A Quick Overview of Seed Starting
Starting seeds for your garden is one of the most exciting things you can do. To see something so small grow into a beautiful and productive part of your garden is magical. But for a lot of new gardeners, it can seem overwhelming to start. How exactly do you do it? How do you know what materials to use? How do you know when your seedlings are ready to be planted outside?
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Well, Gardenary is here with plenty of answers and information all about starting seeds! Check out these articles:
- When to start seeds indoors
- What materials you'll need
- How to harden off and transplant your seedlings outdoors
In this post, we're going to take a deeper dive into the different seed starting setups, in particular the trays and kits. There are so many options to pick from, so let&#;s take a look at what all you can use!
What Should Your Seed Starting Setup Look Like?
When starting seeds indoors, just remember that you are trying to mimic the outdoors as much as possible. You'll want the temperature to be warm and the area to have perhaps a little humidity, if possible. There also needs to be some air flow and light. While some people choose to use natural light, your seedlings are going to grow weak and leggy unless they're in a greenhouse with full overhead sunlight. Being placed on a windowsill is often not enough. Your best bet is to grab a grow light to use in whatever location your seeds will grow.
I have been starting seeds indoors for years now, so I will show you an example of how I started versus how I'm doing it now: In the beginning, I used styrofoam cups placed on a baking tray, with a clip-on grow light, in my office. Super simple and cheap, but effective! I didn&#;t need to start a ton of seeds because my growing space was little, so this worked well enough.
As my garden expanded, I invested in more materials in order to start more and more seeds. Now I have an extra bedroom closet I use, with a shelving unit, attached grow lights, and seed trays. This setup was more labor intensive and expensive to get going, but I can start a lot more seeds this way, and by now, I know the investment is worth it.
What Materials Can You Use to Start Seeds?
While my personal preference is a seed starting tray, there are other things you can use to get going. Let's look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of different materials.
Seed Starting with Household Items
Many gardeners trying to reuse what is already in their home will start seeds in eggshells, egg cartons, rolled-up newspaper pots, yogurt cups, toilet paper rolls, and more.
Advantages
A lot of these materials are biodegradable, so the whole pot can be planted directly into the soil. That is definitely a benefit, as is the ability to repurpose something that would otherwise be tossed in the trash.
Disadvantages
I have tried a few of these items and either found them to be too small or had them decay and break down before I could plant my seedlings outdoors.
Seed Starting with Peat Pots or Coco Coir Discs
These are pre-made pots, trays, and discs (also called pellets) sold widely online and in stores.
Advantages
They're biodegradable, so again, you can plant the entire pot or disc.
Disadvantages
I've had some get moldy and&#;like what happened when I tried to use toilet paper rolls&#;break down too quickly when exposed to water. I am not a fan. Plus, you have to pay for something that's not reusable.
Seed Starting with Plastic Cups, Styrofoam Cups, and Small Reusable Pots
You can poke holes in the bottom of just about any cup and use it to start your seeds. Be sure to place them on a surface or tray that can catch runoff when you water them (like my baking sheet in my original setup).
Advantage
The benefit of these is that they are bigger and thus can grow your seeds all the way to transplantation without needing to pot them up (in other words, you don't have to move them to a larger pot before they go into the garden).
Disadvantage
The negative is that they take up way more space than the cells of a typical seed starting tray.
Seed Starting with Soil Blocking
Another option that is gaining popularity is to use soil blocking. While this option has technically been around for centuries, many home gardeners have never seen it used.
Advantage
The beauty of this option is that you use the soil as both the growing medium and the container. The soil is packed enough to stay together and allow the seed to grow roots without running out of space.
Disadvantage
You do need a few particular items to get started.
I know many gardeners who are turning to this method and quite enjoy it. You can see the items you need here and read up on how to's.
My Favorite Seed Starting Trays
My top pick would have to be from Johnny&#;s Selected Seeds. Everyone knows their seed starting materials are top notch, and I love supporting a company that has such a great reputation and relationship with its employees. Their trays can be a bit on the pricier side, but you know that they will last for years. They have numerous options to choose from, so here are a few you might want to try:
- 72 Cell Plug Flat - This tray can be used for almost anything growing in your garden. These are the ones I currently use (pictured below).
- SureRoots 50 Cell Deep Plug Flat - This tray is great for anything with a longer taproot or something that may be disturbed during transplanting, such as sweet peas or perennial plants.
- 128 Cell Plug Flat - This tray will definitely give you plenty of spots for seeds in the space provided. This tray would work for things like greens and herbs that don&#;t need a ton of space.
- Pro-Tray 24 Cell Flat - This tray with larger spaces is better for your larger plants like tomatoes, eggplant, melons, pumpkins, and squash.
With any of these trays, make sure you also order trays to catch or hold water underneath if you're growing indoors, as these trays all have holes that allow for drainage or uptake of water.
Plenty of other companies have similar tray setups that are good quality. You can get a kit from Gardeners' Supply that includes a 12- or 24-cell tray and a mat, and Burpee has a similar setup that also includes a dome lid, markers, and grow pellets. Growers Supply carries similar products, but you have to order a certain number of trays, not just one.
Amazon has a really neat kit that has a 60-cell tray with a mat and dome lid, as well as a grow light&#;a great setup for beginners! You can also find inexpensive trays and kits at places like Home Depot, as well as your local gardening supply stores.
A Couple of Quick Tips on Using Trays to Start Seeds
Tip #1
You can water at the top or the bottom. Many people get fungal disease, which affects seedling growth, by watering on top of the soil if it is kept too moist. This has never happened to me, but you want to be careful how much water you use. You can avoid this issue by pouring water into the bottom catch tray; the seedlings will absorb it up through the holes in the tray.
Tip #2
When it comes time to remove your seedlings, a butter knife is your best friend. Just insert it gently along the side of the soil and pop your seedling out.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Leak-Proof Seedling Trays.
Tip #3
Always be sure to wash and sterilize your tray kits before use for new seeds. The moment after I transplant my seedlings, I wash my trays out and remove any dirt or debris and let them dry out before storage. When it comes time to start new seeds, I soak my trays in a diluted bleach solution to kill off any lingering bacteria that could harm my new seed babies. You can use a 9:1 ratio of water to bleach, or 9 cups of water for every 1 cup of bleach.
Is a seed starting heat mat necessary?
I personally do not use a heating mat and do just fine; however, I see plenty of gardeners and, for sure, farmers who use them and have excellent and speedier germination. I don&#;t feel this is necessary to get started if your space is warm, but it can definitely help.
There is also an option to purchase a dome. I have used domes at times and not used them at times, and in my opinion, they aren&#;t totally necessary if you have a warm space to start your seeds. If your space is a little cooler, like less than 72 degrees, then a dome can provide extra warmth and humidity for your seeds to germinate.
A seedling tray is a container used to sow multiple seeds at once. After seed germination, seedlings grow in the seed tray until they are large enough for transplant. A single seed tray can hold anywhere from 6 seeds to over seeds.
Parts Of A Seed Tray
There are two basic parts to a seed tray, one of which is optional:
- Tray &#; this is the outer part that holds soil, individual containers (pots), or a cell flat. When used with a cell flat, the tray is used for watering from below.
- Cell flat (plug flat) &#; this is the optional inner part. You can put a cell flat inside of a tray to separate seeds from one another.
Seedling trays can come in different forms;
- Mesh seed tray &#; a mesh seed tray allows water to drain out easily. A mesh seed tray is best for holding multiple individual containers (pots). A drawback is that the holes in a mesh seed tray are too large to hold soil without it falling through or washing away when watered.
- Solid seed tray with drainage holes &#; a solid seed tray with drainage holes allows for adequate drainage, but allows soil to stay moist enough for seed germination. A solid seed tray with drainage holes is best for planting multiple seeds together in one place. A drawback is that the seedlings do not have individual cells, so their roots can get tangled together as they grow.
- Solid seed tray without drainage holes (leak proof seed tray) &#; a solid seed tray without drainage holes does not allow for any drainage. A solid seed tray without drainage holes is best for holding a cell flat. Since it holds water, it can be used to catch excess water from watering seeds, or it can be used to water from below.
A cell flat (or plug flat) is a container that is divided into multiple cells. Some common cell counts for seed trays are:
- 50 cell seed tray
- 72 cell seed tray
- 128 cell seed tray
- 200 cell seed tray
- 288 cell seed tray
&#;&#;50 cell seed tray
These trays are a happy medium of saving you space in your seed starting area while still being able to plant a large number of seedlings like lettuce that will be directly transplanted. Because the 50 cell tray has a much larger soil volume than the 72 cell plug trays or 128 cell trays, you will have a bit more wiggle room when you need to transplant for optimal root growth. Plants grown in these trays will be less likely to become root-bound if unsettled weather delays your planting. This size also allows for canopy development of the seedling.
72 cell seed tray
The 72 cell seed tray are the most popular choice amongst market gardeners. They are a good balance between space for growing and seedlings per tray. Each cell is 1.5&#; square and 2.25&#; deep, making them an excellent option for a large variety of plants. These plastic trays are also a good choice for vine plants. However, you will want to transplant the vine plants earlier than you would with the 32 Cell trays to prevent root bound seedlings.
128 cell seed tray
These 128 Cell Trays are a great choice if you wish to start row crops or many baby greens. This configuration is ideal for starting many seeds but is not meant for crops that need more than a few weeks. Each cell is 1&#; square and 2.25&#; deep. You will be able to plant 78% more seedlings with one tray than the more common 72 cell seed starter trays. These 128 seed trays are compatible with the heavy-duty deep tray for bottom watering. You will want to up-pot your seedlings from this size seed tray into a larger pot or grow bag if you do not plan to transplant outdoors for an extended period to prevent seedlings from becoming root-bound.
200 cell seed tray
These 200 Cell Trays are excellent trays if you want to be economical about growing cole crops, lettuces, and other small-seeded crops. You will be able to grow 2.8 times as many plants with one tray as you would with a 72 cell tray. Each cell is 0.75&#; square and 2.25&#; deep.
If you are using 200 cell plastic trays to start seeds, you will need to transplant your seedlings at an earlier stage. Typically once they have one, at most two sets of true leaves. This plastic tray size is most frequently used by larger-scale farmers and those who intend to pot up their seedlings multiple times before moving outside.
Factors to consider before using seedling trays
- Specification of seedling tray
The common seedling tray size is 540mm x 280mm with different cells. The less the number, the larger the cell. The numbers of cells are 50, 72, 105, 128, 200, etc. The selection of plug tray specifications should not only consider the size and shape of the seeds, but also the size of the young plant. Only by selecting the proper size can the seedlings achieve optimal growth.
- Hole shape of seedling tray
There are two shapes of holes in seedling trays: round and square. The round hole has a smooth inner wall, without corners of the square hole, which is conductive to the winding of the root of the plant on the inner wall. The square hole is good for guiding the roots to extend downward, and the substrate capacity is about 30% more than the round one. The water is distributed evenly and the roots can grow better.
- Thickness of seedling tray
The thickness of the common seed trays on the market is 0.6 to 1.2 mm. 0.6-0.8 thickness plug trays are mostly used for manual sowing or one-time use, for example, if selling the young plants with seed trays, the seedling company can choose 0.6-0.8mm thickness trays. 1.0~1.2 mm thickness trays are suitable for machine sewing and reuse after disinfection.
The depth of the seed tray on the market is 3-5 cm, the deeper the tray depth, the larger substrate quantity and the greater the substrate water retention, then the more conductive to roof growth. There are also special-purpose seedling trays with a depth up to 9-11 cm.
- Suitable trays for vegetable and fruit seedlings
Generally, a 50 cell tray is fixed for fruit plant seedlings, such as cucumbers, melon, watermelons, pumpkins, etc. The 72 cells one seedling tray is mostly for vegetable propagation, such as eggplant, tomatoes, etc.
105 cells and 128 cells are mostly for leafy vegetable propagation, such as lettuce, cabbage, kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, etc.
- Material of seedling tray
At present, the seed trays used for seedling cultivation mainly include plastic seed trays and polystyrene foam trays. The main materials of the plastic plug are polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polypropylene (PP). The polystyrene is resistant to high temperature, not easy to deform in summer, has good toughness, and does not break easily in harsh climates.
Benefits of using seedling trays
There are many advantages to using a nursery tray as opposed to other solutions, like growing in larger containers. It is incredibly simple to handle, sow, and plant seeds, and it also makes transplanting easier as seedlings grow. If you want to improve your chances of growing healthy plants and make sure they have enough room to grow and thrive as they should be anticipated to do when they become fully grown plants in only a few months or years from now, it&#;s crucial to utilize nursery trays. The benefit of employing a nursery tray is that seeds can be sown indoors under the safety and supervision of a grower. Here are some of its benefits:
- Grow a variety of plants
- Improve Germination success rate
- Fertilize easily
- Excellent water drainage
- Effectively manage the temperature
- Transferring plants to larger containers is simple.
- Boosts productivity
- Saving money
Mazero Agrifood ltd has a variety of quality seedling trays that are of high quality and cost effective. Contact us today on + to order.
Want more information on cheap seed starting trays? Feel free to contact us.
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