Seed Starting Trays vs Peat Pellets

16 years ago

Hi There,

Last year I used peat pellets as my seed starting medium, with mixed success. This year I want to use "seed cell trays". What I liked about the peat pellets was that they were pretty easy to water, just fill the bottom tray and they will suck the water up. How does that work with these seed starting trays ? What is the best way to water them ? How long can your seedlings stay in a seed starting tray, I only grow petunias and I let them stay in those peat pellets until they were ready to be planted outside. My BIGGEST question is: What is the best way to grow petunias; peat pellets or seed starting trays ? I know these are a lot of questions, but I have to get shopping soon, I have my shelve and my lightning setup done (and my seeds).

Thanks,

Dennis

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Comments (8)

zubababy
16 years ago
this is my first year growing from seed. so far i have tried peat pellets, peat pots w/ seed starting mix, seed cells w/trays, seed trays. i personally like the cells in the tray. it's just as easy to bottom water. i leave one of the cells open to pour the water into the tray then all the cells soak up the water that they need. the peat pots are either too wet or too dry - i just can't seem to get those to work for me. so far i've lost every seed that i've put in the pellets, either by drying out, mold, or damping off.
everything that i have in the cells and the seed trays (that sit in another tray) are doing well.
nissy12
Original Author
16 years ago
Maybe a stupid question, but do these cells have holes in the bottom so the water can get in there ?

Dennis
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This year I am starting alot of my seeds using the pregermination method I read on another forum. Using a coffee filter, set your seed in 1/4 of the filter, fold over in half, then fold in 1/2 again, then moisten, then place in a ziploc bag and then on top of the fridge for free germination warmth. Check your seed every few days, opening the bag to allow fresh air in at least once a week (or if you're me, opening nearly every day to check with a magnifier on how the seeds are looking!) I am only doing this with seed I've saved over, since I am not sure of the germination rates, and the larger seed I've bought. I just seeded lobelia the traditional way, in little pots of soil, in a 'sweatbox' placed on top of the fridge. That was Sunday, today (Friday) I have little seedlings poking up, so I will have to move to a window today or tomorrow. My sweatbox is a rectangular plastic food transporter from the grocery store, it had one dozen cinnamon buns in it (maybe that's why no mold- the cinnamon!). It can be snapped shut, or left unsnapped, but the strenth of the container is improved if one of the buttons is snapped shut. Some people use this style of container for winter sowing - they add transpiration and drainage holes. I've used peat pellets before, for petunias, and set them in styrofoam egg cartons with a drain hole poked in the bottom, and the eggy side sits on the lid (that I've cut off)for a saucer. This way they fit on the windowsills, and at the start I would lay a sheet of saran wrap loosely on top to hold in the moisture, but only for a week, then usually the seeds were up and at 'em! ~kioni~
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zubababy
16 years ago
all the cells that i have, have holes in the bottom. then i place the cells in a tray (1020 tray) that i water from.
rachel_z6
16 years ago
well, I've used just about every method and the best success I had was with the park biodome. quick, 100% germination and healthy plants. I stopped using that for a few years because I wanted to cut costs. that's when I switched to seed trays. the results weren't as good, but completely acceptable. it required a little more vigilance. I put the seed trays inside another tray that had no holes, and kept some water in that. I top water too, with a gentle mist. This year I've started a few things in the biodome (petunias, actually!) because some of the seed is very expensive ($14 for 100 pelleted shockwave petunia) and wanted to protect that investment, as it were. I've been *considering* doing jiffy pellets again, but maybe only for cuttings and things that don't like transplanting. I'm not sure why they never really worked well for me - couldn't regulate the moisture level properly. I priced it out, and Park's sponges cost the same per jiffy pellet, so since I already had the domes I didn't feel bad spending the money. But, that's only 180 plants started with the sponges - the rest of the 3000 seeds (help!) are in seed trays with varying sized cells, depending on the plant and its growth rate and root needs.
nissy12
Original Author
16 years ago
I only grow petunias, for now because they need 8-12 weeks, and I decided to stick with what I know, the Jiffy peat pellets. I'm gonna buy them at Wal-Mart, they are $5.95 for a 72 pellet dome. Those pelleted seeds are expensive, but I rather pay a little more then have to handle them not pelleted. I had almost 100% with these peat pellets. Is $5.95 a good price or could I get them anywhere cheaper (I'm Dutch and very cheap).

Dennis
rachel_z6
16 years ago
$.08 each is a reasonable price, especially if it includes the tray and dome (and you're not paying shipping costs to order the supplies).
gardenluv
16 years ago
That is a good price. Just the pellets by them selves come 25 for $2, so it is almost cheaper to buy the entire dome with the pellets included!
nissy12
Original Author
16 years ago
It's the whole set (pellets, dome and tray). I'm gonna buy 12 of them to get my petunias started this week.

Seed Starting Trays vs Peat Pellets

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Seed Starting Trays vs Peat Pellets

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