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Post by bunkie on Jan 16, 2010 14:42:13 GMT -5
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Post by grunt on Jan 17, 2010 21:58:55 GMT -5
Bunkie: We've used those root trainers in the past, and I think you might be better off going to paper pots stuck in plastic cups or glasses. The root trainers tend to dry out fairly quickly, and the roots will join in a tangle outside there own container if kept in them too long. If you take a plastic beer glass and drill drainage holes in the bottom, they make good replacements, and you can hold plants in them for a considerable time, with or without the paper pots. We usually grow on a scale that makes the root trainers unaffordable and unmanageable due to the extra attention they required to make sure they were still moist enough.
Cheers
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Post by Alan on Jan 17, 2010 23:17:12 GMT -5
I have never messed with them myself, I did however order some plants one time from I think Nichols which shipped in them for some reason or another, can't remember what it was now.
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Post by hiven on Jan 18, 2010 5:01:14 GMT -5
I have 2 sets and have been using them for sowing corn, peas, beans, peppers and tomatoes.
They are good BUT don't let your seedlings grow too long in it as what, Grunt have said the roots will entangled from below!
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Post by ottawagardener on Jan 18, 2010 10:15:06 GMT -5
I have often thought about doing that when I looked at a beer cup. I generally use large yoghurt containers for perennials or other plants that I don't want to pot up. For ones that 'resent' transplanting I'm thinking of using paper rolls. I find toilet paper rolls don't work well for some reason. Germination and growth was sub par.
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Post by PatrickW on Jan 18, 2010 10:39:41 GMT -5
I know several people who swear by them, but I've never tried them myself. Indeed what Dan says about the cost is something everyone complains about, but many people who like them say the extra cost is worth it.
As far as I'm concerned, on principle, gardening should be free. I'm not so inclined to go out and buy the latest and greatest whatever, because I don't think you should need to pay to grow things in your garden. Myself, I bought a few hundred stackable mini-plastic pots about 10 years ago for about 2 cents each, and I'm still using them. I just sterilize them with bleach every year and reuse them.
I got tired of trying to reuse leftover plastic pots from purchased plants, yoghurt or whatever, because these were all different, didn't stack and took up too much space. I also prefer square pots because they take up less space than round ones under the growlight. Buying a matching set of square ones was all I needed.
For me the most important thing is a good seed tray! These can be hard to find, and something I might fork out a little money on if necessary.
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Post by bunkie on Jan 18, 2010 14:16:21 GMT -5
thanks for the input all! i'm going to test hop the couple i ordered and post here. i'll be using them for special projects, like rebsie, like graham's purple flowered seed, and castanea's Red Shandong Corn, etc...
forgot to mention that val's idea of planting corn in the long paper pots worked great this year. i'm trying to get away from the yogurt, plastic containers. after a few seasons they are all breaking up.
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Post by ceara on Jan 24, 2010 11:58:33 GMT -5
There are trays also that are used for growing tree seedlings, and have a hole at the bottom to push out the plant. These trays are not as compact as the marketed "root trainers" but they seem to be sturdy and offer the same space for root development. I was given two of these tree trays and will be giving them a test run with peas this year.
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