Peat pot for seedlings with their own hands. peat pots

Containers intended for growing seedlings are presented by manufacturers in a huge assortment. But why spend money if you can use the containers that we usually throw away. Today we’ll talk about how to make cups for seedlings yourself.

Disposable plastic cups

They are ideal for growing seedlings. The main thing is to provide drainage so that the water does not stagnate. To do this, it is enough to make several punctures in the bottom of the container with a thick needle. It is also important to consider the needs of the plant's root system.

Cans

Cans of beer and lemonade - another one good option. Just carefully cut off the top and make drainage holes in the bottom. In order not to cut yourself during transplantation, process the edges with sandpaper.

Milk or juice bags

Containers lined with foil are best.

- Take the box and cut it around the perimeter on three sides. Fold back the top. In this case, a kind of box with a reflective surface will turn out. The foil will reflect the sun's rays, transferring heat to young plants.
- You will need two-liter bags. Cut off about ¼ of the entire height. In such a container, the plant will develop very quickly.
- Take a milk or juice carton. The volume does not matter (small ones will not work) and again make a “box” out of it. Fill the ground for seedlings, and with the help of the side part cut into strips, divide it into small squares. Plant one plant in each, deepening them into the ground. Later, as it develops, the root system will braid the earth. And the plant is very easy to transplant without damaging the fragile roots.

Soda bottles

Plastic bottles from under any drinks should also not be thrown away.
- In small containers, a little more than 1/4 of the entire height is cut off, and drainage holes are made in the bottom. So excess water can flow into the pan. When it's time to plant the plant on permanent place, the glass is simply carefully removed.
- But 6 -liter bottles cut lengthwise. It is best to use rectangular canisters. The resulting containers can be used both for growing seedlings and for transplanting plants that already need picking.

Next consumable- plastic containers. Here you can use cake lids, ice cream cups or sour cream. They are used as separate containers for plants.

- Small containers can be used for planting small seeds, or growing seedlings until picking.
- In deep, if you follow the recommendations, you can grow plants until planting in a permanent place.

The cake lid can be used as a cover. So you get a homemade mini greenhouse.

Cups from toilet paper

Enough interesting solution. You will need:
- toilet paper roll;
- plastic cup;
- spray;
- Scotch.

Wrap the glass with several layers of toilet paper. The more, the denser the container will be.
Then we move the paper down, about 4 cm, and carefully moisten it with water. After that, manually form the bottom of the glass and leave it to dry completely.
After that, we fix the bottom with adhesive tape.

shoe box

If inner surface cover with polyethylene, then the container can serve for:
- germination of dahlia tubers;
- planting plants that subsequently do not need picking.

In addition, it can simply serve as a container for plastic cups.

Plastic bottle pots

We have already considered options for their use. But in this case, you will get square containers.
- Cut out the central part of the bottle (the neck and bottom go to waste).
- We fold the resulting cylinder twice so that it looks like a box without a bottom.
- The next step - on each side we make cuts in depth equal to ½ of its length and fold the box.

As you can see, a little imagination and patience, and seedling containers will be ready.

Tagged

The use of peat cups in gardening is still considered new technology. Some gardeners enthusiastically use them, others strongly reject them. Everything new and progressive is not always easily introduced into life. There are advantages to using peat cups. There are also disadvantages, but they only cause problems for inexperienced gardeners.

What are peat cups and why are they used

Gardeners relatively recently began to use peat cups for growing seedlings. Even 20-25 years ago they were a rarity. IN last years went on sale peat cups different sizes and forms. They are small containers, most often in the form of a truncated cone, but can be in the form of a cube or a trapezoid, or connected in blocks of several pieces. Their sizes vary within 5–10 cm in diameter with a wall thickness of 1–1.5 mm.

The material from which the cups are made is a mixture: 50–70% peat, the rest is humus and cellulose. A thick aqueous solution of this composition is pressed in special forms and containers of various sizes and designs are obtained.

The seedlings grown in them no longer need to be removed, violating root system gentle young plant. It is planted in the ground directly in a cup, placing it in a prepared hole. Then sprinkled with earth and watered. The seedling has been planted!

Being in the soil, the peat cup soaks from irrigation water, dissolves in the ground, while fertilizing the soil around the roots of the plant. The roots easily penetrate the porous thin walls and occupy the entire surrounding space. The plant begins to develop fully, in contrast to planting with a damaged root.

How to use peat pots for seedlings - video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=I7OQ4-DMj10

Advantages and disadvantages

At experienced gardeners who are not afraid to experiment, there is no consensus on peat cups. To appreciate the advantages of this method of landing, products must be used correctly. The benefits are:

• Peat cups are environmentally friendly, as they are made from natural materials.
• They have sufficient mechanical strength and do not fall apart during the period of seedling growth.
• The walls are porous, which ensures the free penetration of air and water to the roots of young plants.
• When transplanting to a garden bed, there is no need to remove the plant from the container. The roots are not injured, which is very important for plants such as cucumbers and eggplants that do not like transplants.
• Seedlings easily take root in a new place, because peat soaks and decomposes, enriching the soil useful substances needed to feed the plant.

There are also disadvantages:

• Manufacturers do not always produce quality products. Sometimes the cups are too tight. For this reason, they do not soak in the ground, and the roots cannot grow through the walls.
• Excessive watering leads to moldy cups.
• The porous material does not retain moisture, because of this, the soil dries out quickly. It is necessary to provide very accurate, metered watering.

To avoid drying out, it is recommended to cover the tray with seedlings in peat cups with a film and from time to time remove the coating to remove excess moisture and evaporation.

Which cups to choose: peat, paper or plastic

Vegetable growers often use plastic and paper homemade cups. Peat have several advantages over them:

• Plastic cups need to be cut before planting in the garden. With this action, a clod of earth with roots can crumble; seedlings do not need to be removed from a peat pot.
• Plastic walls do not allow air and moisture to pass through, peat walls provide good aeration and moistening of the roots.
• Homemade paper cups are torn and soaked. They do not guarantee the safety of seedling roots. It takes time to prepare them for landing.
• Neither plastic nor paper cups provide additional nutrition to the roots of the plant.

How to plant seeds in cups: instructions

Planting seeds in cups is a simple process.

If the peat cups are covered with mold, it means that they are waterlogged. At the bottom of the pan in which they stand, there is water that needs to be drained. Wipe the surface of the cup with alcohol, vinegar or soda solution. If mold damage is significant, such containers should be disposed of. For prevention, the room in which the seedlings are located should be ventilated regularly, reduce the dose of watering, carefully loosen upper layer soil in cups.

The mold should be removed and the glass wiped with alcohol, vinegar or soda solution

Where to buy and how to choose

To get a good result, you need to use quality materials. Beginning, inexperienced vegetable growers complain that the seedlings often dry out, and the plants planted in the garden in cups do not develop and die. This comes from the use of low-quality products. Peat in them should be at least 50–70%.

When choosing peat cups, give preference to dark, porous and soft to the touch, with a wall thickness of no more than 1.5 mm. Light, dense glasses are a fake, where there is more cellulose than peat.

Peat cups should be purchased in specialized stores and only in branded packaging, it is advisable to require a quality certificate. Buying them in the markets is fraught with undesirable consequences.

Do not be tempted by the diminutiveness and originality of the shape of some cups. Whether they are round or square, this does not affect the development of seedlings at all.. In small cups (5 cm across), the roots will be cramped. It is better to purchase large, 8-10 cm tall, pots. In such a root system of any seedlings will grow full.

Self-made peat cups

Some craftsmen make peat cups with their own hands. You can organize such a simple production in any rural yard or on suburban area. The main thing in this matter is to properly prepare the mixture:

1. collect all necessary materials in the right quantities: peat - 7 parts, humus - 2 parts, mullein - 1 part, a little slaked lime.
2. Thoroughly sift the peat and humus. The mixture should not contain large solid particles.
3. Mullein breed in hot water. The amount of water is determined in each case empirically.
4. Add diluted mullein to a container with peat and humus and mix thoroughly with a shovel until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
5. A little lime can be added to the resulting solution. Fill if necessary hot water. The moisture content of the mass is determined by trial molding cups.
6. At home, you can mold pots with two durable plastic glasses that have the shape of a truncated cone.

Production of peat pots for seedlings - video

Peat pots for seedlings

Peat pots are considered the best containers for growing seedlings. They have a number of advantages.

The grown cuttings are planted in the ground along with the pot.

Plant roots can easily grow through the walls and bottom.

The pot itself will serve as fertilizer for plants.

Such containers provide one hundred percent survival of seedlings.

Pots for seedlings are an empty glass in the shape of a cone. They are made from dry-formed, pressed peat products. But these pots have their own peculiarity: the plants that grow in them require frequent watering, since peat evaporates water very quickly.

Seedling potsdo it yourself

Not all plants tolerate transplanting well. Therefore, classic plastic cups from sour cream or yogurt can destroy a significant part of the seedlings. In addition to peat pots, quite often gardeners send seeds for seedlings to home-made containers that decompose in the soil and do not injure the fragile root system. Eco-friendly seedling cups can be made very quickly and easily, and the costs will be minimal. There are several ways to make them.

Method number 1

Seeds for seedlings can be sown in eggshells. This method is especially good for acidified soils. It's simple: fry the scrambled eggs and collect the shells. It is better to break the eggs not in the center, but near the spout - then the “glass” will turn out to be larger. So that the seedlings do not roll, put it in an egg container. When planting in the ground, the shell should be squeezed a little with your fingers so that it cracks. In this way, we will help the root system "break through" through the shell.

Method number 2

You will need: a bottle of the desired diameter, scissors, newspaper, sticky paper tape. First you need to cut the newspaper into strips of such length that they can go around the stock bottle. Wrap and secure with adhesive tape. It is important to leave a few centimeters of newspaper with a ledge in order to make the bottom. We also fix it with tape. After that, carefully pull out the bottle and admire the resulting glass.

Method number 3

We will use toilet paper, a glass and a spray bottle. We wrap a fairly thick layer of paper on the cup. Then we shift the paper a little down (literally 1 cm) and begin to spray abundantly with water. After the paper is completely wet, we form a paper cup for seedlings along the contour of the glass. We give it time to dry. Then in a circular motion we release the glass from there.

DIY seedling box

In order not to carry each cup separately when transporting to the garden, you will need special boxes for seedlings. They are also not at all difficult to make with your own hands. And to be more precise, not to do it, but to transform an ordinary box into a highly specialized one. You will need any box, scissors and film. Having measured the length and width of the box, add 20 cm to each side. We put the film in the box on the right sides. You can fix this design with tape for reliability. The seedling box is ready. The film in this case plays the role of a water tray.

Gardeners prefer to use peat pots. The main element in the composition peat pots is peat, auxiliary elements are cardboard, wood.

The highest quality pots are those that are at least 70% peat. Correct pots very loose, therefore they perfectly pass air to the root system of plants, which contributes to the active growth of strong seedlings.

The loose structure of the products allows the roots to break through their walls with minimal effort. After planting the seedlings in the ground, the pots dissolve quite quickly - 33-38 days.

The density of cups, in which a lot of cellulose (cardboard) is added, does not have such advantages, so there is a big risk that the plants will develop poorly, and after planting in the soil they may even die.

A quality peat pot should contain at least 70% peat

Before as buy peat pots Be sure to familiarize yourself with their composition, so as not to spend money on low-quality goods.

Advantages of peat pots

Absolute environmental friendliness of products - they do not contain toxic substances harmful to humans and the environment.

The composition of the material used for the manufacture of cups does not contain pathogenic microflora that contributes to the development of various diseases. Also in the mixture for the manufacture of peat products there are no weed seeds.

Seedlings planted in this way are more likely to quickly take root in a new place.

accelerated process survival guarantees early and high yield. Harvest dates come earlier by 14-21 days, and the amount of the crop increases by about a third.

When the pot is completely dissolved in the ground, it turns out to be beautiful, which feeds the plants for less than three months.

Disadvantages of peat pots

Despite a significant number of advantages, peat products have some disadvantages.

The soil often dries out due to the fact that the loose structure of the cup absorbs all the water and it quickly evaporates from it. The plant "freezes" due to the fact that, during evaporation, the soil cools. If you do not make timely watering, the seedlings will grow poorly or may even die.

To prevent the soil from drying out, the pot is watered excessively, which provokes the development of mold.

There are frequent cases when, after the pot is planted in the ground, it does not dissolve, thereby capturing the roots - later they cannot get all the necessary substances from the soil and slowly die.

Excessive watering can lead to the formation of mold on pots

How to use peat pots?

A gardener who first decided to try a similar container for growing seedlings has a very obvious question - how to plant in peat pots?

Peat cups must first be soaked in a mixture of organic and mineral dressings and then dry well. In order for the roots to surely be able to break through the walls of the container, it is recommended to make small holes over the entire surface of the pot. An ordinary clerical hole punch will do an excellent job with this task.

Purchased soil or soil mix made by yourself, you need to fall asleep in cups. Please note that the soil should be loose and airy, so you can not carefully compact it.

Seeds are planted in pots according to the required timing, as well as the depth recommended for planting the selected plant. Watering is best done with a spray bottle or a small watering can.

In order for the plants to enter quickly and amicably, the container is covered with a polyethylene film and placed in warm place The temperature ranges from 20 to 25C. Two days before planting the seedlings on the site, the pots should be watered abundantly in order to speed up the process of their dissolution in the soil.

Before moving young plants to the site, they must certainly be hardened, otherwise they will react painfully to sudden changes in environment. Five days before planting, the seedlings are taken out into the street and gradually increase the time they are in the fresh air.

Most gardeners grow in peat pots tomatoes and pepper. In cups, you can grow chestnut crops, or even bushes (raspberries, gooseberries, roses).

In the photo, tomato seedlings in peat pots

According to peat pot reviews in order to successfully grow seedlings in such a container, you need to get used to it a little: often, but in small quantities.

Most amateur gardeners praise the cultivation of seedlings cucumbers in peat pots, because in this way it is possible to sow seeds earlier than usual and as a result to get a harvest in the shortest possible time.

Types of peat pots

peat pots may be square or round. Pots are made individually or in the form of sections (a certain number of cups interconnected).

In diameter, the pots can have various sizes: 5cm, 6cm, 7cm, 8cm, 9cm,10cm. The height of the container coincides with its diameter - for example, 5 cm wide and 5 cm high.

The photo shows a variety of peat pots

Size peat pots is selected depending on which plants are planned to be planted. The wall thickness varies in the range of 1.5-2.5 mm. Packed peat containers must have a label with the composition.

peat pots it is advisable to buy in specialized stores in order to secure yourself from the purchase of low-quality goods. Price of peat pots depends on the size and on their type (pieces, blocks). The minimum cost is from 10-15 rubles apiece.

How to make a peat pot?

For creating peat pots for seedlings First of all, you need to prepare a solution with the correct consistency. Here are a few recipes for the mixture: mix peat, sod land and mullein in a ratio of 7: 2: 1, combine 60 peat and 20% humus soil, 15% sod land and 5% mullein. The components are diluted with water to a relatively thick state.

After preparing the mixture, it is best to use a stainless steel container, which will not corrode during repeated use.

You need to take a glass with a removable bottom and pour a little mixture there, then with the help of the second part of the equipment - a pusher of a slightly smaller diameter than the container, displace the excess mixture from the mold.

The contents are carefully rammed with a pusher, after which it is removed, and the glass is left for a while so that the contents dry out a little. At the end of production, peat cups are dried outdoors under the sun or in a heated oven.

To do good pots, it may take some time to correct errors: add certain components, increase the drying time of finished products.

Sowing seeds for seedlings is a matter that requires preparation, but it is not at all necessary to go to a store or market and spend money on special containers. It is enough to use our tips and make cups for seedlings yourself.

Most of the homemade pots for seedlings described below can be made from natural, which means materials that are useful for plant development. The undoubted advantage of each of these methods is the opportunity to save money once again.

1. Citrus peel

If you like to squeeze juice from citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, lemon, pomelo, etc.) with a juicer, then you probably have many halves of the peel of these fruits. Why not use them as seedling cups?

In a half of the fruit peeled from the pulp (in the bottom), make a small hole for the outflow of moisture, then fill the peel with soil for seedlings and sow 1-2 seeds per "pot", depending on the "dimensions" of the future plant and the size of the citrus peel. Subsequently, the seedling can be planted with open ground straight from the pot.

2. Eggshell

Egg shells are an excellent homemade container for small seedlings or for growing seedlings before transferring them to larger containers.

Take the shell and make a hole in the bottom. To do this, you can use a pushpin or a thick needle. Fill each shell halfway with soil and sow the seeds. Place egg "pots" with seedlings in a plastic egg container. To create a greenhouse effect, close the lid of the container. When the time comes for transplanting or transshipment, plant the grown seedlings along with the shell.

3. Trays from eggs

The egg tray is also used as a container for seedlings. Such containers are conveniently placed on the windowsills. To begin with, a hole is made in the bottom of each cell of the container (if the tray is plastic, you can heat the awl and pierce it with it). Then the cells are filled with soil and seeds are sown.

After some time, the roots of the plant will be braided with an earthen clod, and for further picking, it will be enough to carefully remove the seedling with a clod with a fork.

4. Newspaper pots

Old newspapers can become excellent material for the manufacture of containers for seedlings. To do this, you will need newspaper sheets (it is better to give preference to black and white pages), a cylindrical object (bottle, narrow tin can), flour and water.

We invite you to visit the page with our master class on making cups for seedlings from old newspapers or paper.

You can plant seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground directly in cups, but if you wish, you can cut or break the "pot".

5. Plastic bottles

From a plastic bottle, you can make not just a container for seedlings, but a functional pot with an automatic watering system and a greenhouse effect. Pure plastic bottle cut in half, do not remove the lid, but make several holes in it using the same heated awl, needle or nail. Pull a synthetic cord through the bottom hole (this will be the wick).

Turn the top with the neck over and insert into the second half of the bottle. Pour the soil, sow the seeds. Take the half bottle of potting soil out of the tray, pour water into the bottom of the pot, then push the plant half back into the tray. Take another bottle of the same size, cut off half of it and use it as a lid for such a seedling "pot".

You can do it differently: from a bottle (a square-shaped plastic bottle with a capacity of 5 liters is perfect, for example, from drinking water) cut off the side part, and use the remaining large part as a container for seedlings.

6. Plastic cups

Excellent seedling containers are obtained from yogurt or sour cream cups, disposable plastic and paper coffee cups. To make pots, first wash these containers thoroughly, and then cut a hole in their bottom to drain excess water. If the hole is too large diameter, put a cardboard circle on the bottom of the glass. For convenience, you can write on the cup with a felt-tip pen or marker the name of the crop and variety that you are going to grow.

Place containers with seeds sown in them in a box or on a tray - it is more convenient to store them. The advantage of such home-made pots is the convenient extraction of an earthen clod when planting seedlings in open ground - just lightly press on the bottom of the cup and the clod can be easily removed, remaining intact.

7. Filter bags for coffee machines

If you're brewing coffee in a coffee maker, don't throw away used paper filters—they can make great seedling cups.

Fill each filter bag halfway with soil and place in plastic box or a pallet with high sides to give the "cups" stability. They will stand tightly to each other, which means they will not fall. Sow the seeds and place the crate of coffee "pots" on the windowsill.

8. Toilet paper rolls

The cardboard tubes left over from toilet paper rolls are easily converted into biodegradable seedling cups. You can also use paper towel rolls.

If you need a low cup, cut the sleeve across into two parts. Next, do the following with each part: fold it lengthwise and make cuts with scissors about 1/3 of the height of the tube so that you get 4 blades. Then straighten the workpiece and fold the blades one on top of the other, bending them, as is done with cardboard boxes to make the bottom.

Seedlings can be planted in a permanent place without removing them from cups, since paper and cardboard are biodegradable materials.

9. Waste paper and cardboard

To make such pots, you need to mentally return to your school years and remember the familiar, but slightly forgotten papier-mâché technology. So, you will need paper or cardboard, water and a form. Glass cups can be used as a mold, but it is most convenient if you have a metal mold for cupcakes with several cells.

Tear the paper into small pieces and put in a container of water, leave to soak. Then wrap the mold around the resulting mass: if you have glasses, then with outside if the baking dish is from the inside. The blank must be left to dry for a day, and then used as a regular cup for seedlings.

10. Ice bins

An unnecessary tray (form) for ice can be an excellent container for growing seedlings before picking and serve in this role for more than one year. Make a drainage hole in each cell (if the plastic is strong, use a drill), take a suitable pallet and place the container in it.

Next, fill the cells with soil and sow the seeds. After a while, spread the seedlings in a container bigger size. Just as in the case with eggshell, in such a container it is better to grow plants with a small root system, since they can become cramped in small cells.

11. Tetra Pak bags

Probably one of the most popular options among hand-made seedling containers is Tetra Pak bags. This multi-component material is distinguished from paper and cardboard bags by increased strength and durability.

Tetra Pak is used for packaging juice, dairy products; in addition to cardboard, it includes foil and polyethylene. Preparing such bags for sowing seedlings is very simple - cut them into 2 parts and the cups are ready! You can also make a seedling tray by cutting the package not across, but along.

Be sure to wash containers thoroughly before use.

12. Tea bags

The original method of growing seedlings in used tea bags can compete in efficiency with growing in peat tablets, since tea has a beneficial effect on the development of the plant.

Cut off each bag upper part, then put soil for seedlings inside with a spoon and sow the seeds. Such "pots" are best placed in a pallet, for example, a container with low sides. When landing in open ground, the bag is not removed.

Read about how else you can use sleeping tea on the farm in our material:

A little ingenuity - and you can adapt almost anything for seedling pots. The main thing is to ensure the outflow of excess water when watering seedlings in cups and use a tray to collect liquid.