. Chinese cabbage, onion, lettuce and garlic. As an experiment, you can choose peat containers for forcing plants with strong roots, such as pumpkins.
Sowing pepper seeds in peat cups video:
Peat pots for seedlings, or plastic, which one to choose:
Now you know what peat cups for seedlings are, how to use them. Grow seedlings using this container, because it has a lot of advantages, as you saw above, besides, everyone can afford to buy it. But according to other experts, these peat pots are not so useful, you can try to check for yourself by planting part of the seedlings in peat pots, and the other in ordinary plastic ones, and check. On this we say goodbye to you, wish you good luck, and excellent harvests in your garden.
) for seedlings are very convenient to use. Many prefer peat pots over other seedling containers.
Some folk craftsmen make such products on their own. The raw material is a mixture of equal parts of well-decomposed humus and peat. Liquid mullein is added to the mass (for viscosity and enrichment nutrients), pressed using special molds, dried. But most summer residents prefer to buy goods in stores.
Material
It would seem that peat pots are a simple commodity, but here, too, quality is of paramount importance. Initially, such containers were conceived as peat-humus and they left the conveyor just like that. In pursuit of simplification and reduction in the cost of production, they were replaced simply with peat. The advantages and disadvantages of such pots depend on the quality of the raw materials and their processing. Finally, analogues appeared from cheap cardboard (from recycled materials), which are still called "peat pots"; they require special handling.
Positive properties
Containers made of peat or cardboard:
- Environmentally friendly,
- not too expensive for the price,
- light in weight,
- opaque - it means that greenish algae do not grow on the walls from the inside,
- disposable - therefore do not require washing, disinfection, subsequent storage,
- when planting seedlings, an earthen clod with feeding roots is preserved.
High Quality Benefits
Not every gardener can offhand distinguish a good product from a paper and cardboard surrogate. As a rule, high-quality peat cups are slightly more expensive, smooth, have a thicker wall, a darkish color and a slightly porous structure. They have a lot of advantages.
1. Due to the porous structure of the material, the roots breathe and do not rot.
2. When watering, excess water flows freely, without stagnation.
3. Easy to water through the pan (water is absorbed from the bottom up).
4. Rot and mold do not form on the walls of the pots from the outside and from the inside.
5. After planting seedlings in the ground, its roots freely pass through the bottom and walls.
6. Tanks quickly decompose in the soil.
Features of second-rate pot products
Cups made of cardboard or poorly processed peat are also suitable for seedlings, you just need to take into account some of the nuances. Paper can quickly get wet and lose strength, distort its shape, and become moldy. Walls with a dense structure and smooth surface, poorly pass air and water, and decompose in the ground for a long time. Therefore, if there are doubts about the quality of the proposed peat pots, we take measures:
- We don't buy containers. large sizes,
- in the bottoms we make sure to make good holes for the outflow of excess moisture,
- for filling we use only a very loose, easily permeable substrate,
- when planting seedlings in the ground, cut off the bottom or tear the walls of the pot!!!
Most negative feedback after using peat pots, it is due precisely to the fact that the roots of the planted plants cannot break out into the open for a long time, beyond the walls, and growth and development are retarded.
Variety of sizes and shapes
Seedling pots are produced both in the traditional round shape and square (which is convenient for a denser arrangement and a little space saving). The largest, as a rule, have a diameter and height of about 10 cm, and a volume of half a liter. The smallest - 5 cm, 50 ml. In this range, many containers of intermediate sizes are produced; you can pick up best option. Rectangular and square dishes are sometimes made connected in the form of cassettes (according to the principle of cells for transporting eggs). If necessary, they can be separated by cutting sharp knife or scissors.
The purpose of peat pots for seedlings of any plants
In small and medium-sized cups, seedlings of annual flowers are prepared, which have medium-sized seeds, form a compact, fibrous root system, and slowly develop in the initial phase of growth. Sow ageratums, asters, bacopas, marigolds, verbenas, gazanias, annual dahlias, fragrant tobacco, iberis, levkoi, lobelia, Snapdragon, mesembryanthemums, mimulus, nemesia, osteospermum, petunia and calibrachoa, purslane, salvia, drummond phlox, celosia, cineraria, zinnia, eustoma, etc. Similarly, they treat biennials and perennials - violas, carnations, geleniums, delphiniums, bells, daisies , shavings, primroses, chamomiles, evening primroses, etc.
Using pots of different sizes
Small
In a small amount of land successfully pass initial stage development indoor balsams, begonias, gloxinia, pelargoniums, cyclamens. In small containers, seedlings of strawberries are obtained from seeds - small-fruited, large-fruited, remontant. From vegetables in such a dish, seedlings of the root and petiole celery, fennel, basils, head salads.
Medium
Such dimensions are convenient for annuals with large seeds - for example, datur and nasturtium. A relatively large amount of seedling substrate is needed for amaranths, ornamental cabbages, cleomas, kosmey, kokhiya, scabioses. This also applies to loaches - dolichos (hyacinth beans), sweet pea, morning glory, kobei, tunbergia, annual hops, decorative pumpkin and beans. Peat pots for growing seedlings vegetable cabbage, watermelons and melons, potatoes (from botanical seeds) should not be too large or very small. Containers for cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, berry physalis are taken a little larger.
Large
Extremely good for producing powerful planting material tomatoes. The same (or slightly smaller) volume is required for peppers, eggplants, vegetable physalis, edible nightshades. A large clod of earth is necessary for edible and decorative varieties sunflower and corn.
In peat pots, not only seeds are sown and seedlings dive, they are used for rooting and growing cuttings (for example, chrysanthemums, petunias, pelargoniums, roses, etc.), bulbous and rhizomatous crops, shrubs.
Operation of peat products
1. Peat pots must be placed on sturdy stands.
2. A small layer of sphagnum moss or coconut fiber can be placed on the bottom of the pallet (to prevent drying out or rotting).
3. Seedling soil should be reliable, light and at the same time moisture-intensive - quickly (without stagnation) pass excess water, but dry slowly. Looseness is given by sand (without impurities of cement and dust), small additions of hydrogel or crushed coconut fiber retain moisture.
4. The containers are completely filled with a slightly moistened substrate; after watering, the soil settles a little (it is possible to pour it if the plants stretch out).
5. Dust-like and very small seeds are sown superficially, small ones are lightly sprinkled with light soil, medium and large ones are placed in holes and covered with soil.
6. Peat containers with seedlings are contraindicated low light and dampness (mold, rot may develop). For prevention, the outer walls of the pots can be sprayed with fungicidal solutions (HOM, potassium permanganate, phytosporin).
7. Wet cups continuously evaporate moisture and cool the root system; it is harmful in sudden temperature changes or constant cold, so it is necessary to maintain moderate heat.
8. Sunshine and excessive heat require frequent watering. This can cause seedlings to stretch, as with a lack of light. (Special preparations are capable of slowing down the growth of the aerial part and strengthening the root system - regulators Athlete, Stopprost, etc.)
9. On the eve of the day of planting in a permanent place, excessive watering should be carried out to soften the peat (cardboard) well.
Glasses with seedlings are installed in soil pits of similar size without excessive deepening of the root system. Elongated specimens are placed under the surface of the ridge obliquely, at an angle. Good watering is required for close contact of the walls of the dishes with moist soil.
The use of peat cups in gardening is still considered new technology. Some gardeners enthusiastically use them, others strongly reject them. Everything new and progressive is not always easily introduced into life. There are advantages to using peat cups. There are also disadvantages, but they only cause problems for inexperienced gardeners.
What are peat cups and why are they used
Gardeners relatively recently began to use peat cups for growing seedlings. Even 20-25 years ago they were a rarity. IN last years peat cups went on sale different sizes and forms. They are small containers, most often in the form of a truncated cone, but can be in the form of a cube or a trapezoid, or connected in blocks of several pieces. Their sizes vary within 5–10 cm in diameter with a wall thickness of 1–1.5 mm.
The material from which the cups are made is a mixture: 50–70% peat, the rest is humus and cellulose. A thick aqueous solution of this composition is pressed in special forms and containers of various sizes and designs are obtained.
The seedlings grown in them no longer need to be removed, breaking the root system of the tender young plant. It is planted in the ground directly in a cup, placing it in a prepared hole. Then sprinkled with earth and watered. The seedling has been planted!
Being in the soil, the peat cup soaks from irrigation water, dissolves in the ground, while fertilizing the soil around the roots of the plant. The roots easily penetrate the porous thin walls and occupy the entire surrounding space. The plant begins to develop fully, in contrast to planting with a damaged root.
How to use peat pots for seedlings - video
https://youtube.com/watch?v=I7OQ4-DMj10Advantages and disadvantages
At experienced gardeners who are not afraid to experiment, there is no consensus on peat cups. To appreciate the advantages of this method of landing, products must be used correctly. The benefits are:
- Peat cups are environmentally friendly, as they are made from natural materials.
- They have sufficient mechanical strength and do not fall apart during the period of seedling growth.
- The walls are porous, which ensures the free penetration of air and water to the roots of young plants.
- When transplanting to a garden bed, there is no need to remove the plant from the container. The roots are not injured, which is very important for plants such as cucumbers and eggplants that do not like transplants.
- Seedlings easily take root in a new place, because peat soaks and decomposes, enriching the soil beneficial substances needed to feed the plant.
There are also disadvantages:
- Manufacturers do not always produce quality products. Sometimes the cups are too tight. For this reason, they do not soak in the ground, and the roots cannot grow through the walls.
- Excessive watering leads to moldy cups.
- The porous material does not retain moisture, because of this, the soil dries out quickly. It is necessary to provide very accurate, metered watering.
To avoid drying out, it is recommended to cover the tray with seedlings in peat cups with a film and remove the coating from time to time to remove excess moisture and fumes.
Which cups to choose: peat, paper or plastic
Vegetable growers often use plastic and paper homemade cups. Peat have several advantages over them:
- Plastic cups need to be cut before planting in the garden. With this action, a clod of earth with roots can crumble; seedlings do not need to be removed from a peat pot.
- Plastic walls do not allow air and moisture to pass through, peat walls provide good aeration and moistening of the roots.
- Homemade paper cups are torn and soaked. They do not guarantee the safety of seedling roots. It takes time to prepare them for landing.
- Neither plastic nor paper cups do not provide the roots of the plant with additional top dressing.
How to plant seeds in cups: instructions
Planting seeds in cups is a simple process.
If the peat cups are moldy, it means that they are waterlogged. At the bottom of the pan in which they stand, there is water that needs to be drained. Wipe the surface of the cup with alcohol, vinegar or soda solution. If mold damage is significant, such containers should be disposed of. For prevention, the room in which the seedlings are located should be ventilated regularly, reduce the dose of watering, carefully loosen upper layer soil in cups.
The mold should be removed and the glass wiped with alcohol, vinegar or soda solution
Where to buy and how to choose
To obtain good result, should be used quality materials. Beginning, inexperienced vegetable growers complain that the seedlings often dry out, and the plants planted in the garden in cups do not develop and die. This comes from the use of low-quality products. Peat in them should be at least 50–70%.
When choosing peat cups, give preference to dark, porous and soft to the touch, with a wall thickness of no more than 1.5 mm. Light, dense glasses are a fake, where there is more cellulose than peat.
Peat cups should be purchased in specialized stores and only in branded packaging, it is advisable to require a quality certificate. Buying them in the markets is fraught with undesirable consequences.
Do not be tempted by the diminutiveness and originality of the shape of some cups. Whether they are round or square, this does not affect the development of seedlings at all.. In small cups (5 cm across), the roots will be cramped. It is better to purchase large, 8-10 cm tall, pots. In such a root system of any seedlings will grow full.
Self-made peat cups
Some craftsmen make peat cups with their own hands. You can organize such a simple production in any rural yard or on suburban area. The main thing in this matter is to properly prepare the mixture:
- collect all necessary materials V the right quantities: peat - 7 parts, humus - 2 parts, mullein - 1 part, a little slaked lime.
- Thoroughly sift the peat and humus. The mixture should not contain large solid particles.
- Mullein breed in hot water. The amount of water is determined in each case empirically.
- Add diluted mullein to a container with peat and humus and mix thoroughly with a shovel until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
- A little lime can be added to the resulting solution. Fill if necessary hot water. The moisture content of the mass is determined by trial molding cups.
- At home, you can mold pots with two durable plastic glasses that have the shape of a truncated cone.
Production of peat pots for seedlings - video
Choose correct pots for seedlings - that is still a science. Especially now, when all sorts of variations of these simple, but important and necessary garden tools. Experienced summer resident knows perfectly well what is better to grow this or that variety fruit crop, but what about a newcomer to the world of gardening? Of course, to study what pots for seedlings are, what are the pros and cons of each type.
These pots can be purchased at any store, even if it does not have a gardening focus. They are made of plastic and can be of two types - with a round and square section. Sizes range from very tiny (about 50 ml) to quite large (1 liter or more). There are also large plastic pots, but they are no longer intended for growing seedlings - rather, only for indoor flowers or landscape design.
The ease of use of the pot often depends on its shape. According to gardeners, it is more convenient to fill with soil round pots, but square ones can be placed on the window more compactly. The disadvantages of square products also include the fact that it is not very convenient to take out a plant along with a clod of earth from them: if a round pot can be “crumpled” with your fingers, and a clod of soil will come out immediately, then it is more difficult to squeeze a plastic one, especially if it is made of dense and high-quality plastic.
On a note! To make life easier for gardeners, they often began to make round inserts at the bottom of the pots that help push the earth along with the plant out of the pot.
Plastic seedling pots usually have drainage holes, although the cheaper the container, the more likely it is that you will have to make holes at the bottom yourself.
Very often, seedling pots are sold as a set, and they come with a pallet that will protect the window sills from moisture flowing from them.
So, here are the benefits of using this type of seedling container:
- plastic pots optimal for growing absolutely any kind of crops;
- they well retain the necessary moisture in the right amount;
- can be used for several seasons in a row, as they are durable;
- perfectly protect the root system of plants from damage;
- they are very easy to store.
Flaws plastic pots:
- non-compact and take up a lot of space;
- it is not always possible to carefully remove a lump with roots during planting seedlings;
- are quite expensive and will cost a round sum if purchased in large quantities.
Below is a table that will allow you to choose the required pot size for a particular type of plant.
Table. Selection of plastic pots for seedlings.
By the way, the following recommendations will help determine the size of the pots.
- For growing seedlings of crops that definitely need a pick, use pots of the smallest volume - 50 ml.
- For small crops that grow without picking, pots of 100-200 ml are suitable
- Pots of 500 ml and more are suitable for tall and large crops that grow for a long period of time and develop powerful roots.
On a note! When choosing a pot, remember to consider diameter and height, not just volume. This is important for proper root formation.
peat pots
Outwardly, the walls of these pots resemble thick cardboard, however, consist of more than 70% natural natural peat. And the rest of the pot is, by the way, just paper.
Main advantage peat pots- this is the absence of the need to take out seedling bushes for planting in the ground directly from the pot. To do this, simply dig a hole required size in the garden and place the pot there without removing the seedlings from it. Gradually, the peat will rot, turning into a nutritious fertilizer, and the seedlings will grow into a beautiful and strong plant.
Peat pots are ideal for growing fussy crops - usually cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, and others. And using them is extremely simple: just fill it with soil, shed it, place the seeds, put it on a pallet and that's it. Further work on growing seedlings proceeds as usual.
Peat pots come in various sizes and, like plastic ones, come in two shapes - round and square in section. However, here the form does not play a special role, since it is no longer necessary to shake the seedlings with the ground out of the container. Is it necessary to take into account free space on a sunny windowsill - square pots can be arranged more compactly.
Advantages of peat pots:
- convenient to use;
- allow once again not to injure the plants with picks and not to extract them during planting in the ground;
- are themselves nutritious fertilizers;
- are made from environmentally friendly materials.
Disadvantages of peat tanks:
- quickly become limp from water, so you need to water the plants in them moderately;
- if the pots are dried out, then the soil in them may become too dense for plants;
- when buying, there is a high risk of running into low-quality goods, which will contain only pressed cardboard;
- Excessive watering can lead not only to dehydration of containers, but also to moldy walls of pots and soil.
A peat tablet is a compacted peat washer, small in diameter and height. Before the production of this type of packaging, peat is enriched with microelements useful for seed germination and seedling development. Read more.
How to use peat pots? Everything is simple.
Step 1. Select the peat pots of the required size and process them. To do this, soak them for a short time in a solution of mineral and organic fertilizers, and then dry them.
Step 2 Make drainage holes at the bottom, place expanded clay there.
Step 3 Fill the pots with potting soil, but not too tightly to create the cavities needed for successful root development. Spill the soil.
Step 4 Plant crop seeds, each in a separate cup.
Step 5 Cover the pots with plastic and place in a warm room. Then wait for the shoots and continue to care for the seedlings, watering it moderately.
Step 6 While the seedlings are growing, you will increase the distance between the pots standing on the pallet so that the branches and leaves of the plants do not interfere with each other.
Step 7 When the seedling grows, transplant it into the ground on garden plot as described above, without removing from the pots. Place containers 2-3 cm below soil level.
homemade pots
Many gardeners are unwilling to spend money and purchase ready-made pots for seedlings in the store. With perseverance and fanaticism, they collect various containers or look for new ways to make containers for growing crops. And often they are right - why spend money on something that you can do with your own hands?
There are a huge number of ways and master classes for creating containers for seedlings, and a variety of materials can be used.
Table. Materials for making pots for seedlings with your own hands.
| Material | Advantages and disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Pretty much the same as store-bought plastic pots, only free, since you still get yogurt, sour cream, etc. from the store. The product is eaten, and the jar is washed, drainage holes are made in it and it is removed before planting the seedlings. Neat, with smooth edges, safe and convenient, these containers can be used for many years. The only disadvantage can be small size, and sometimes molding of the soil. |
| It turns out that many people make pots for seedlings from plastic bags. This material has a lot of advantages - it is easily accessible, cheap, and making pots from it is very simple. You can cut pieces of polyethylene and tie their lower part with a thread, make holes for drainage. You can take whole small bags - and the pots are ready. Disadvantages: the material does not hold its shape well (especially large sizes) and can provoke molding of the soil. |
| Both plastic bottles and plastic cups for drinks are practically free and easily accessible pots for seedlings. They are durable and can be used for more than one season. And if plastic bottles still have to be cut with scissors, then cups are almost ready-made containers. It is enough to make drainage holes and you can use it. And taking out a clod of earth with a plant is as easy as shelling pears - just slightly wrinkle the walls of the glass and the soil will come out by itself. There are practically no shortcomings by gardeners. The main thing is to take care of the accumulation or purchase of this material in time. By the way, plastic cups are much cheaper than special pots for seedlings. True, they are not very large. And one more minus - the edges plastic bottles where the scissors “walked” can be sharp. |
| Easily and simply turn into containers for seedlings - just cut off one of their parts (top or bottom) and make drainage holes. Tetrapacks do not leak, do not sag, soft enough to easily and simply remove the bush from them. They get it for free (you buy juices and dairy products?), it remains just to wash the boxes and store them until spring. Minus - fragility. |
| An elementary and simple option for making pots for seedlings. It is enough to put such tubes on a pallet, fill it with soil - and you can plant seeds. But such containers are suitable only for plants that need picking, or those that do not grow too much, since the tubes are small. By the way, it is not necessary to remove the seedlings from the container before planting in the summer cottage - this can be done together with the tuba. Gradually she will rot. |
Video - Polyethylene seedling pots
The main advantage of such homemade pots is the absence of costs, since containers can be safely accumulated over winter period by buying basic necessities. The most important thing is not to forget to make drainage holes in such containers.
Advice! Holes for water drainage are easier and more convenient to make with an ordinary thick nail. It must be well heated over a fire (for example, in a candle flame) and with a sharp end, melt holes in the bottom of the container. Be careful - hold the nail with pliers, as the metal heats up very quickly (you can burn yourself).
Unusual pots for seedlings
Pots for seedlings can be made from very unusual materials. Gardeners are creative people, and they can’t come up with anything to make their work easier and provide plants with proper care. Consider three types of unusual seedling pots - one made from eggshells, the second from aluminum cans, and the third from newspapers.
Pots from aluminum cans
A good option for those who are fond of carbonated drinks in cans of 0.33 liters. This material is not afraid of rust, durable, strong enough. It is convenient to rewind such jars in several pieces with tape between each other - you get a kind of aluminum "cassettes".
Step 1. Use scissors or a knife to cut off the bottom of the jars.
Step 2 Cover the neck opening with the remaining tongue, but not tightly.
Step 3 Place a little eggshell or expanded clay on the bottom of the resulting container for drainage.
Step 4 Make gauze bags, place them in containers and fill with soil.
Step 5 Sow seeds and grow seedlings.
Step 6 Take out the grown seedlings from the containers with a gauze bag and plant them in the ground with it.
Egg shell pots
A very interesting way. It is convenient because in the future the plants, together with the shell, are planted in the ground - you do not have to dive and take them out of the "tanks". A "pot" will serve as additional fertilizer
Step 1. Take egg shells and make a small hole in the bottom of each with a needle.
Step 2 Fill them halfway with soil.
Step 3 Plant the seeds and cover them with soil.
Step 4 Put the filled "pots" on the egg cell and grow the seedlings (as usual).
