Peat pots. Tomato seedlings in peat tablets and cups

More than 10 years ago, on the shelves of hardware stores they began to sell multifunctional vessels for growing seedlings, which are called peat pots. The convenient shape and pleasant price of the tanks immediately interested people involved in the garden, thus ensuring a sharp demand for goods. Read about peat pots for seedlings and their use in this publication.

Peat pots for seedlings

So, in this article we will tell you about what peat cups for seedlings are. You can also learn how to use them. Since ancient times, humus, cellulose and peat have been included in the composition of products, which occupies 70% in high-quality containers. Sometimes lime or chalk is added to the composition to reduce acidity. Products are made using a press in forms with a radius of 10–20 cm. In appearance, they can resemble a circle, trapezoid or square. The density of the walls is about 1-1.5 millimeters, thus ensuring the unhindered growth of the roots.

The method of using the vessels is quite easy: the plant is moved into the ground along with the pot. As a result, the root system is not adversely affected and seedlings germinate well. To avoid rapid evaporation of moisture, it is necessary to completely put the pots in the ground, making holes in the vessel in advance. Some summer residents specially dip the containers into the water, then remove the seedlings and move them to the ground together with the earth.

How to use peat pots

And now the moment has come to tell you how to use peat cups. Within a month, the vessel rots and turns into fertilizer. Not very high-quality containers for sprouts split in the soil for a long time. This is due to the fact that some organizations use large volumes of thick cardboard, which was under pressure, in the manufacture of peat vessels. As a result, the young root is not able to germinate through the glass. To avoid this, it is necessary to make holes in the bottom of the glass.

Mode of application:

Planting in peat cups is not a difficult process. And now it is worth revealing the details of this work. The bottom of the pot is filled with a drainage layer of pre-shredded eggshell. Next, the soil is added with nutrients pre-washed with a solution of potassium permanganate. During the laying of the layer, the soil should not be over-compacted. In order for the root system to develop naturally, it must be airy. The soil is watered room temperature and plant seeds. For prevention, a peat container is treated with an anti-fungal agent. Banks with seedlings should be at some distance from each other so that the roots do not become intertwined.

Pros and cons of peat containers

There are no weed seeds and pathogenic microflora in peat. When transferring seedlings from the container to the ground, the roots of the plants are not exposed to negative impacts. The pots are splitting natural way saturating the soil with peat. Convenient jars for sowing seeds. Improvement of seedlings should be started in medium-sized square pots, and grown plants, together with containers, should be moved to larger round pots.

The only disadvantage of such pots is the rapid evaporation of water. It is for this reason that plants growing in them need to be watered more often than in plastic products. Wrapped to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture food foil or polyethylene. Use peat containers on acidic or neutral soils, as well as when growing plants with brittle roots. For example, cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes. Shouldn't be used similar forms for seedlings of garlic, Beijing cabbage, onion and lettuce. You can choose peat pots for growing plants with strong roots, such as pumpkins.

Summing up

After reading the article, you can tell what peat pots for seedlings are and how to use them. Seedlings should be grown using such glasses, because they have many advantages, one of them is a low price. However, many experts do not consider such pots useful, you can conduct the experiment yourself by planting part of the seedlings in peat cups and the other in ordinary plastic ones. At the end of the article, we want to wish you warm days and rich harvests in your beds.

Each summer season begins with the cultivation of seedlings. Everyone understands why this is being done - you can significantly increase the growing season and get not only an earlier, but also a much larger harvest. On the territory of our country there are regions in which heat-loving vegetables cannot be grown in any other way.

As the first stage of development passes, so the subsequent ones will continue - this is the law of nature. To improve the development of plants, many gardeners and gardeners use peat pots. How to use these little helpers? Should I buy them for growing seedlings? Consider the pros and cons of such glasses.

What are they made of?

Before you buy peat pots for seedlings, find out what they are made of. Such devices are made from peat, to which cardboard or wood is added. Most of all, gardeners praise cups with a ratio of the main substance of 70% and additives of 30%. Beware of low-quality goods, it happens that unscrupulous manufacturers increase the percentage of impurities, or even use only cheap cardboard. Before you buy agricultural machinery, read what is written on the package.

Environmental justifications

Peat products have many advantages over their counterparts made of plastic, paper or ceramics. For plants, this will be a real ecologically clean house. The peat used for the manufacture of containers for growing seedlings does not contain pathogenic microflora, there are no weed seeds. In such products, the content of harmful toxic substances, such as heavy metals, benzopyrene residues and pesticides, is significantly lower. The concentration of such substances will be several times lower than the permissible agriculture norms for growing plants and crops. Peat, light in weight, is safe for use, it does not contain pathogens of various diseases of vegetable and flower crops.

When choosing peat pots for growing seedlings, carefully inspect them. For good quality products, the wall thickness should be one to one and a half millimeters. Such walls will be strong enough to last the entire period of plant development, but at the same time, seedling roots will be able to develop unhindered. After planting in the soil, a quality pot will begin to quickly disintegrate, thereby facilitating the work of harvesting the fields. The decay period for quality products lasts approximately 27-32 days.

Peat pots for seedlings. Pros of using

1. Due to the porous walls, the best air-water regime of the root layer is provided. During planting in the ground, plants freely take root through the walls and bottom.
2. Such containers do not contain pathogens and toxic substances, while they have high mechanical strength both in wet and dry conditions.
3. When planting seedlings together with a pot in the ground, the survival rate reaches almost 100%. Later, when decomposed, the pot will serve as fertilizer.
4. Due to the accelerated survival of seedlings, more early harvest, mainly for this, seedlings are planted in peat pots.

How to use? General requirements for the use of peat pots

1. The containers are pre-filled with slightly moistened nutrient soil, accept a little. After that, it starts in peat pots. You can sow bulbs, cuttings or seedlings.
2. Place the prepared cups on pallets, pesos, plastic wrap, gravel or soil.
3. Seedlings should be watered frequently to keep the soil moist.
4. We must not allow the peat pots to dry out. How to use them correctly? Wrap each unit with foil - this will help prevent drying out. Otherwise, the salt contained in the ground may crystallize and, in concentrated form, pose a danger to tender seedlings.
5. When the plants begin to grow, the pots should be spaced more freely to increase light and aeration. In addition, with a more spacious arrangement, the interweaving of the root systems of neighboring plants is prevented.
6. Growing seedlings in peat pots ends with planting in the ground. You do not need to dig up the plants, plant them directly with the old container.

Seedlings of zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants, squash

Seedlings of these crops do not like transplantation. In order for the plants to take root, take peat pots for growing. How to use them? What size would be preferable?

For seedlings of cucumbers intended for planting in protected ground, pots with a diameter of 11 cm are suitable. The cultivation period is approximately 30 days. How to plant in peat pots? One germinated seed is sown in one cup.

If vegetables are to be planted in open ground, then for seedlings of zucchini, squash and cucumbers, you should choose containers with a diameter of 8 cm, for pumpkin better fit 11 cm and planted one in each pot. Planting depth 1 cm. Cucumbers can be planted 2 pieces in one container.

On average, pumpkin seedlings will be ready in 20 days, and other vegetables in a month. You can calculate yourself optimal timing landing.

Ready pots are placed on pallets close to each other, watered thoroughly and left in a warm place where the temperature is maintained at 25-30 degrees until germination. When yellow-green sprouts appear, the temperature should be reduced to 20-22 degrees. Such temperature regime supported 2-3 days.

Watering

Should be watered cucumber seedlings warm water heated to 25-30 degrees. If there is cold watering, the plants can get sick or even die.

hardening

To prevent plant diseases after transplanting into the ground, they are hardened - 7-10 days before planting - the premises are often ventilated, the temperature is reduced to 15 degrees, and watered less often.

Landing in open ground

Prepared plants are planted in the soil directly in pots. Some gardeners break cups before planting or pull out seedlings along with an earthen clod. That's how you can do it too. However, gardeners who used peat pots to grow seedlings leave the following planting reviews - they believe that it is better to make holes in the containers beforehand. Decaying, the cups will nourish the plant, helping to get a big harvest.

cabbage seedling

In March, cabbage is sown in special boxes. After the appearance of seedlings, they swoop down, and planting in peat pots begins. Cups with a diameter of about 7 cm are suitable. You can use round specimens or peat blocks, in which there are 6 cells at once. At the end of April, you can start landing in

lettuce seedling

Lettuce seedlings for planting in protected ground are prepared by picking seedlings into pots. Suitable pots measuring 50x50 mm or, as they are also called, peat cells. In about a month, the seedlings will be ready for planting in a greenhouse or greenhouse.

The roots of many plants can penetrate the bottom and walls of peat cups. However, most gardeners do not wait for this - they are guided by the size of the aerial part of the seedlings.

Experienced gardeners say that if you immerse peat pots in before planting warm water until the release of air bubbles from the walls stops, then the soaked walls and bottom will not create obstacles and will be easily processed by soil inhabitants.

Disadvantages of peat pots

1. Not all plants tolerate the acidic environment that is inherent in peat. Some manufacturers add special mineral fertilizers to the products, as well as lime and chalk, which reduce acidity.
2. Requires frequent watering.
3. Evaporating from the surface of the pots, the water greatly cools the soil, as a result, the root system develops much worse.
4. Some plants cannot break through the peat walls, they have to be taken out of the containers when transplanting.
5. Often mold appears on low-quality pots, the walls are destroyed
6. The high cost of peat cups, especially when growing large volumes of seedlings.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous manufacturers give out pots made from ordinary cardboard as high-quality peat products. Gardeners complain that sometimes in the fall, when digging up a plot, they find undecomposed pots with the remains of roots.

Peat pots - help to the gardener or "seedling killer"? Analyzing the reviews of practitioners, we will figure out why the pots were so named, and how to properly use the peat novelty. The recipes given here will help to neutralize the shortcomings of the peat container. All the secrets of planting seeds in peat pots are in an informative video.

Peat pots. What is their use?

Peat has long proved its valuable qualities and indispensability in supporting green shoots.

Peat cups, cassettes, cells, pots are hollow containers, which include peat and cardboard. Peat pots - great idea for plants with weak roots that are damaged during picking. Seedlings are transplanted into a greenhouse or into the ground right in the peat "house". After a while, the container dissolves, and the young shoots receive the microelements necessary for development.

Advantages of peat cups:

1. Biologically pure storage of minerals. Peat does not contain pathogens, weed seeds and heavy elements. It is natural and eco-friendly.
2. The wall thickness of a quality pot is 1.5 mm. It retains its shape and can dissolve in the soil after 32 days.
3. The manufacturer guarantees 100% seed germination.
4. Seedlings in peat pots rise 30% faster, which means an early harvest.
5. Glasses or pots are easy to transport and have a long shelf life.

Instructions for using peat cups

Peat pots are perfect for germinating vegetable, flower, fruit and vegetable seeds. ornamental crops. How to use them correctly?

1. Before sowing, new cups must be soaked in a solution of humate fertilizers. This will serve to nourish the seedlings and the safe decomposition of the glass at the right time.
2. Pour loose soil into pots or glasses at a distance of 1 cm to the top. It is better to decontaminate the soil.
3. Put the seed, sprinkle it with soil. Mark the pot with the variety and date of sowing.
4. You can cover with foil and place on the windowsill.

Peat pots - instructions for use

The principles of growing seedlings in a peat pot are standard: timely watering, moist air, temperature for seeds 22-24°C, for sprouts - 15-17°C. Light day lasting 15-17 hours.

Attention! Seedlings should be watered often, but little by little, carefully monitoring the possible drying of the soil. Young shoots love moisturizing from a spray bottle.

Cheap peat containers - do not buy!

The worldwide web is filled with the disappointment of vegetable growers. The reason is drying, low germination, death of seedlings. However, it is quite possible to turn the disadvantages of peat cups into advantages.

On practice good idea peat pots crashed about the peculiarities of doing business in Russia. Ideally, high-moor peat should make up more than 70% of the above peat products. In fact, even in high-quality peat glasses - 50% peat and the same amount - pressed cardboard. And cheap options do consist of cardboard and cellulose. Hence the mass of negative reviews from practitioners and experts.

They complain that seedlings in peat pots are dying. Even if it grows on the window, it withers after transplanting into the ground. When digging up such a weak bush, the reason is found out, he remained in peat captivity. The pot does not dissolve not only after a month, but also after a season. It turns out that this is not the fault of peat, but of pressed cardboard, which decomposes much longer.

Advice. When buying, you should carefully consider the product. Cardboard is lighter than peat. To the touch it is dense, pressed. Peat is porous and brittle to the touch.

The way out of the situation is the rejection of cheap peat pots. You should buy them only in specialized stores, with the original packaging and a certificate of conformity.

Protecting pots from drying out

Growers point to the problematic watering of seedlings in peat cups. The earth ball dries out quickly and needs to be watered too often, which leads to mold. What's the matter?

Peat is indeed a wateraholic. It has the ability to quickly and in large quantities absorb water and give it to the environment. It turns out that the glass itself dehydrates the soil in which the plant develops. If the owner watered the seedlings and went to work, then in the evening he can catch wilted plants.

To prevent drying out, peat pots can be covered with a film

You can neutralize this drawback with the help of improvised materials. For example, carefully wrap a peat bowl in foil. Or put the pot in plastic bag. Then all the moisture will remain inside, and the soil will not dehydrate so quickly. And in order to avoid the appearance of mold, containers with seedlings should be regularly ventilated.

Proper landing in the ground

The manufacturer indicates that seedlings can be transplanted in pots that decompose well in the ground. To implement the developers' idea, peat pots need help:

• generously moisten the hole before transplanting into the ground;
• pour the pot itself so that it is soaked;
• after transplanting, water not only the landing site, but the entire garden;
• then moisten the seedlings as usual, because the process has already been started.

So the pots break up perfectly in the promised 32 days and fertilize the seedlings with minerals. If in doubt and afraid for seedlings, you can first plant plants with strong roots and see what happens. For example, the root system of a pumpkin, watermelon, melon is able to overcome any obstacles. Some users advise tearing the pot a little, or piercing holes in it with an awl.

The seedling killer can still work effectively! Just caring for seedlings in peat pots requires knowledge, care, time and patience. But any obstacles are a great incentive to overcome them!

Growing seedlings in peat pots - video

Peat pots for seedlings - photo

In circumstances where gardening is practiced even by those who have never picked up a rake before in their lives, and learned about the ripening of tomatoes only by their appearance on the shelves, modern industry has created many aids for such novice gardeners. All sorts of devices, tools and chemicals make planting, growing, and caring for crops so easy that even experienced growers appreciate their functionality. And their special attention was given to peat pots, without which at least one fan of gardening rarely does now. That simple, in fact, idea turned out to be so handy that now few people grow seedlings without them. Want to try too? There is nothing easier: handling peat pots is easy, they are not expensive and do not take up much space either in the house or on the site. And yet, for the best result, it is better to know in advance all the nuances of how to use peat pots.

Peat pots: properties and features
Peat pots are relatively small (the size may vary, depending on your tasks) cups or boxes designed for growing seedlings in them. main feature peat pots and their main difference from other containers of a similar purpose lies in the material from which the pots are made. It is not difficult to guess about it by the name itself, but in fact it is not 100% pure peat, but a mixture of peat with wood pulp or humus, dried, tightly packed and shaped into a round or square container. Such a composition of the material for manufacturing was chosen because it is the lightest, most durable and efficient in terms of the functions that are assigned to it. Every gardener knows about them firsthand, but for everyone else we will remind you once again that most of both fruit and ornamental crops begin their life cycle from seedlings. This is a kind of “childhood” of a plant, and, just like in humans, it has a decisive influence on the entire subsequent life of the plant: its development, growth, fruitful indicators, etc. Therefore, it is so important to properly grow seedlings and provide them with necessary care. All this is provided for by the composition and design of peat pots:

1. The root system is well supplied with oxygen and water due to the porous walls of the pot. Neither nutrition nor respiration of a developing plant is disturbed.
2. After planting in the ground, the roots freely grow through the pliable and soft walls of the peat pot, without encountering resistance.
3. The base of the pot is strong enough to support the load of earth and seedlings for as long as it is needed.
4. The peat pot, getting into the ground, gradually decomposes and becomes a natural fertilizer for the plant, which provides its nutrition and improves growth rates.
5. The peat pot is completely made from natural ingredients that do not harm either seedlings or soil, and do not poison the crop.

It follows from this that peat pots are a really useful invention and a necessary purchase for growing seedlings. But did they manage without them before? Of course, you can grow seedlings in other containers. Our mothers and grandmothers used boxes, bags, jars and cups from yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream for this purpose ... Nobody bothers you to follow their example, but you need to take into account certain features and difficulties that those who use for growing seedlings "improvised materials". Firstly, some crops with a naturally weak root system (for example, cucumbers, pumpkins, peppers, eggplants, etc.) cannot be planted and then swooped down in boxes: they simply cannot withstand such tests. Secondly, containers from fermented milk products often contain their remains, and lactic acid bacteria very aggressively affect the roots, causing damage and disease. And, finally, the roots of seedlings grown in solid containers are inevitably damaged, which subsequently cannot but affect the development of the plant. All these dangers can be avoided by using peat pots. And in order to choose them correctly at the first purchase, keep in mind that:

1. The shape of peat pots are round and square in diameter. This is not fundamental to the success of growing seedlings, but it can save space or otherwise affect ease of use.
2. Peat pots also differ in size, so do not rush to buy the first one that comes across if their volume seems to you not very convenient. Look for the ones that best fit your needs and give your seedlings maximum comfort and growth.
3. Peat pots can be separate or fastened into horizontal blocks of several pieces. It is more convenient to store and use piece peat pots. If you expect to simply break the block into separate parts, then do it carefully so as not to violate the integrity of the walls of the neighboring pot, for all their strength, they are quite susceptible to mechanical damage.
4. Try to choose the walls of peat pots from one to one and a half millimeters thick - experience shows that it is optimal for most types of seedlings.
5. Do not confuse a peat pot with a cardboard one. They look very similar, especially if the cardboard is painted, and unscrupulous manufacturers take advantage of this. Cardboard pots, unlike peat pots, do not dissolve in the ground, do not nourish the plant and do not allow its roots to develop freely in the soil.

Advantages and disadvantages of peat pots
By mentioning fake peat pots, we come close to hot topic their shortcomings. Indeed, it cannot be that any, even the most convenient and simple device, does not have disadvantages. With regard to the use of peat pots, there are also shortcomings, and they have long been noticed by gardeners. How to relate to them - everyone decides for himself, depending on his capabilities, temperament and preferences among garden crops. We invite you to learn about the difficulties that other gardeners have encountered and decide for yourself how critical they are for you personally: are they worth it to abandon peat pots altogether, or just take some measures to overcome these difficulties:

1. Peat pots, due to the friability of their walls, cannot be dry when filled with moist soil. And if so, then the moisture continuously evaporates, and the earth inside the peat pot dries up, causing the seedlings to suffer from “thirst”.
2. On the other hand, since it is very difficult to control the degree of moisture and evaporation, there is always a risk of watering seedlings in a peat pot too much. As a result, the pot is covered with mold, which spreads both to the substrate and to the seedlings themselves.
3. Evaporation of moisture inevitably leads to cooling, that is, an immature root system that needs warmth, in practice begins to freeze, grows slowly and develops poorly.
4. Some peat pots do not break down in the soil as quickly as they should, and remain in the soil in clumps that litter the soil and interfere with other plants. Most often, this is a sign of low-quality pots made not from peat, but from cardboard and other materials.
5. Sometimes the walls of a peat pot are too strong for weak roots that simply cannot break through. For example, pumpkin copes with this task, and pepper gets stuck and withers.

How to grow seedlings in a peat pot
If the above side effects If you haven't been repulsed or given up on the idea of ​​growing your seedlings in a peat pot, it's best to follow the standard instructions for using peat pots. And as complications arise, apply a few tricks, which we will discuss later. One way or another, not all gardeners complain about peat pots, so it is possible that in your case everything will turn out well. And the probability of a successful result of using peat pots will be the higher, the more accurately you follow the following sequence of actions:

Make sure that you are going to use peat-humus pots - and it is better to do it even at the time of purchase by carefully studying the composition of the product in the packaging and asking the seller in detail.

1. Fill the peat pots with the right one for everyone specific type seedlings with soil, previously moistened and nutritious.
2. Lightly compact the soil, but not much, so that the seedlings can break through the ground and receive enough oxygen.
3. Sow the seeds in the ground right in the pot, drown the bulbs in the ground “up to the shoulders”, plant the cuttings and seedlings depending on their size.
4. Place potted seedlings in a wide tray. You can push them in tightly at first, and as the root system grows, move them away from each other to provide enough space, light and aeration.
5. Make sure that the soil in the peat pots is always moist. Water it directly or through a drip tray.
6. Do not allow the earth to dry out in peat pots: this is fraught not only with the drying of plants, but also with the crystallization of salts, which further damage fragile seedlings.
7. Plentifully water the seedlings in peat pots about a day before planting them in open ground.
8. Do not remove seedlings ready for planting in the ground from peat pots, but bury them in the ground with them. The depth of immersion of a peat pot in the soil depends on its size.
9. Make sure that the top edge of the peat pot is level with the ground or not much deeper (no more than 1-2 cm deep).

As you can see, the technology of growing seedlings in peat pots is really simple and logical, both in theory and in practice. Its main advantage is that there is no need to remove seedlings from solid containers when planting in a garden bed and thereby injure thin roots. Flowers take root especially well in peat pots, and even such capricious ones as a miniature snapdragon. But to ignore the shortcomings of peat pots is also impossible. Therefore, we suggest that you do not close your eyes to them, but rather, look around in search of a way out of the situation and take advantage of some of the subtleties discovered by enterprising gardeners in the process of using peat pots.

Secrets of using peat pots
Each gardener himself chooses what devices to use in his work - fortunately, you can find, choose and buy literally any tools today. Listening to the opinions of others, it is worth at least once to try growing seedlings in a peat pot yourself in order to compose own opinion. But if you didn’t like using peat pots, but you bought them in advance and with a margin, do not rush to get upset and count the “thrown away” money. There are no superfluous things on the farm, and now we will prove this again to you using the example of peat pots:

1. With a hole punch, awl or other sharp object, immediately make several holes in the bottom and walls of the peat pot. Subsequently, this will make it easier for the roots of the plant to come out.
2. To prevent moisture from evaporating through the walls of the peat pot and cooling the seedlings, wrap each pot plastic wrap or package. Before planting in open ground, do not forget to remove this polyethylene.
3. Before putting soil for seedlings in peat pots, soak them with a solution mineral fertilizers. This will help the walls of the pots to dissolve faster in the soil and provide the plants with additional nutrition.
4. To prevent the peat pot from becoming moldy, spray it with a special preparation, for example, foundationol. It will not have a detrimental effect on seedlings.
5. And finally, you can use peat pots not for all seedlings, but only for the strongest and strongest - for example, the same pumpkin, whose roots easily penetrate the walls of peat moulds.

The excitement around peat pots, as is often the case, is greatly exaggerated. For all their benefits, they also have disadvantages, which, however, are not at all difficult to cope with with a small share of a rational attitude. But they are light, safe for environment and they look much better than assorted plastic packages from cottage cheese desserts. You can start and continue to grow seedlings in peat pots for any agricultural, ornamental, horticultural crops, or abandon them forever by finding more suitable way. In other words, both the garden season and good harvest depend not on peat pots, but on your skill and attitude. It is no secret that plants, as living organisms and part of nature, are sensitive to the psychological atmosphere around.

Therefore, use peat pots and other garden tools easily, with a smile good mood, then the seedlings will be a joy!

Peat pots - required element organic farming. They make it very easy to grow seedlings. They are easy to use, they quickly decompose in the soil, they do not contain harmful polymers, but there is a real storehouse of trace elements. Peat containers for seedlings have become an indispensable tool in obtaining a future harvest.

The benefits of peat pots

peat pot - universal view planting containers made from a pressed mixture of peat, humus, wood pulp and greasy earth; it serves as a kind of "kindergarten" for the plant, facilitating growth in the initial stages. Having started its “path” in a peat container, the seedlings receive an excellent impetus, which, with due diligence of the gardener, will contribute to an excellent harvest.

Composition of peat pots:

• peat - a substance formed in low, wetlands from moss, fallen leaves and other organic components as a result of incomplete decomposition. Is an universal fertilizer containing a large number of carbon, which accelerates plant growth;
• humus is obtained from manure or compost that has been decomposing for more than two years. Representing a loose mass, it serves as an excellent source of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements;
• wood pulp is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, which, multiplying on the remains of wood, quickly process organic components cup. It also binds moisture: by retaining water, it does not allow it to evaporate. It has no nutritional value for the plant;
• fatty soil acts as a component that binds the components of the pot.

The evolution of seedling containers

Over time, like everything in the world, even containers for planting seedlings undergo changes. After all, there was a time when gardeners did not hear anything about either plastic or peat dishes for plants.

Wooden boxes

Many gardeners and gardeners still use wooden boxes for sowing seedlings, which are very durable, withstand transportation and any other movements, and serve faithfully for up to ten years.

Most often, the seeds are placed in them by continuous sowing, so that in the future the seedlings will need to be planted. Each season, such boxes must be carefully disinfected with fungicides before new crops, and this is a big minus of this type of seedling containers.

Plastic containers

Plastic products for growing seedlings are much lighter than wooden ones. They are produced from plastic of various thicknesses and densities.

The thicker the walls and the harder the plastic, the longer the seedling pots last. In addition, many options are available both in terms of volume and shape, which allows you to choose the right shape and volume for any type of seedlings. A significant disadvantage may be the use of unsafe plastic.

Improvised containers for seedlings

Many summer residents use cups from yoghurts, juices, plastic bottles from milk and other drinks. The advantage is their zero cost, and the disadvantage is the impossibility of complete disinfection after food products.

Peat and cardboard cups and pots

The seedling grows in such cups for the entire period and, together with it, is planted in the ground without damaging the earthen coma and root system, which is very important for plants with a vulnerable root system.

Each plant grows individually in them, they are light, and if you install them in a special plastic tray, they are easy to maintain.

The disadvantage is that the walls are breathable and the soil dries out very quickly. If you delay watering, seedlings may die. In addition, sometimes when transplanted into the ground, a cup of peat or cardboard does not dissolve in time and inhibits the growth of the root system.

Table: disadvantages of peat tanks

Danger	Causes	Effects	Fight method	Result
Drying out the soil mixture	The loose walls of the pot pump out moisture from the soil, constantly remaining wet.	The plant dries up.	Water the seedlings not from above, but add water to the bottom of the container where the pot is installed.	Water, getting through the lower holes, evenly impregnates the walls and soil. The plant receives adequate nutrition.
mold formation	It is difficult to control the amount of water.	There is mold on the walls.	Wall processing grated garlic, Fitosporin-M.	The rapid elimination of the source of mold will save the plant from infection with fungal diseases.
Rapid evaporation of moisture	Loose walls do not retain moisture.	Rapid cooling of the filler leads to supercooling of the roots. The plant grows slowly.	Wrap the sides of the pot with cling film.	Moisture evaporation will decrease.
Does not decompose in soil	Poor quality, cheap fakes made of cardboard. Not to be confused with paper cups sold as separate item, which is positioned exactly like this	Without decomposing, in the soil they become a source of fungal diseases.	Buy one pot and soak in water.	The paper swells, the peat breaks.
Pot walls too thick	At the roots different types plants have different ability to overcome obstacles.	The roots of seedlings cannot penetrate the wall, the plant does not have enough space.	For plants with weak roots, use thin-walled pots. First of all, this applies to cucumbers.	The plant does not fully develop, withers.

Advice. When buying, you should carefully consider the product. Cardboard is lighter than peat. To the touch it is dense, pressed. Peat is porous and brittle to the touch.

Photo gallery: the main disadvantages of peat containers

Mold from the walls of the pot passed to the soil mixture Seedlings died due to the rapid drying of the earth in the pot The walls of the peat pot were covered with mold

Video: a prerequisite - do not overdry

How to treat peat pots, each gardener decides for himself. When growing heat-loving plants, peat containers should be replaced with plastic containers.

Planting seedlings

You can buy peat pots in specialized gardening stores, on the market, or you can make it yourself. To get a good result, follow these recommendations:

1. At the time of purchase, carefully read what is included in the pot. Such devices are made from peat, to which cardboard or wood is added. Most of all, gardeners praise cups with a ratio of the main substance of 70% and additives of 30%. If the composition is not indicated, you should ask the seller about this. Any doubts left? Buy one pot, soak in water: if it swells, and the walls increase in volume, it is not peat, but cardboard.
2. If the roots of the plant are fragile, then do not use cups with thick walls. For example, the roots of a pumpkin and watermelon will freely pass through a wall 3-4 mm thick, for a cucumber a pot with a wall thickness of 1-2 mm is better suited.
3. Moisten the soil before filling the pots with substrate.
4. After filling the cup with soil, lightly tamp it. You should not do this too much, otherwise it will be difficult for the seedlings to push through the ground. In addition, little oxygen will flow to the roots.

   The soil in the cups after sowing should remain loose to make it easier for the seeds to germinate.

5. Seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm, the bulbs are planted "shoulder-deep".
6. Pots are placed in a pallet with high walls. For greater convenience and to prevent contact between the walls of the pots, it is better to use a tray with a lid in the form of glass holders.
7. The soil inside the pot should be moist. It is better to water through the pan. If the earth dries up, then a salt coating forms on the surface of the soil and the walls of the glass, damaging the young growth.
8. Before planting on the beds, seedlings are watered abundantly with water.
9. The plant is planted together with a pot, which is dug in so that the upper edge does not protrude above the ground.

Video: check what the pot is made of

The depth and diameter of peat cups and pots is selected based on the size of the future plant. Usually, the packaging indicates for which crops one or another type of universal container can be used.

Growing seedlings with peat pots is easy. Many summer residents fell in love with them because they allow you to save root system plants at planting. And this is very important when planting cucumbers and, especially, flowers that feel great in them from the appearance of cotyledon leaves to mature seedlings. Most importantly, stick to simple rules their use.

Even such spoiled beauties as a miniature Snapdragon, or streptocarpus take root well in peat pots and give excellent shoots.

Video: how to plant strawberry seedlings in peat cups

How to use peat pots

Setting the goal of getting a good harvest, get ready for experiments, one of which may be the use of peat planting containers. If you decide, then follow the advice of experienced people.

Fluconazole - antifungal drug a wide spectrum of action, it is especially effective against yeast fungi and mold, which cause "blooming" of peat walls.

Pots are not a guarantee of getting good seedlings. They have great advantages, but there are also significant drawbacks, so to avoid mistakes, analyze the situation, listen to the advice of experienced gardeners.

How to make peat cups at home

Great popularity peat containers led to the emergence of a lot of fakes. Some craftsmen have adapted to make peat planting containers with their own hands.

For home production needed:

• sawdust;
• oily land;
• azotobacterin;
• phosphobacterin;
• mullein;
• water;
• peat.

To 5 kg of peat we add 4 kg of mullein and 1 kg of fatty earth, Azotobacterin and Phosphobacterin. Gradually add water and knead a thick solution.

To form pots, we make a simple device consisting of:

• pallet;
• steel glass;
• a pin with an iron circle fixed at the end and a blank.

The diameter of the blank and the circle should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the glass.

We install the glass on the pallet, lower the pin with the iron circle into it from above. We pour a solution on the circle, no more than 15–20 mm, and tamp it with a blank. Thus, gradually pouring and pressing the mixture, fill the glass to the top. Then we take out the blank, and with the help of the pin - the finished cup.

The first products you will get, as they say, lumpy. Do not despair. Having experimented a little, you will find the optimal ratio of ingredients, the required viscosity of the solution, the desired pressing force when tamping.