Should I use jiffy pellets or pots?

[warmfuzzies]

I used jiffy pellets last year, with mixed success. They were easy, but they seemed to have a lot of damping off, which may have been my fault not theirs. I am wondering if it would be better to go with pots and potting soil. I think the jiffy pellets are cheaper, but I am not sure how it would come out. What do you all prefer for seed starting?

 

[lesa]

I prefer potting soil. My favorite planting container is the bottom half of a 1/2 gallon cardboard milk container....For some reason they don't seem to dry out as much as some of the other things I have tried (yogurt containers, etc.) Have fun!!! Think spring!

 

[patandchickens]

I don't frankly like EITHER of them much. Not that they don't work, but they each have features I'm not thrilled with and they get a bit pricey.

I use soilless mix (what you are probably meaning by potting soil, but it is important to get stuff that has no fertilizer in it, and it can't be cheap topsoil, it needs to have good content of peat or compost or whatever), and I plant in recycled containers (old cell-paks, old small plastic pots, various household containers, etc)

JMO,

Pat

 

[lesa]

Why no fertilizer, Pat?

 

[patandchickens]

Eensy amounts are ok, although honestly unnecessary (simpler to just add a touch of fertilizer to the water).

The amount of fertilizer in typical houseplant potting soil, however, can damage the emerging seedling. Depending on the plant species and the particular brand of potting soil.

The way I look at it is, you use so little seed starting medium, in the grand scheme of things, it may as well be what gives them the best chance.

JMO,

Pat

 

[vfem]

Pats right, fertilizers are poor for weak seedlings and the seeds themselves. Even hardy type seedlings will probably do better in a sterile enviroment like Spagnum Peat Moss, which is my starter choice. It holds moisture better, and has minimal nutrients... just enough for a seedling to not be overwhelmed.

Gotta be careful with those sensative rooting systems!

As for the pots, I tried papertowel rolls, newspaper pots, jiffy pellets and peat pots. (Along with regualar pots) I preferred the peat pots when it came to my tomatoes. They roots got to grow right through the pot and I easily moved them right out into the dirt pot and all when the time came. The pellets were ok, except I planted some things TOO early and they outgrew the pellet and I had to transplant into a peat pot to save the plant.

Lesson learned...

 

[journey11]

I do mine the same as Pat. I tried the jiffy pellets one year and didn't like them. The sides of a container do better to prevent drying out. I also think the roots don't establish as well in the pellets.

Your seeds have their own energy source within themselves for those first few days of life and don't need fertilizer until they develop their first set of true leaves (not the big juicy ones that come up when they first sprout, called the cotyledon--see here for pic and definition ).

Also, a soiless mix will be less prone to problems with dampening off or disease because ideally it will have been sterilized (usually by heat) and contain no bad soil bacteria. And it holds a consistent level of moisture better, which the plants appreciate too. Less overwatering/drying out.

After they're up and going, then I use a water-soluable fertilizer like Miracle-gro, but in low amounts (side of box should say how much to use for seedlings/transplants).

With things like tomatoes and peppers, when they get about 6 inches tall, I switch them over to regular potting soil in larger containers (I use cottage cheese/sour cream containers with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage). They really take off from there, lots of room for good root growth. They hang out there until they've been hardened off and the last frost date has passed.

 

[obsessed]

I use the seed starting mix at Lowes in my TP rolls, milk jugs, and anything else I can find.