Last fountain , as I prepared to give a presentation , I receive a text content from my wife : “ Freezing temperatures and C. P. Snow forecast for tonight . ” If our farm were in northeast Ohio , New York or Michigan , that would not be a surprisal . But we live inKentucky . Some years , I have enjoyed fresh green bean and new potatoes by the beginning of May . But this class , we had snow . The entire growing time of year was no different . August make for sub-60 - point nighttime temperature , and many days were in the 70s .
The last outcome : strong - time of year starts were stunt and small , while cool - season cropsquicklyboltedand were mostly a binge , withonly the high burrow saving our warm - time of year crop from the excess precipitation and ill-timed cold . It was a tough twelvemonth to grow intellectual nourishment no matter the day , hebdomad or calendar month .
What helped us last such a sorry growing time of year ? Extending it by starting plants . For ease and reliableness , start your industrial plant elsewhere than in the field long before you could usually get them start in the ground . Many plant have two to four weeks of deadening growing before they need much root or other space . This slow - growing period is nature ’s invitation to punt the mature system of rules , starting the flora in a curb surroundings and then affect them into their homes once the weather is cooperative .
Over the years , we have done this many ways , so we offer observation and input along with the benefit and drawback on several of them . Let ’s plunk into the simple yet not - so - simple world of plant life starts .
Commonality
I ’ll discuss what plant start have in common before addressing how approaching diverge . They all imply starting plants from two to six weeks before they normally go into the ground . This is generally done in a potting / seed - pop out type admixture , either homemade or buy .
Depending on emplacement , as well as how other or what plant you protrude , you might need to offer supplementary twinkle to keep the starts from becoming leggy . This is a experimental condition where a plant life ’s stem gets exceedingly farsighted , as the plant urgently wait for sufficient brightness to get its growth . Leggy plants in general wo n’t convalesce once in the solid ground .
Usually , once a seed germinates , it produces two starter leaves , calledcotyledons . A few days to a workweek later , it produces its first unfeigned leaf . This often countenance you distinguish the type of plant in type you draw a blank to mark them .
For another week or so , the plant grows relatively slowly . But once you have four or so true leaves , the plant life grows sharply if given sufficient H2O , low-cal , nourishment and space . place is a resource plant need ; deficient space — below as well as above ground — hinders your plants .
All seed set out approach require adequate nutrition . It ’s best to provide this via the admixture you utilize to occupy your starting apparatus . If something is incorrect with your mass medium , you must bring home the bacon extra food via a foliar feed or by contribute it to the lachrymation mixture . Some grower even customize their starting mass medium based on unlike types of flora ; we have broadly speaking set up this unnecessary . Our base - starting medium is low price and works flexible , hold sift , high-pitched moulder wood chip compost and dirt ball cast that we make on our homestead , along with coconut coir . We test our composts every one to two yr and track the input to ensure it bear ample amounts of everything our plants need .
These thing are what the various approaches have in vulgar . But how do they differ ?
Plastic Plant Start Containers
The most common room to start seeds is with plastic containers . Until lately , most were made for singleuse , though sometimes agriculturalist could successfully reuse them . More recently , some company nowoffer rigid , recyclable , heavy - tariff works bulge out tray . These are a substantial gradation up in quality and price from the distinctive plastic plant - take off supplies .
One of the chief benefits of shaping start equipment is the variety and versatility of the options . From large yield and nut tree pot down to 144s — trays with 144 pocket-sized plastic bit for flowers , brassicas and other plants that do n’t ask much outer space — you could find everything you might want or involve . shaping starting equipment is also relatively inexpensive , specially if you could use it more than once . Some growers sanitize it before a second use to reduce the peril of spreading disease or other problem to the next mickle of seedlings .
fictile industrial plant start containers have some drawback , the first being the plastic itself . Some people dislike using a non - renewable imagination for a exclusive or , at best , few - metre usage . The 2d drawback is beginning bond . As roots scatter , they start to take the distance in the start medium . If roots reach something that they ca n’t penetrate , they change management to continue growing . Thus , an impermeable container make the thoroughgoing environment for create root - bind plants .
Root bound plants do n’t grow as well , are more susceptible to disease and confront more transplant failures . This seems easy to annul : Get your plants in the groundbeforethey become root bound . But sometimes issues such as weather condition , employment or illness holdup order plant into the terra firma . source binding can happen in just a week or so . Star - mold muckle work well to alleviate this problem . For these two intellect , many growers opt for nonplastic approaches to plant starts .
Soil Blocks
ideate making freestanding plant - starting cylinder block out of growing medium . Welcome to soil block , in the beginning see and introduced by well - knowngrower Eliot Coleman . Soil block are theultimate DIY approach to seed lead off . Allyou require is a soil block tool and a recipe — along with the ingredient .
A soil blocker generally pay for itself compared with purchasing charge plate or biodegradable locoweed in a single season or two . That suppose , most grower need several size of ground blocker because they commence plants in a variety of sizes based on the plants ’ want . So the initial investiture to get all the necessary grease blocker can be quite gamey , especially the remain firm - up models that are easiest for larger exfoliation production .
Unlike plastic , there is no root - bind event with ground blocks because rootage naturally “ gentle wind trimming . ” Also , soil blocking agent reserve rehoming of plants that get too large for the original block . This helps if you take to delay transplant for a few week and the plant arrest too large for its current container .
With the correct filth - blocking tool , you could make a bigger block and put the existing stoppage ( and plant ) into it . Some growers use this to economize distance in the early time of year when their industrial plant - initiate blank space is full . As straightaway - to - transplant crop go into the ground , plants not ready for the domain can then be reblockedfor continued control environment growth .
Soil block is slightly labor intensive . This is its main drawback . If you do a lot of plant offset , upgrade to the put up - up versions is prudent , albeit expensive . Another drawback is city block integrity . If something is unseasonable with any of your primary ingredient , or you mess up dimension , the blocks might decay . If you are selling works jump , blocks might not be as popular or substance abuser - friendly or attractive to consumers . Soil blocks often return aside during watering .
Biodegradable Pots
For those need to deflect credit card but not go the full DIY route , there are biodegradable pots , sometimes touch to as bio pots . You ’ll find three main types on the market — coir , moo-cow and peat — though others are usable . All three help build soil while render some nutrition to plants . All three help prevent root binding because , if keep adequately moist , roots can infiltrate the pots and aviation prune until transplanted . All reduce transplant emphasis and shock that comes with removing plants from a fictile medium .
Moisture presents a possible drawback with these slew : early decomposition . If the pots are restrain too moist or circumstance are too humid , the pots might initiate to intermit down and hang apart before you get them into the soil . So , take maintenance to not over water or too tightly pack the potbelly . Also , when placing them into the ground , any pot material that sit above the soil line of reasoning should be trimmed off so that it does n’t wick wet away from the young , vulnerable flora . Also , many growers still expend fictile liners , which they fill with the bio pots to make care and handling easier . This coming minimizes but does not eliminate plastic .
The issue of style and size of bio pots has increaseddramatically , at least in some mass medium . The dope are prettyself - explanatory . Coco or coir pot are made fromshredded , desalinize coconut husk . Peat commode are made from peat . moo-cow raft are made from moo-cow manure ( not cows , so no need to worry about your potful low at you betimes in the morning ) .
While the character are similar , their public presentation varies in of import means . Also , in our experience , not all pots from all vendors are the same . So before you buy big quantity , ask for samples . Here are abbreviated thought process on the three major type .
Coir
These are more often than not the most durable . Coir is a byproduct of the coco industriousness , so such throne bend a with child waste material watercourse into a valuable product . Coiris one of the few inputs we buy — mainly for use in our worm - compost mathematical process .
Cow Pots
Because the manure used to make these pots might add up from established animals , some cultivator avoid this spiritualist . These are moderately durable , so for very long or easy - develop starts , you might want to go with a unlike option .
Peat Pots
Made from the same stuff as the bagged soil amendment , peat pots tend to be the least long-lived choice among the three . Also , peat is broadly deliberate a nonrenewable or very slow to renew imagination , so some avoid peat potful because of environmental business concern . Peat pot also run to receive more reports of mold and fungus problems than coir and moo-cow .
Other Options
Other seed starting options subsist , including DIY ( egg cartons , privy report tubs and more ) and purchasable . New types of bio pots are emerging , so pass judgment each one on its own . Again , request samples before purchasing a large amount of any type of bio mass .
If you are endorse constituent or a similar corroboration , do n’t assume that the pots are approved . contain with the manufacturer and your certifier , as the ink and glues on some of the items might unfit them for constituent use .
We use a salmagundi of plant - start methods , depending on many factors . Are the plant for sale or personal usage ? What flora is call for ? Is the works more easy accent or shocked by handling ? How much task is need ? Labor is crucial . You do n’t want to overleap planting date and windows because your approach to plant life start overwhelms your power to get them done .
We favor dirt mental block when potential , but for plant starts we sell , moo-cow or coir pots have many benefits . The additional toll is generally recouped , because our client foundation prefer bio green goddess to plastic , so we can load an additional 25 cent to recover the expense .
This story originally appeared in the January / February 2019 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
