That's a good idea. That way, you don't have wasted space under the lights. I had several empty spaces from duds, but now I'll finally be potting up. I think I'll use your procedure next time.

John,

I have a couple of 288 cell trays.

So how do you get the plugs out intact?

jt

In essence thats what I do, I use 20 row trays, on a heat mat w/o lights, as soon as the seeds pops-up place then in a larger pot and under lights.

I can start 200 seeds at once.

jt

Wow 288 -I thought 200 was pretty good. Where did you find it?

Getting the plugs out is easy-unless the soil is very dry. I have a little tool called a Nit Picker which I just slide down the inside wall of the cell, pry and lift and out she comes. You could use a table knife, spoon handle or whatever thin tool fits

I should add that the grow out tray is a deep cell version from Lee Valley. I think they work very well for a nice root ball. The one pictured above is the 72 cell version and then I move them to the larger 32 cell version

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley

> Wow 288 -I thought 200 was pretty good. Where did you find it?

John,

The same place I buy soil mix, pots, seed trays etc. Did you notice that the new BX already has mycorrhizal fungi in it?

I'll pick you up a couple next time I go there. Almost forgot, they are only 1 5/16" deep.

jt

Here is a link that might be useful: Planters

Byron writes: I can start 200 seeds at once.

Is that all?

Heh heh!

John,

I have different sizes of horticultural plug trays. I have been experimenting with different sizes to maximize space under my heat source. My newest one is 406 cells! It works great actually. I cut it in pieces and can start 70 seeds in a very small area. I use a mini popsicle stick to get the plug out.

I have been transplanting the peppers to 50 cell square plug trays as well as 36 cell or 28 cell plug trays. The depth varies for each one and it is an "experiment" to see which performs best.

I hooked up with a local plastics manufacturer who sold me whatever I wanted at $0.75 apiece. Quite a bit better deal than what I can buy from retailers on the Internet.

I need to find myself one of those tools you have. It looks pefect for the job! I have tried 406, 364, 288, and 200 cell plugs and though the others maximize more space, 200 is small enough and still keeps me sane!

JT, I got the deal of a lifetime on that new Pro-Mix Bx with mycorrhizal fungi in it. $9 for a 3.8 cu ft compressed bale. That's the price one of my local nurseries sold it to me for. I am not sure they knew what it was, but I'm not complaining. It was $27 a bag before at another nursery I got some at last year.

Chris

> $9 for a 3.8 cu ft compressed...

Chris,

Yeah, I heard about that. Wow! Not sure how many bales would fit in my pickup bed, but would have bought at least a couple hundred $ worth.

Strictly a pot gardener here and use the mix for 2 and sometimes 3 years before replacing. My average size pot is about 7 gal and it gets really expensive replacing the mixture.

jt

jt

Thanks, very nice of you but those trays sound a little shallow. Guess I'll stick with my 200's. Haven't bought any Pro Mix this year since I'm not doing pots. I added the fungi ( from Fungi Perfecti) last year and had a good year but did some other things differently so couldn't say for sure it was the fungi.

Chris

A man after my own heart--experimenting and looking for deals!

JohnF

Byron writes: I can start 200 seeds at once.

Is that all?

Heh heh!

"...I'm not doing pots."
John, does this mean you are planting into a garden area? If so, how many peppers and toms do you expect to have?
I enjoyed looking at pics of your pots set up outside.

Paul B.

> Thanks, very nice of you but those trays sound a little shallow.

JohnF,

Considering the small diameter of each cell it's not too bad. 1 1/2" depth is stamped on the tray, but think a bit generous. Just too small all-around for the likes of me anyways. And starting even a hundred seeds is more than my limit.

Happy growing!

jt

Not growing in pots because I told my wife I would do more with her this summer. The pots require so much watering that it keeps me tied to home. I still have the half buried pots I experimented with last year--worked pretty well( bottoms cut out so roots could go into the ground and they required less watering but still got the good soil and warming benifits of the pots. The rest I will plant in beds. I think about 25 varieties of tomatoes. I cut way back but it has been hard so I cut the number of tomatoes in half and eliminated some other things.I have 4 overwintered peppers and about 20 that I started this winter as parts of germination tests, and I just sowed the main group last week. This is what I will have if they all germinate ( in which case I may be digging more beds):

904750136-AB
Aji Dulce de Venevuela
Aji Limo
Aji Red
Aji Santa Cruz
Aji Variedad Boliviana
Akondncha ( Bulgaria)
Alaepia
Ampuis
Bedgi
Bird,Texas-Monticello
Black Cluster
Black Scorpion Tongue
Bode,Mario's
Bulgarian Spicy Peppers
C. testiculatum
Cap 363
CAP 503
Capsicum lanceolatum
Carmanola Rosa
Cayenne,Red-Monticello
CGN 22208
Chagaunas Market,Yellow
Chicana,Purple
Chiltepin
Chinese Five-Color
Chocolate Beauty
Choricero
Cobincho-MDESH
Cobincho-NMDUC
Congo Trinidad
Cosa Arrugada de Viejo
Criolla de Cocina
Criolla Sella
Datil, Red Cross
Diamante Market Cherry
Dwarf Rooster Spur
Five Color ( Chinese)
Galapagoense Cross
Golden Marconi
Golden Treasure
Habanero,Giant Orange
Habanero,Red
Habanero,White Giant
Habanero,White-TGS
Inca Red Drop
Ivorian Piment (large)
Jalapeno, Guachinango
Jamaica S. B.,Brown
Las Tuna
Mari's annuum 1
Maureen's Yellow Bolivian
Not Aji Variedad Boliviana
Orange Bell
Ose Utoro
Peperone Dulce Italiano
Peperone Rosso Marconi
Peruvian Chinense
PI 315025
PI 497676-JT
PI 631154
Pimenta de 3 Pontas ( Brasil)
Pimento Piquillo
Pimiento,Tangerine
Piquillo de Lodosa
Rocotillo-Andrews
Rocoto Cuencano
Rocoto-White flowered
S. B., Light Orange
S. B.,Chocolate
S. B.-Red -RW 06
S. B.-Trenton Farm Mkt
S. B.-Yellow -RW 06
San Salvatore da Pepe
Senise
Serrano,Fuego
Squash,Green
Squash,Red
Super Shepherd
Surajmukhi
Sweet Chocolate
Tabago Seasoning
Tabasco,Greenleaf
Thai Long Sweet
Tilli's Sweet Italian
Tunesian Bak Louti
Ulupica
Uvilla Grande-CD
Variegated,White
Venezuelan Purple
Viet. Swamp Pepper
W. Indian Red
Wiri Wiri -Guayana

What can I say--I can't help myself and it will be interesting to see how they do in the ground.

Is that all? LOL
Somewhat of a Whitman Sampler eh?

Dwarf Rooster Spur??? My never ending quest. Are those different than the Rooster Spur you sent me? If not, let me know if yours germinate. None of mine did. I had only one Rat Turd germinate.

Paul B.

Dwarf is brand new for me. The seeds I sent you were for regular Rooster Spur and from a different source and I have yet to try them.Interesting-my source for the dwarf didn't get his to germinate. I'll have to try some of the batch I sent you.

Dwarf Rooster Spur-germinated 1/30/06

"904750136-AB
Aji Dulce de Venevuela
Aji Limo
Aji Red
Aji Santa Cruz
Aji Variedad Boliviana
Akondncha ( Bulgaria)
Alaepia
Ampuis
Bedgi
Bird,Texas-Monticello
Black Cluster
Black Scorpion Tongue
Bode,Mario's
Bulgarian Spicy Peppers
C. testiculatum
Cap 363
CAP 503
Capsicum lanceolatum
Carmanola Rosa
Cayenne,Red-Monticello
CGN 22208
Chagaunas Market,Yellow
Chicana,Purple
Chiltepin
Chinese Five-Color
Chocolate Beauty
Choricero
Cobincho-MDESH
Cobincho-NMDUC
Congo Trinidad
Cosa Arrugada de Viejo
Criolla de Cocina
Criolla Sella
Datil, Red Cross
Diamante Market Cherry
Dwarf Rooster Spur
Five Color ( Chinese)
Galapagoense Cross
Golden Marconi
Golden Treasure
Habanero,Giant Orange
Habanero,Red
Habanero,White Giant
Habanero,White-TGS
Inca Red Drop
Ivorian Piment (large)
Jalapeno, Guachinango
Jamaica S. B.,Brown
Las Tuna
Mari's annuum 1
Maureen's Yellow Bolivian
Not Aji Variedad Boliviana
Orange Bell
Ose Utoro
Peperone Dulce Italiano
Peperone Rosso Marconi
Peruvian Chinense
PI 315025
PI 497676-JT
PI 631154
Pimenta de 3 Pontas ( Brasil)
Pimento Piquillo
Pimiento,Tangerine
Piquillo de Lodosa
Rocotillo-Andrews
Rocoto Cuencano
Rocoto-White flowered
S. B., Light Orange
S. B.,Chocolate
S. B.-Red -RW 06
S. B.-Trenton Farm Mkt
S. B.-Yellow -RW 06
San Salvatore da Pepe
Senise
Serrano,Fuego
Squash,Green
Squash,Red
Super Shepherd
Surajmukhi
Sweet Chocolate
Tabago Seasoning
Tabasco,Greenleaf
Thai Long Sweet
Tilli's Sweet Italian
Tunesian Bak Louti
Ulupica
Uvilla Grande-CD
Variegated,White
Venezuelan Purple
Viet. Swamp Pepper
W. Indian Red
Wiri Wiri -Guayana "

i have to ask...where and how on earth do u get all those different seed varieties? I could get about 5 different varieties of chilli seeds if i tried hard enough, but 200 odd!?! wow...

Miguel

I have been collecting for several years. I get them from pepper friends all over the world ( they often have access to peppers that are common in their locality but not seen comercially) , from fellow members of Seed Savers Exchange, and I buy them from several interesting companies.

The Coast to Coast Pepper Company carries all those types.

Update

Dwarf Rooster Spur 5-6-06--now about 12' high--will save you some seeds Paul

Thats with 3/4"spacing, I could do 3x as much with 1/4" spacing
***********

I think the mathematics says it would be 9x as much.

3/4 x 3/4 squares down to 1/4 x 1/4 squares.

3/4 x 3/4 = 9/16

1/4 x 1/4 = 1/16

so you can fit 9 of the small ones in the same space as one of the others.

If'n it's 9x, I don't want to deal with it..

100 at a time is plenty for me.

John I have searched everywhere for a nit picker. nowhere on the internet do I find anythin close to what you pictue. The one and only nitpicker that I find is a tweezer.

can you help us on finding your clever tool.

thanks

O Nut

This is a very good way of doing it next time I'll do it that way. It isn't much fun picking appart multiple seedlings from a 72 cell tray. Plus it elimitates the duds that waste space in the tray and allows you to maximize the under light space. You could also reuse the vacated germination tray cell. One thing I've learned is I'm going to scale back a bit next year. I've run out of room lol. I'll be giving lots of plants away. Possibly leading to new chilli-heads :) So it's not all bad.

O Nut

I got mine from Pinetree Seeds but they no longer list it in their catalog. I have written to them asking for a source and will let you know their response.

"Dwarf Rooster Spur 5-6-06--now about 12' high--will save you some seeds Paul"
That would be greatly appreciated John.

Paul B.

nurseries will buy pansies in those multiflats. they buy and transplant into 6 packs and grow them some more.

I have over 10 of them I obtained that way. ask around you should find them in the correct season. they throw them out.

Which is exactly how I did it in the greenhouse at school, except for the plastic covering....all my plug trays went into the germination chamber instead. Some had their cotyledons but the vast majority were still in the hypocotyl stage. Trasplanted straight to pony packs to grow on.
My crops were Anaheim, Hungarian Wax, Sweet Rainbow Bell, California Wonder plus a scad of tomatoes!

Vera

I think the mathematics says it would be 9x as much.

3/4 x 3/4 squares down to 1/4 x 1/4 squares.

3/4 x 3/4 = 9/16

1/4 x 1/4 = 1/16

so you can fit 9 of the small ones in the same space as one of the others.

IF your talking sq in, This is linear as in 1" wide x10" long trays

real is 3/4 x 1, and 1/4 x 1

3/4x4/4 = 12/16

1/4x 4/4 = 4/16

12 divided by 4 = 3

O Nut,

Sorry for the late late response, but I want to let you know I found a butter-type knife at a store called Kitchen Collection that mirrors a nit picker very closely. Works perfect! Cost me $0.97. I would check out local kitchenware stores for butter knives. This particular one isn't flat. It allows you to "scoop" up the entire cell.

Though I am not sure how John F creates impressions in the larger plug tray that identically fit the soil ball being placed into it from the smaller plug. However, I have had no transplant shock at all using another method.

I fill up the larger square plug trays (either 36 ct or 50 ct), water them, and poke holes in center of each cell using a lead pencil (eraser side down). I then use the butter knife to extract the entire plug from the 200 ct tray. I then CAREFULLY separate the seedling from the dirt, recycle my old dirt, and put the seedling tap root down into the hole I made in the larger plug tray. Next, firm soil around the stem. DONE.

Zero transplant shock, but John's method is even less invasive! I just have difficulty making accurate impressions allowing an easy drop in of the small plug.

Chris

Chris

Doesn't need to be exact. I just push the dirt aside with the tool to make an approximate size hole-gets easy with practice-and just drop in the plug sometimes if the hole is a little small it just needs a little push--less work than your method-but if it works for you...

John

Thank you so much for your experience, John. I will try to do the same the next year (but with a few varieties). Your advice are always very useful.

Good luck with your "little" chili pepper plantation.

All the best
Gonzalo

O Nut

Here is the tool in a set

Here is a link that might be useful: indoor tool set

thanks John that looks perfect.

cmpman I will also be checking at any Kitchen stores in the malls as I get a chance.

that was why I did the math. I was not sure what was being talked about. but yes if you only compress one dimension then only that one is effected and you get 2 times as much.

In the old days I used to do it close to what John suggests here. but then I got tired of the transplanting and decided to just put the seeds into the next size up flat.

but now I am going to go back to this method of small cells.

O Nut.

here is a place that sells retail

Here is a link that might be useful: the tool

Wow. I am thinking that the only time I would ever grow that much is if I decide to overrun some kind of community garden with peppers here in town! :) (which I won't :) So is the salsa receipes slightly modified to like 50 peppers + a half tomato territory :)
But seriously, that's really cool (or insane! Not sure! :) I am definitely not going to complain about watering my ahh. 40 babies. (somehow the number of plants keep on mysteriously expanding! Maybe I should have gone 20 peppers and 20 tomatoes instead! Naah!).