How Does Leak-Proof Seedling Trays Work?
The Ultimate Guide to Seed Starting Trays for Indoor Seed Germination
Essential Tips for Using Seed Trays
Tip #1
When watering your seedlings, you have the option to water from the top or the bottom. Many gardeners face fungal infections that detrimentally affect seedling growth when the soil remains excessively moist due to overhead watering. While I haven’t encountered this issue, it’s crucial to monitor your water usage. A better method is to pour water into the bottom catch tray, allowing the seedlings to absorb the moisture through the tray's drainage holes.
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Tip #2
When the time comes to remove your seedlings, a butter knife can be incredibly useful. Gently slide it along the edge of the soil before lifting your seedlings out.
Tip #3
Always ensure that you wash and sterilize your tray kits prior to using them for new seeds. Immediately after transplanting seedlings, I rinse out the trays, removing all soil and debris, then let them dry before storing. When it’s time to start new seeds, I soak the trays in a diluted bleach solution to eliminate any lingering bacteria that might harm the young seedlings. A ratio of 9 parts water to 1 part bleach works effectively— that’s 9 cups of water for every 1 cup of bleach.
Is a Seed Starting Heat Mat Necessary?
In my personal experience, heat mats haven't been part of my routine; however, many gardeners and farmers report enhanced and quicker germination using them. If your space is warm enough, a mat isn’t essential, but it certainly can be beneficial.
You might also consider using a humidity dome. I’ve alternated between using domes and forgoing them entirely; if you have a warm environment, they may not be critical. In cooler conditions, below 72 degrees Fahrenheit, a dome can offer additional warmth and humidity, aiding the germination process.
Understanding Seed Trays: My Preferred Choices
I believe most of us can agree that while having options is great, too many can lead to confusion and indecision. I experienced this firsthand while attempting to choose the right seed starting trays when I began growing flowers.
Investing in the wrong trays can be a regrettable mistake, and I want to help you avoid that. In this article, we will dissect the advantages and disadvantages of various seed trays available in the market. Additionally, I will share my top tray selections and helpful tips to consider when making your choice.
If you're eager to dive right in, my absolute favorite tray for seed starting is the 72 cell tray; it’s the primary one I utilize on my small flower farm.
Understanding Seed Trays:
In general, all seed trays serve a similar purpose—they keep your soil contained, allowing you to cultivate healthy transplants for your garden.
By using a single tray for your seeds, you can easily apply the same treatment method to your seedlings. Watering is simplified, and transporting your seedlings becomes more manageable since you only have to carry one tray to the garden.
Most seed trays are designed with consistent length and width, fitting nicely within standard bottom watering trays.
The key difference between various trays lies in the number of cells they contain.
The Importance of Cell Size in Seed Starting Trays:
Cell counts can vary significantly among trays, with options commonly available for 32, 50, 72, all the way up to 128 and 288 cells.
More cells in a single tray means smaller individual cell sizes. For example, a 50-cell tray has larger cells than a 72-cell tray.
Your choice of cell count should depend on your preferences, the available space for seed starting, and the needs of the plants you're germinating.
The size of a cell inherently limits how much a seedling can grow. Smaller cells restrict root expansion.
Providing ample room for root development is essential for the seedling to flourish before transplanting into the garden.
When seedlings outgrow their allotted space and become root bound, they may struggle to absorb nutrients effectively from the soil.
While some plants may recover from being root bound, it's best to prevent this from occurring, as it can lead to stunted growth or delayed flowering. In severe cases, plants may not survive.
Understanding the goal of seed starting is vital: to cultivate robust plant starts. Therefore, adequate room for saplings to grow is essential.
In many cases, particularly for those cultivating seedlings on a larger scale, space may be limited.
I utilize multiple wired shelves for all my seed starts, each measuring 4 feet wide, allowing me to fit four trays per shelf.
With 32-cell trays, a single shelf can accommodate 128 seedlings (4 trays x 32 cells).
Alternatively, if I grow seedlings in 72-cell trays on the same shelf, I can cultivate 288 seedlings—more than doubling my capacity in the same area.
This illustrates the balance you must strike between space optimization and ensuring the well-being of your seedlings.
My Best Seed Tray Recommendation for Flower Farmers:
For my seed starting needs, the 72 cell tray often stands as a compromise between the two important factors outlined above. I frequently recommend this option to novice growers because, for most flower varieties, 72 cells provide ample space for seedlings to develop into sturdy plants without the need for premature repotting before they are ready for the garden.
My top pick is the 72 cell seed tray from Bootstrap Farmer. After five seasons of cultivating flowers, I can confidently claim that no other tray compares in strength and quality to this brand.
Even when full of soil, Bootstrap Farmer trays maintain their shape. They are incredibly durable, and for a minimal additional cost, their longevity justifies the investment.
The company is recognized as the world’s best Leak-Proof Seedling Trays supplier, your one-stop shop for all needs. Their expert staff can assist you in finding the perfect product.
Now let’s examine some scenarios when I would opt for different tray types.
Specific Seed Starting Trays for Unique Needs:
128-Cell (and Smaller) Seed Starting Tray
Should you experience challenges with germination, tools like heat mats and humidity domes can facilitate the ideal conditions for seeds to sprout.
While I consider my equipment an essential investment, sometimes budgets limit the purchase of dedicated heat mats and humidity domes for each tray.
In such instances, a smaller cell tray may be your best option for starting seeds. A 128 cell tray can accommodate numerous seeds in a compact space and fits comfortably on a heat mat.
However, ensure that you maintain oversight of your 128 and smaller cell trays to provide enough room for seedlings to thrive until they are ready for transplanting. You may need to transfer seedlings into larger trays for optimal growth before moving them outdoors.
50-Cell Seed Starting Tray
For flower varieties like sweet peas, which boast expansive root systems, I always recommend a 50 cell tray. Recently, I’ve transitioned to using extra deep 50 cell trays for sweet peas, allowing for broader root development.
We also utilize these deep trays for many other crops, such as ranunculus and anemone corms, while even potting paperwhite bulbs in these trays.
Flowers requiring additional root space benefit from these trays.
However, I advise caution; in my experience, these deep trays present challenges in moisture regulation. Typically, they struggle to wick moisture from the bottom drainage holes, so I end up overhead watering when using these trays instead of relying on bottom watering. Monitoring the moisture level at the bottom of deep cells can also be trickier.
I find it much easier to maintain consistent moisture levels with standard trays, which are generally 2 to 3 inches deep.
20 Row Channel Tray
This next option, a 20 row channel tray, is ideal for those who may find sowing small seeds particularly frustrating.
The struggle of attempting to sow tiny seeds, like snapdragons or herbs such as oregano—where it’s difficult to distinguish a seed from a speck of dirt—can be quite real. In some seasons, I’ve had enough patience to utilize a moist toothpick to individually place seeds into each cell.
In other instances, however, I prefer utilizing channel trays for convenience.
This tray allows you to fill each channel with soil and create indentations to pour seeds into. Unlike cell trays, which require a seed in every cell, channel trays facilitate bulk sowing along the length of each channel, simplifying the process. Generally, a single packet of 100 seeds fits well within one channel, which can save a significant amount of time.
I treat channel trays like any other seed tray; however, I often place them on heat mats with humidity domes for germination. Once the seeds sprout and the seedlings develop slight growth, I transfer them to my preferred 72-cell trays for continued growth until transplanting in the garden.
Handling seedlings from channel trays simplifies the process, especially when distinguishing between tiny seeds and debris.
For managing varieties with poor germination rates, using this type of tray can also mitigate issues of empty spaces in trays, as you can only move up the seedlings that successfully germinated.
Trialing New Seed Trays This Season:
The last type of tray I want to introduce is one I’m currently trialing this season, and I’m excited about its potential.
As mentioned earlier, there are alternative methods of seed starting that don't require any kind of tray — one of which is soil blocking. This technique involves planting seeds into cubes of soil, which helps prevent root binding.
In traditional cell trays, seedlings’ roots can spiral when they reach the sides of the cells, potentially leading to them becoming root-bound. However, with soil blocking, once roots contact the outer edges of the block, they experience air-pruning, drying out and signaling secondary root growth.
While the benefits of air-pruning are substantial, my patience for soil blocking is limited due to its intricate nature. I prefer the ease of seed trays for my seed starting needs.
Air prune trays blend the benefits of soil blocking with the practicality of trays, facilitating the air-pruning effect while still offering the convenience of a tray design.
I’m particularly eager to discover if seedlings grown in these trays exhibit greater health than those in standard trays. I’ve only acquired a handful of air pruned trays this season to see how they perform.
I plan to use them for flower varieties sensitive to root disturbances, as I’m hopeful a robust root system will enhance their transplant success and overall performance, potentially reducing transplant shock.
Although these trays are an investment, their excellent craftsmanship leads me to believe they will sustain use for multiple seasons, providing value for money in the long run.
I’ll keep you informed about their performance as the season advances.
Conclusion:
This concludes our exploration of various seed trays I utilize in a growing season. I hope this discussion offers valuable insights to consider when selecting trays for your seed starting needs.
I’d love to hear your selections in the comments below, as I’m always curious about the tools other growers prefer!
P.S. If you're interested in seeing these trays in action, be sure to check out this YouTube video where I showcase my favorite seed starting trays!
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