Experienced gardeners They know that the summer season begins much earlier than the weather gets warm. Already at the end of January - beginning of February they begin work on growing seedlings. Many crops can only be grown through seedlings. And then - seedling method will increase the growing season and allow for early and high yields. The first days of a plant’s life are important for its further good development.

For growing seedlings A lot of different containers are used - boxes, bags, food cups. It should be noted right away - under no circumstances use containers for dairy products. You won’t be able to wash them perfectly; lactic acid will definitely remain on the walls of such jars. teria, which can at least cause disease in the roots of seedlings, or even kill them.

What container is best to use for growing seedlings?

The best option is to use peat pots. Now we will list their advantages, and then take a closer look. What types of peat pots are there and what crops are they suitable for?.

Is it effective to use peat pots for growing seedlings?

Judge for yourself.

1. Walls peat pots porous. This means that the roots of the seedlings are provided optimal water-air regime.
2. Contains peat cups there are no and cannot be toxic substances and pathogenic bacteria, they have good mechanical strength both in dry and wet conditions.
3. The growing roots of the seedlings do not rest against the walls, as would be the case with other containers. They are in peat pots will germinate freely through the walls and bottom without being damaged.
4. Seedlings grown in peat pots in open ground planted together with the pot. That is - I won't suffer at all during the transplant t, young roots of seedlings are not injured.

Accordingly, all of the above, guarantees 100% survival rate of seedlings. And the pot itself, decomposing in the ground, will become an excellent fertilizer.

Some plants have very delicate and vulnerable root system. For example, cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins or peppers are very difficult to transplant into open ground without damaging the roots. Using peat pots for growing seedlings such crops, this problem will not bother you.

Our store offers three types of peat pots.

Which peat pot to choose?

We guarantee high quality peat pots, which can be purchased in our store with delivery throughout Ukraine and we wish you healthy and rich harvests.

Tomatoes are one of the most common vegetable crops, without which, perhaps, not a single garden can do. In addition to its taste, tomatoes also contain useful substances necessary to the human body, and they are also perfect for winter preparations. Often, purchased seedlings may not live up to expectations, be weak and not correspond to the variety that would be needed. In this case, you can grow tomato seedlings yourself at home.

Peat tablets for tomato seedlings

Growing tomato seedlings in tablets has appeared quite recently and is actively used by amateur gardeners. After all, as we approach summer season, gardeners are energetically beginning to sort through old stocks of seeds, updating their collection with something new. And also certainly thinking about when and how to plant tomato seedlings in peat tablets and, finally, what container to choose for this. The use of discs greatly simplifies the procedure, not only for growing tomato seedlings in peat tablets, but also for transplanting them into open ground. Therefore, we will consider in more detail how to plant tomato seedlings in peat tablets below.

Advice! Peat tablets have a long shelf life and at the same time do not lose their beneficial properties, so if all the disks are not used for the season, they can be postponed until next year.

A peat tablet is a specially prepared base containing necessary set organomineral additives and intended for growing seedlings at home.

Gardening stores offer a huge range of peat tablets, which come in various sizes from 2 to 7 cm in width and 1-1.5 cm in height. For growing tomato seedlings, tablets from 4 cm are suitable, and 7 cm is best recommended.

Positive aspects of growing tomato seedlings in peat tablets great multitude and the most basic and valuable are:

• The peat content in the tablets is a fertilizer that oxidizes the soil, which is preferred by many crops, including tomatoes;
• The set of additives included in the composition promotes rapid germination and healthy tomato seedlings;
• Stress resistance of tomato seedlings in tablets during picking;
• If the tomato seed in the tablet does not germinate, you can repeat planting.
• Saving time and space growing tomato seedlings.

How to grow seedlings in peat tablets

So, if you suddenly decide that growing tomato seedlings can be entrusted to peat-based tablets, then they should be prepared. To do this you need:

Check the germination of seedlings daily and, if they germinate, move them to a window for further growth. When several leaves appear, it is necessary to pick the tomato seedlings, since there may not be enough space for them in the previous container. further development and growth.

When watering tomato seedlings in tablets, you need to be extremely careful and not allow the root system to become waterlogged, which, with frequent watering, prevents the roots from absorbing nutrients. Upper part The tablets must have time to dry between waterings, otherwise mold may appear, which, although it does not pose any particular danger to the plant, can still progress to another stage of the disease, a more serious one.

Tomato seedlings in peat tablets video:

Important! When planting tomato seedlings in peat tablets, the disks themselves should be placed no closer than 1 cm from each other, since during germination of the root system, intertwining of the roots may occur, which can lead to inconvenience during picking later.

Preparing tomato seeds for sowing

You can plant tomato seeds soaked or dry. Fresh seeds most often do not require any preliminary preparation, but with last year’s seeds it is best to carry out preliminary preparation and their processing.

Stages of seed preparation:

Peat cups or pots

In addition to peat tablets, today, in great demand They use cups or also called peat-based pots for growing any seedlings, including tomatoes. The cups themselves are a mixture of peat with wood pulp or humus, dried and made in the form of pots.

The shape of the cups can be either round or square. For tomatoes, there are no fundamental recommendations when choosing one shape or another, but the size should be chosen large enough.

The main advantages of a peat pot for seedlings:

But, in addition to the advantages, pots also have negative side. Disadvantages when growing tomato seedlings:

• Due to its looseness, the walls of the pot may not allow sufficient moisture and oxygen to pass through to the roots of the plant;
• And if there is an excess of moisture in the pot itself, it promotes the formation of mold;
• With rapid evaporation of moisture, it leads to cooling of the roots, which leads to slow growth and development of the plant;
• Making peat pots from low-quality raw materials leads to the fact that the cup does not decompose in the soil;
• The cost of a peat pot (glass).

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings

If you suddenly decide to grow tomato seedlings in peat pots and the listed disadvantages do not discourage you from the idea, then in the case of tomatoes, the classic instructions for their use apply.

When choosing a planting potency in a store, you should pay attention to the composition of this product, since cardboard pots are often sold as peat products. Therefore, a person who does not have experience and knowledge should be extremely careful and attentive.

Instructions for growing seedlings

Peat cups Place in a tray and fill with soil. Moisten the soil.

Pre-prepared tomato seeds, deepen cups of 2-3 seeds into the soil.

Advice! If it so happens that several tomato seedlings have sprouted in one pot, then only one of the strongest and most developed sprouts should be left, and the rest should be pinched, since pulling out excess sprouts can damage the root of the remaining plant.

Next, you only need to moisten the soil in cups, since drying out the soil not only leads to the complete death of the plant, but also the formation of salts, which greatly injure the already fragile tomato seedlings.

Based on what we have read above, we can say that the technology for growing tomato seedlings in pots is quite simple and logical not only in theory, but also in practice.

Tomato seedlings in peat pots, video:

Seedling care

Tomatoes are a crop that does not require special attention at the germination stage, but has some features that must be adhered to.

• The temperature for seedlings is approximately +18+-20 °C, and at night you should keep to 8-10 °C. Thus, the plant hardens and strengthens.
• Watering should only be done with water at room temperature.
• When heat stability has returned to normal, it is necessary to move the seedlings to fresh air, for 2-3 hours gradually increasing the time interval. Avoid contact with direct sunlight and strong gusts of wind.
• If the root system is weak, it is advisable to fertilize with fertilizer intended for tomatoes.

Soil selection

Tomato seedlings are quite unpretentious and undemanding to the soil; they can be either purchased or made independently. When purchasing soil, it is best to give preference to a peat substrate, but when preparing it yourself, you should take loamy soil with the addition of humus or compost. In order for the soil to be loose, sawdust or peat should be added to the mixture.

Conclusion

To summarize, we can say that before making a choice where to plant seedlings, either in peat tablets or pots (cups), you should weigh all the pros and cons of these two bases for growing seedlings. After all, not only the development of seedlings, but also the yield of tomatoes as a whole will depend on the choice.

More than 10 years ago, multifunctional vessels for growing seedlings, called peat pots, began to be sold on the shelves of hardware stores. The convenient shape and reasonable price of the tanks instantly attracted the interest of people gardening, thereby ensuring a sharp demand for the product. Read about peat pots for seedlings and their use in this publication.

Peat pots for seedlings

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

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

How to use peat pots

And now the moment has come to tell you how to use peat cups. Within a month, the vessel undergoes rotting and turns into fertilizer. Poor quality containers for sprouts take a long time to break down in the soil. This is due to the fact that some organizations use large volumes of thick cardboard, which was under the press, in the manufacture of peat vessels. As a result, the young root is not able to grow through the glass. To avoid this, you need to make holes in the bottom of the glass.

Directions for use:

Planting in peat cups is not complex process. And now it’s worth revealing the details of this work. The bottom of the pot is filled with a drainage layer of pre-crushed eggshells. Next, add soil with nutrients, pre-washed with a solution of potassium permanganate. When laying the layer, you should not overcompact the soil. For the root system to develop naturally, it must be airy. The soil is watered with water at room temperature and the seeds are planted. For prevention, the peat container is treated with an anti-fungal agent. Jars 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 or pathogenic microflora in peat. When transferring seedlings from containers to soil, plant roots are not exposed to negative impacts. The pots are splitting in a natural way, saturating the soil with peat. Convenient jars for sowing seeds. Landscaping of seedlings should begin in medium-sized square pots, and the grown plants, along with their 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. To avoid rapid evaporation of moisture, wrap with food foil or polyethylene. Peat containers are used on acidic or neutral soils, as well as when growing plants with brittle roots. For example, cucumbers, eggplants and tomatoes. You should not use similar forms for garlic seedlings, Chinese cabbage, onions and lettuce. You can choose peat pots for growing plants with strong roots, such as pumpkins.

Let's sum it up

After reading the article, you can tell us what peat pots for seedlings are and how to use them. You should grow seedlings using such glasses, because they have many advantages, one of them is their low price. However, many experts do not consider such pots useful; you can conduct the experiment yourself by planting some 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 garden beds.

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

The highest quality pots are those that are at least 70% peat. The right pots are very loose, so they perfectly allow air to pass through to the root system of the plants, which promotes the active growth of strong seedlings.

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

A high-quality peat pot should consist of at least 70% peat

Before buy peat pots You definitely need to familiarize yourself with their composition so as not to spend money on a low-quality product.

Pros of peat pots

The products are absolutely environmentally friendly - they do not contain toxic substances harmful to humans and the environment.

The material used to make cups does not contain pathogenic microflora that contribute to the development of various diseases. There are also no weed seeds in the mixture for making peat products.

Seedlings planted in this way have a high probability that they will quickly take root in a new location.

The accelerated establishment process guarantees an early and high harvest. Harvest dates are 14-21 days earlier, and the harvest quantity increases by approximately a third.

When the pot is completely dissolved in the ground, it produces a wonderful plant that 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” because the soil cools during evaporation. If you do not water in a timely manner, 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 often cases when, after a pot is planted in the ground, it does not dissolve, thereby taking the roots captive - subsequently they cannot obtain all the necessary substances from the soil and slowly die.

Excessive watering can cause mold to form on pots.

How to use peat pots?

A gardener who has decided to try such a container for growing seedlings for the first time has a very obvious question: how to plant in peat pots?

Peat cups must first be soaked in a mixture of organic and mineral supplements and then dry thoroughly. To ensure that the roots can break through the walls of the container, it is recommended to make small holes over the entire surface of the pot. An ordinary stationery hole punch will do an excellent job with this task.

Purchased soil or soil mixture, made independently, you need to pour it into cups. Please note that the soil must be loose and airy, so it should not be compacted thoroughly.

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 small watering can.

In order for the plants to enter quickly and amicably, cover the container with polyethylene film and place it in warm place, the temperature ranges from 20 to 25C. Two days before planting 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 be hardened off, otherwise they will react painfully to sudden changes in environment. Five days before planting, the seedlings are taken outside and the time they spend in the fresh air is gradually increased.

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

The photo shows tomato seedlings in peat pots

According to reviews of peat pots 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 growing seedlings cucumbers in peat pots, because in this way you can sow seeds earlier than usual and, as a result, get a harvest in the shortest possible time.

Types of peat pots

Peat pots can be square or round. Pots are made individually or in the form of sections (a certain number of cups connected to each other).

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

In the photo there are varieties of peat pots

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

Peat pots It is advisable to buy in specialized stores in order to protect yourself from purchasing goods low quality. Price of peat pots depends on the size and type (pieces, blocks). The minimum cost is from 10-15 rubles per piece.

How to make a peat pot?

To create peat pots for seedlings First of all, you need to prepare a solution with the correct consistency. Here are several recipes for the mixture: mix peat, turf soil and mullein in a ratio of 7:2:1, combine 60 peat and 20% humus soil, 15% turf 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 into it, then, using the second part of the equipment - a masher with a slightly smaller diameter than the container, force the excess mixture out of the mold.

The contents are thoroughly compacted with a masher, 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, the peat cups are dried outside under the sun or in a heated oven.

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

The use of peat pots for seedlings has been practiced in our country for more than 20 years. This product has many advantages; its value is known not only to gardening fans, but also ordinary people from the countryside.

Self-disintegrating pots extend the growing season of plants that make up the assortment of vegetation in gardens and vegetable gardens.

What is the meaning of the idea

In fact, the idea is extremely simple:

There, after some time, it disintegrates into microparticles (disposable, without the possibility of reusing it);

• gardeners manage to grow young plants that do not need to be disturbed when planted in the ground under open sky or an indoor outdoor greenhouse. After all, some flowers and fruit crops they often die when transplanted. They don't like to be disturbed;
• While the sprouts are in the walls of the pot, the root system is generously supplied with oxygen, since the material is porous and allows oxygen molecules to pass through. In this way, the young plant is further strengthened in the first weeks of its life.

IMPORTANT. Do not try to “dig up” the pots after the plant has taken root in the ground. You may damage the root system. There is no need to worry about peat residues - after a few rains they will completely dissolve in the soil.

Natural materials for seedlings in such a situation are a fundamental solution. Obviously, the inventors solved the problem of protecting the soil from harmful chemicals. They succeeded. Moreover, the material itself is beneficial for the surrounding soils and additionally fertilizes them.

Pros and cons of using peat pots

When it comes to making choices, the average person is always trying to weigh the pros and cons. The same thing happens with peat pots. The question is especially of interest to beginners who have recently begun to master the intricacies of gardening and vegetable gardening.

Advantages

To the advantages peat containers properties such as:

Flaws

Are there any disadvantages? Even if you want to, finding them is not so easy. Here are some reasons to think:

• During the peak season, these products may no longer be found in stores, because they are all sold out very quickly. To avoid being left without pots, purchase them in advance. Or order from online stores specializing in products from the “garden and vegetable garden” category;
• The products are disposable and you will have to buy them again every year. But is this a disadvantage? After all, a disappearing object becomes part of the soil on your site, enriching and nourishing it with organic matter;
• Cases of dishonesty on the part of manufacturers have become more frequent. They add to peat ordinary cardboard. As a result, the material does not completely decompose, and next year when digging up the ground, “paper remains” are discovered;

IMPORTANT. Avoid buying goods from dubious stores. Counterfeits have appeared on the market. Use only the services of stores and specialized retail outlets. Give preference to reputable brands.

• peat creates an acidic environment. If plants do not tolerate it well, then to reduce acidity you will have to add chalk, lime or special mineral additives;
• low-quality products are found - the walls of the pots are destroyed during the growth of seedlings, mold appears on the sides of the containers;

IMPORTANT. Buy products with wall thicknesses from 1 to 1.5 mm. It's optimal. It is quite strong at the growing stage, but decomposes quite quickly when placed in the ground.

How to use

Please note that stores sell products that have two main features:

Select size

• 11x10 cm (volume 0.5 l) - ideal for seedlings of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants. Flowers recommended for fuchsias, gerberas, cyclamens;
• 9x9 cm (volume 0.350-0.4 l) - suitable for cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes. Flowers - all annuals, as well as gerberas, begonia, primrose, impatiens;
• 8x8 cm (volume 0.250 l) - for zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, wild strawberry. From flower crops - cyclamen, coleus, primrose, hydrangea;
• 7x7 cm (volume 0.200 l) - for watermelon, melon, cabbage, garden strawberries and strawberries, for annual flowers;
• 6x6 cm (volume 0.100 l) - recommended for annual flowers (such as gillyflower, ageratum, aster, dahlia);
• 5x5 cm (volume 0.050 l) - for food greens (dill, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, basil, fennel.

IMPORTANT. The shape of the pots does not play a special role. There are products in the form of a truncated pyramid (ribbed sides), and there are products in the form of a truncated cone (round smooth sides). The differences are nothing more than the difference in stamping molds in production.

Planting seeds

Basic rules:

• do not fill the pot to the very top, but leave a little space (7-15 mm from the edge to the level of the seedling soil). For what? When placing seedlings in protected soil, some natural soil will need to be added to the base of the plant. This will speed up the adaptation of the sprout to local conditions;
• Place 1-3 seeds in one pot. This measure applies to untested seeds - if you do not know whether all the seeds will sprout. If each seed sprouts, the sprouts can be distributed into additional containers. Either select the strongest ones and dispose of the weaker ones;
• Place nutrient soil and all the fertilizing mixtures that you use at the bottom of the pot;
• the planting seed should be in the soil at a depth of approximately 1 cm from the top level of the soil in the pot;
• Place all the pots tightly together in a tray. This will protect individual pots from falling if handled carelessly (small objects tend to fall because they are light in weight and have low stability);

• It is advisable to lay polyethylene film under the peat pots or add a little soil, gravel, or sand. This will help save and reuse the water that flows out from below when watering the seedlings;
• The regularity of watering depends on the dryness of the room (water as the soil in the pots dries out).

IMPORTANT. When the plants get stronger and increase in size, the pots should be moved apart from each other. This way you will improve aeration and give the green foliage more light.

Landing in the ground

As soon as the time comes to plant plants in the ground, your actions:

• prepare the bed;
• mark furrows based on the number of plants in the bed and the density of their placement;
• dig grooves or holes;

IMPORTANT. The depth of the groove should be no less than the height of the peat pot. Ideally, 1.5-2 cm deeper.

• moisten the landing sites with water;
• Place each peat pot evenly in its designated place, carefully sprinkle with soil on all sides.
• for antibacterial purposes, sprinkle with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, sprinkle a little ash;

The instructions given in this article are only general in nature. In each case, there will be nuances that you have to record, analyze and take into account. Using peat pots is incomparably more profitable than unprofitable. Without risking anything, you have a chance to improve the results of your gardening work.