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NewRiverGeorge
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Starting Seeds in Peat Pots (JiffyPots)

Hello all,

Has anyone started their seeds in the Jiffypot peat pots? Evidently you can just plant the whole pot in the ground after the seed germinates and weather permits. I have heard these may cause mold inside the pots, but was curious is anyone had any experiences with them.

Thanks in advance,

NRG

pepperhead212
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I only use jiffy pellets for cukes, squash, melons, and anything that doesn't stay in there long, before being planted outside. Jiffy pots, OTOH, did not work well for me, way back when I tried them, as the roots seemed to have trouble penetrating the pot, once in the ground, and the plants were smaller than those transplanted from plastic pots.

PaulF
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I gave peat pots a couple of tries many years ago and it was a complete failure each time. Either the seeds failed to germinate or the plants were so stunted that they were not able to make it in the garden. Most of the seedlings I grew needed to be transplanted or potted up before transferring to the garden soil and peat pots make that difficult.

Even those seedlings not requiring a transplant, like pepperhead212, did not do well. I much prefer plastic pots with soilless mix for all seedlings from germination to garden. I wonder about the pH of peat and whether that has any bearing?

imafan26
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Peat pots are not for everyone. It is difficult to control water with them and while you can plant them, most people end up tearing the pot before planting because sometimes it can delay roots from going out into the soil so the plants are more stunted.
I have had a lot of dampening off with them.

I have better luck with 3.5 inch pots or seed starting trays and they are cheaper and reusable too. You could also use cups, egg cartons and other recyclables for seed starters.

SQWIB
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imafan26 wrote:Peat pots are not for everyone. It is difficult to control water with them and while you can plant them, most people end up tearing the pot before planting because sometimes it can delay roots from going out into the soil so the plants are more stunted.
I have had a lot of dampening off with them.

I have better luck with 3.5 inch pots or seed starting trays and they are cheaper and reusable too. You could also use cups, egg cartons and other recyclables for seed starters.
Yep, recycle.

Image

PaulF
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Just be sure with recycled plastic pots there are drain holes in the bottom.

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rainbowgardener
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Personally, I hate the peat pots. I grow in little plastic pots. The peat pots hold way too much moisture for too long and if you have to use them for very long, tend to grow mold. If they do finally start drying out, they suck moisture away from the soil.

You cannot really plant in them, to just bury the pot in the ground. They are eventually biodegradable, but not in time to do your plant any good. Your plant will just die of smothered roots before the pot breaks down. You have to tear the pot off the plant before planting in the ground, which rips a lot of the little roots. In plastic, you can just slide the root ball out without damaging it.

I re-use the plastic pots over and over for many years, so I don't feel bad about it ecologically.

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!potatoes!
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not a fan of the pots. the material wicks moisture, which tends to mean that the pots steal water from the plants in them and distribute it evenly through the pot. planting them in the ground, if one were not to at least rip the the top of the pot off to a bit below the soil line, and any of the pot sticks out of the ground, the pot will wick all moisture from the plants and let it evaporate from the bit sticking up. this besides that they can inhibit root growth and stunt plants.

those jiffy-7 (and other numbers) expanding peat pellets can be pretty functional as long as they're potted up farther/planted out in time.

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jal_ut
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I prefer to get some 5 oz. clear plastic cups. Punch a hole in the bottom and fill with potting soil. I will put two seeds per cup. If both come up, I will just let them both grow and plant them out together when the time comes for them to go in the garden. Tomatoes and peppers are the plants most often started this way. The clear cup comes off when planting.

estorms
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I don't like peat pots. The plants don't seem to grow through them like they should. If I buy a plant in a peat pot, I peel it off when I plant it. They have cow pots now. (pressed cow manure) but I haven't tried them yet.

jasonvanorder
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Last summer I picked up 6 pepper plants from walmart that were in those pots. They looked kinda sickly and I wasnt sure they would make it. Got them home and right into the garden pot and all. After a week they really perked up. By the end of the summer I had pepper plants 4 foot tall and producing non stop. As for using them to start seeds I wouldnt know. The few times I have tried to start seeds they never made it for one reason or another

bri80
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Agree with the others, they're not very good. One of the biggest issues is it's very hard to keep them adequately watered. The (supposed) great advantage is that you can just plant them in the ground, but like others have said, if you don't tear out some holes for the roots to escape right away, it could take weeks for the roots to break out on their own.

If you're at all experienced raising your own plants, you can transplant from a plastic pot without hurting the roots and get a much better result.

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jal_ut
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If you have plants in those peat pots, when you go to plant them in the ground, pull the bottom off the peat pot so the roots can go down. The roots seem to have some problems getting through the pot.

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Gary350
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I start seeds in cotton balls from Walmart. Put 1 seed in a cotton ball then stuff it down inside a small 2" long PVC pipe with a pencil or dowel rod. Stack the PVC pipes in a bundle in a small tray or pan. Mix some garden soil with water then water the cotton balls with dirty water all the minerals are in the water. Keep the bundle of tubes warm in a small pan inside a plastic bag to hold moisture. Plants come out the top of the PVC tubes and roots go out the bottom. Soon as you notice plants put them in real sunlight keep them warm and keep watering them with dirty water. When the plants get big pull them out of the tube and plant them in the garden.

Newbiegardener22
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Hi I am a new gardener,

This is the first time I have started seeds indoors. They seem to be doing well actually, but I used 2" peat pots (not pellets) for half of them and 3" square plastic for the other half. The ones in the peat pots are not draining well --like many people have commented. I'm getting fuzzy mold on the top of them. (right now I have just been carefully removing it with a spoon) I am trying to air them out but I'm in zone 6 and its still pretty cold (plants are growing in my basement on a shelf with a 2 bulb 4' shop light) so I don't want to open a window or I think they will die. Almost every single pot has at least two seeds that have germinated. On average they are probably 1.5" tall.

I am seeing signs of the first true leaves and I know I can do some transplanting into bigger pots. I want to take them out of the peat pots, but most of them, I can see the roots have already popped through the bottom of the pots. What would you all suggest for me to do? These are all coldweather crops and I wont be transplanting them into the garden until early-mid April probably, so I think they will need pots large enough to handle that growth. I have 2 more grow lights to use as well.

Thanks

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ElizabethB
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Hi Newbie,

Welcome to the forum.

I do not like peat pots at all for all of the reasons stated by other members.

For seed starting I use 4" nursery pots that I get free from big box stores and local nurseries. To start cuttings I use 3/4 - 1 gallon nursery pots. Free for the asking.

Ask and you shall receive.

I do wash the pots then sterilize in a mild bleach solution (1 TBSP. per gallon of water), rinse well.

Why pay for what you can get free? :eek:

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rainbowgardener
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If you can get it free, that's great. I have found the larger size nursery pots free. IME it's harder to find people to give you the small pots. If you have to buy them, you can get them from places like greenhouse megastore for like 12 cents a pot https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/prod ... astic-pots I reuse mine for several to many years, so amortized over time that seems like a very manageable outlay.

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ElizabethB
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Lowe's and Home Depot regularly cull their plants and toss them. Get to know the Nursery Specialist and Department Manager. Maybe bring them a few baked goods. Ask nicely and they will let you scavenge the dumpster for pots. You will be tempted too salvage plants - don't. They are frequently diseased.

I worked as a Nursery Specialist at Lowe's for a couple of years.

Good luck.



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