Peat pellet greenhouses for seeds?

Factual Questions
1

Anyone ever used one of those little plastic greenhouse things with the peat pellets that you soak in water to start seeds for their gardens?

The local Wal-Mart has the 72 pellet ones on sale for $6.50, and I’m wondering if it’s worth the trouble vs. either growing the seedlings in regular old pots outdoors or just planting the seeds in the ground. I figure that with one of these contraptions I can start my seeds now, and then plant them in mid-March after the last frost.

Are there any caveats or special concerns with these things?

2

My wife uses them all the time. They seem to work quite well.

3

I used the compressed peat pucks a few times (Jiffy7®, if I recall.) They were great for starting seeds, but at the end of the season, when I pulled up the plants, the root ball seemed restricted by the puck. For those who don’t know about these, you get a compressed pill of peat that looks like a triple size Alka-Seltzer with a dimple in the center. When you soak them in water, they swell to look like a 1 inch slice of cucumber. The Jiffy7 is surrounded by nylon net, and the Jiffy9 has no net.

You can also get little peat pots, which the roots find easier to grow through.

4

I have used them, and they seem to work as well as anything else I have tried. My biggest problem was getting the seedlings enough light. I was starting them in the basement, and had Gro-Light flourescent fixtures suspended on chains (for height adjustability) above the trays, but the seedlings were still spindly-looking. A sunny window probably would have worked better, but was just not available.

5

SavageNarce,

I have also had the same problem with this growing medium. I solved it by using the peat pellets to start the seedlings, but once they were about 1-2" tall, I put them into more conventional potting materials (potting soil). The added nutrition of the soil vs peat seemed to cause more substantial growth.

I also put the lighting (also flourescent) about 1-2" above the top of the tallest seedling. I’m not using the gro-light fixtures, but will likely be looking at them soon.

-Butler
(Could be sheer coincidence on my part, but it seemed to work. I attempted this after they stopped getting any bigger.)

6

I use the Jiffy7’s bit I snip away the netting when I transplant the seedlings.

7

I used them last season for a few of my seedlings. They worked much better than the peat pots. But they are substantially more expensive.

8

I didn’t like them. I found that they restricted root development, and were a bitch to keep watered.

I use the plastic starting trays, with commercial seed starting mix amended with some extra perlite and vermiculite. And the lights are important. Flourescent shop lights with normal (cool) bulbs work fine for seed starting. The key is to have the bulbs no more than an inch above the seedlings. Otherwise, you get spindly plants.

www.gardenweb.com is a great resource. There’s seed starting, growing under lights, and tomato forums that all have good infomation about srarting plants indoors.

9

I second this, especially the watering thing.

I’ve had good success with spaghnum moss as a starter medium.

10

I use these Jiffy pellets with great success. With the self-contained peat-pod, I was able to do away with all the “mistakes” that happen while removing the sprout from its early pot for transplant. I’m a specialty farmer and usually work with a lot of plants at one time, so convenience and cost-effectiveness are key.

Suggestions:
[list=][li]As vetbridge says, for spindly-rooted plants, snip the mesh (usually the bottom) when transplanting.[/li][li]Sprout your seeds using the paper towel method, then insert the new rootlet into the moistened peat pellet.[/li][li]Water your seedlings from the bottom-up, otherwise you’ll risk destabilizing the roots. When I’m working with a small batch, I use a plastic pie pan or plant tray. With a big batch I use the whole Jiffy tray and carefully flood the base with water.[/li][li]Always use enough light. For starting my highest-need plants (Roma tomatoes), I can get away with two 100-watt-equivalent spiral fluorescent bulbs per square foot. These bulbs are cool and cheap and can be kept quite close to the plants.[/li][li]Always ramp up the fertilizer. Start early, and with a very dilute solution.[/li][li]Remember humidity: use the grow-dome for needy plants.[/li][]Make sure you have proper ventilation. If there’s no natural air flow, you’ll need to supplement with a small fan, blowing indirectly or away from the plants.[/list]