Making your own mixture for peat pots. How to use peat pots? Which cups to choose: peat, paper or plastic
Every summer season begins with growing seedlings. Everyone understands why this is done - you can significantly increase the growing season and get not only an earlier, but also a much larger harvest. There are regions in our country in which heat-loving vegetables cannot be grown in any other way.
As the first stage of development passes, so will the subsequent ones - this is the law of nature. To improve plant development, many gardeners and gardeners use peat pots. How to use these little helpers? Is it worth purchasing them for growing seedlings? Let's look at the pros and cons of such cups.
What are they made of?
Before purchasing peat pots for seedlings, find out what they are made of. Such devices are made from peat, to which cardboard or wood is added. Most of all, gardeners praise cups with a ratio of the main substance of 70% and additives of 30%. Beware poor quality goods, it happens that unscrupulous manufacturers increase the percentage of impurities, or even use only cheap cardboard. Before buying agricultural equipment, read what is written on the packaging.
Environmental justification
Peat products have many advantages over their counterparts made from plastic, paper or ceramics. It will be truly environmentally friendly for the plants. clean house. The peat used to make containers for growing seedlings does not contain pathogenic microflora or weed seeds. Such products contain significantly lower levels of harmful toxic substances, for example, heavy metals, benzopyrene and pesticide residues. The concentration of such substances will be several times lower than permissible in agriculture standards for growing plants and crops. Light-weight peat is safe for use; it does not contain pathogens of various diseases of vegetable and flower crops.
When choosing peat pots for growing seedlings, carefully inspect them. The good ones quality products The wall thickness should be one to one and a half millimeters. Such walls will be strong enough to last the entire period of plant development, but at the same time the roots of the seedlings will be able to develop unhindered. After planting in the soil, a high-quality pot will begin to quickly disintegrate, thereby facilitating the work of harvesting the fields. The decay period for quality products lasts approximately 27-32 days.
Peat pots for seedlings. Pros of use
- Due to the porous walls, the best air-water regime of the root layer is ensured. When planted in the ground, plants freely take root through the walls and bottom.
- Such containers do not contain pathogenic organisms and toxic substances, and at the same time they have great mechanical strength in both wet and dry conditions.
- When planting seedlings together with a pot in the ground, the survival rate reaches almost 100%. Later, when decomposed, the pot will serve as fertilizer.
- Due to the accelerated establishment of seedlings, more early harvest, this is mainly why seedlings are planted in peat pots.
How to use? General requirements for the use of peat pots
- The containers are filled with pre-slightly moistened nutrient soil and pressed down a little. After this it begins in peat pots. You can sow bulbs, cuttings or seedlings.
- Place the prepared cups on pallets, pesos, plastic wrap, gravel or a layer of soil.
- Seedlings should be watered frequently, keeping the soil moist.
- Peat pots must not be allowed to dry out. How to use them correctly? Wrap each unit with film - this will help prevent drying out. Otherwise, the salt contained in the soil may crystallize and, in concentrated form, pose a danger to delicate seedlings.
- When the plants begin to grow, the pots should be spaced more freely to increase light and aeration. In addition, with a more spacious arrangement, the intertwining of the root systems of neighboring plants is prevented.
- Growing seedlings in peat pots ends with planting them in the ground. There is no need to dig up the plants; plant them directly with the old container.
Seedlings of zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants, squash
Seedlings of these crops do not like transplanting. To ensure that the plants take root, use peat pots for growing. How to use them? Which size would be preferable?
For cucumber seedlings intended for planting in protected soil, pots with a diameter of 11 cm are suitable. The duration of cultivation is approximately 30 days. How to plant in peat pots? One germinated seed is sown in one glass.
If you have to plant vegetables in open ground, then for seedlings of zucchini, squash and cucumbers you should choose containers with a diameter of 8 cm, for pumpkin would be better suited 11 cm and plant one in each pot. Planting depth is 1 cm. Cucumbers can be planted 2 pieces in one container.
On average, pumpkin seedlings will be ready in 20 days, and other vegetables in a month. You can calculate it yourself optimal timing landings.
The finished pots are placed on trays close to each other, watered thoroughly and left in a warm place where the temperature is maintained at 25-30 degrees until germination. When yellow-green sprouts appear, the temperature should be reduced to 20-22 degrees. Such temperature regime maintained for 2-3 days.
Watering
Cucumber seedlings should be watered warm water, heated to 25-30 degrees. If there is cold watering, the plants may get sick or even die.
Hardening
To prevent plant diseases after transplanting into the ground, they are hardened off - 7-10 days before planting - the rooms are often ventilated, the temperature is reduced to 15 degrees, and watered less often.
Planting in open ground
Prepared plants are planted in the soil directly in pots. Before planting, some gardeners break the cups or take out the seedlings along with a lump of earth. You can do that too. However, gardeners who used peat pots to grow seedlings leave the following reviews about planting - they believe that it is better to first make holes in the containers. As they decompose, the cups will nourish the plant, helping to produce a large harvest.
Cabbage seedlings
In March, cabbage is sown in special boxes. After the seedlings appear, they are picked out and planting in peat pots begins. Cups with a diameter of about 7 cm are suitable. You can use round specimens or peat blocks, which contain 6 cells at once. At the end of April you can begin planting in
Lettuce seedlings
Lettuce seedlings for planting in protected soil are prepared by picking the seedlings into pots. Pots measuring 50x50 mm or, as they are also called, peat cells, are suitable. In about a month, the seedlings will be ready for planting in a greenhouse or greenhouse.
The roots of many plants can penetrate the bottom and walls of peat cups. However, most gardeners do not wait for this - they focus on the size of the above-ground part of the seedlings.
Experienced gardeners say that if you immerse peat pots in water before planting warm water until the release of air bubbles from the walls stops, then in this case the soaked walls and bottom will not create obstacles and will be easily processed by soil inhabitants.
Disadvantages of peat pots
- Not all plants tolerate the acidic environment that is inherent in peat. Some manufacturers add special mineral fertilizers to their products, as well as lime and chalk, which reduce acidity.
- Frequent watering is required.
- Evaporating from the surface of the pots, the water greatly cools the soil, as a result root system develops much worse.
- Some plants cannot break through the peat walls and have to be removed from their containers when transplanted.
- Often mold appears on low-quality pots and the walls are destroyed
- The high cost of peat cups, especially when growing large volumes of seedlings.
Unfortunately, some unscrupulous manufacturers pass off pots made from ordinary cardboard as high-quality peat products. Gardeners complain that sometimes in the fall, when digging up a plot, they find undecomposed pots with remnants of roots.
Subsistence farming in a broad sense is one of the oldest, and perhaps the oldest, human occupation. Over such a long history, it has gone through many stages of development and public perception. From urgent necessity, when growing plant food with one’s own hands was the main condition for survival, to neglect, when digging in the ground began to be considered the prerogative of exclusively financially vulnerable people and the elderly, who seem to have nothing else to do. But today, crop production, growing vegetables, fruits, and any other greenery through its own efforts is experiencing a new round of popularity. The basis for it was the fashion for organic products and public protest against artificial components, increasingly used in Food Industry. Then mass fear of the notorious GMOs “connected”. Played my role and financial crisis, which has significantly reduced the ability of many of our fellow citizens to load the supermarket cart to the top with ready-made products in colorful packaging. And finally, over time (for some - with age, for others - under the influence of media propaganda), an understanding comes that simple fact that there is no better food than the simplest and most natural.
Once you take this path, fresh vegetables grown in the garden begin to seem a hundred times tastier than complex restaurant dishes, and there is no point in dwelling on the benefits of such nutrition: it is already obvious. Especially in the summer, when the body itself strives to cleanse itself and get as many natural vitamins, plant fibers and juices as possible. In such circumstances, even those who have never picked up a rake before in their lives, and learned about the ripening of tomatoes only by their appearance on the shelves, take up gardening. But for such novice gardeners modern industry created many aids. All kinds of devices, tools and chemicals make planting, growing, and caring for crops so much easier that their functionality is appreciated by experienced plant growers. And their special attention was given to peat pots, which now rarely do at least one fan of gardening. That essentially simple idea turned out to be so useful that now few people grow seedlings without them. Want to try it too? There is nothing simpler: handling peat pots is not difficult, they are not expensive and do not take up much space either in the house or on the site. And yet, for the best result, it is better to learn in advance all the nuances of how to use peat pots.
Peat pots: properties and features
Peat pots are relatively small (the size may vary depending on your tasks) cups or boxes designed for growing seedlings in them. main feature peat pots and their main difference from other containers for similar purposes is the material from which the pots are made. It’s not difficult to guess about it just by the name itself, but in fact it is not 100% pure peat, but a mixture of peat with wood pulp or humus, dried, tightly compacted and shaped into a round or square container. This composition of the material for manufacturing was chosen because it is the lightest, most durable and effective in terms of the functions that are assigned to it. Every gardener knows about them firsthand, and for everyone else we will once again remind you that the majority of both fruit and ornamental crops start their life cycle from seedlings. This is a kind of “childhood” of the plant, and it, just like in humans, has a decisive influence on the entire subsequent life of the plant: its development, growth, fruitful indicators, etc. Therefore, it is so important to properly grow seedlings and provide them with necessary care. All this is provided for by the composition and design of peat pots:
- The root system is well supplied with oxygen and water thanks to the porous walls of the pot. No food, no breathing developing plant are not violated.
- After planting in the ground, the roots grow freely through the pliable and soft walls of the peat pot without encountering resistance.
- The base of the pot is strong enough to withstand the load of soil and seedlings as long as it is needed.
- When a peat pot gets into the soil, it gradually decomposes and becomes a natural fertilizer for the plant, which provides its nutrition and improves its growth performance.
- The peat pot is made entirely from natural ingredients, which do not harm either seedlings or soil, and do not poison the crop.
- The shape of peat pots can be round or square in diameter. This is not of fundamental importance for the success of growing seedlings, but it can save space or otherwise affect ease of use.
- Peat pots also differ in size, so do not rush to buy the first one you come across if their volume does not seem entirely convenient to you. Look for those that best suit your needs and provide your seedlings with maximum comfort and growth.
- Peat pots can be separate or joined into horizontal blocks of several pieces. It is more convenient to store and use piece peat pots. If you expect to simply break the block into separate parts, then do it carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the walls of the adjacent pot; for all their strength, they are quite susceptible to mechanical damage.
- Try to choose walls of peat pots from one to one and a half millimeters thick - experience shows that it is optimal for most types of seedlings.
- Do not confuse a peat pot with a cardboard one. They look very similar, especially if the cardboard is painted, and unscrupulous manufacturers take advantage of this. Cardboard pots, unlike peat pots, do not dissolve in the soil, do not nourish the plant and do not allow its roots to develop freely in the soil.
Having mentioned fake peat pots, we come close to current topic their shortcomings. Indeed, it cannot be that anyone, even the most convenient and simple device, there were no cons. There are also shortcomings regarding the use of peat pots, and they have long been noticed by gardeners. How to treat them - everyone decides for himself, depending on his capabilities, character and preferences among garden crops. We invite you to learn about the difficulties that other gardeners have encountered and decide for yourself how critical they are for you personally: are they worth giving up peat pots altogether, or simply take some measures to overcome these difficulties:
- Due to the looseness of their walls, peat pots cannot be dry when filled with moist soil. And if so, the moisture continuously evaporates, and the soil inside the peat pot dries out, causing the seedlings to suffer from “thirst.”
- On the other hand, since it is very difficult to control the degree of moisture and evaporation, there is always a risk of watering seedlings in a peat pot too much. As a result, the pot becomes covered with mold, which spreads to both the substrate and the seedlings themselves.
- Evaporation of moisture inevitably leads to cooling, that is, the fragile root system, which needs warmth, in practice begins to freeze, grows slowly and develops poorly.
- Some peat pots do not decompose in the soil as quickly as necessary and remain in the soil in clumps, littering the soil and interfering with other plants. Most often this is a sign of low-quality pots made not from peat, but from cardboard and other materials.
- Sometimes the walls of a peat pot are too strong for weak roots that simply cannot break through. For example, pumpkin copes with this task, but pepper gets stuck and withers.
If the side effects listed above do not put you off, and you have not given up the idea of growing seedlings in a peat pot, then it is best to follow the standard instructions for using peat pots. And as complications arise, apply a few tricks, which we will discuss later. One way or another, not all gardeners have complaints about peat pots, so it is possible that in your case everything will turn out well. And the probability of a successful result using peat pots will be higher, the more accurately you follow the following sequence of actions:
- Make sure that you are going to use peat-humus pots - and it is better to do this at the time of purchase, carefully studying the composition of the product in the packaging and asking the seller in detail.
- Fill peat pots with something suitable for everyone specific type seedlings with soil that is pre-moistened and nutritious.
- Compact the soil slightly, but not too much, so that the seedlings can break through the soil and receive enough oxygen.
- Sow the seeds in the soil directly in the pot, bury the bulbs in the ground up to their shoulders, plant cuttings and seedlings depending on their size.
- Place the pots of seedlings in a wide tray. You can push them close together at first, and move them further apart as the root system grows to provide adequate space, light, and aeration.
- Make sure that the soil in peat pots is always moist. Water it directly or through a drip tray.
- Do not allow the soil in peat pots to dry out: this is fraught not only with drying out of the plants, but also with crystallization of salts, which further damage fragile seedlings.
- Water the seedlings in peat pots generously about a day before planting them in open ground.
- Do not remove seedlings ready for planting in the ground from peat pots, but bury them in the ground along with them. The depth of immersion of a peat pot into the soil depends on its size.
- Make sure that the top edge of the peat pot is level with the ground or not much deeper (no more than 1-2 cm in depth).
Secrets of using peat pots
Each gardener chooses for himself what devices to use in his work - fortunately, today you can find, choose and buy literally any tools. Listening to the opinions of others, you should try growing seedlings in a peat pot at least once yourself to form your own opinion. But if you didn’t like using peat pots, and you bought them in advance and with a reserve, don’t rush to get upset and count the “wasted” money. There are no unnecessary things in the household, and now we will prove this to you again using the example of peat pots:
- Using a hole punch, awl or other sharp object, immediately make several holes in the bottom and walls of the peat pot. Subsequently, this will make it easier for the plant’s roots to emerge.
- To prevent moisture from evaporating through the walls of the peat pot and cooling the seedlings, wrap each pot plastic film or by package. Before planting in open ground, do not forget to remove this polyethylene.
- Before putting soil for seedlings in peat pots, saturate them with the solution. mineral fertilizers. This will help the walls of the pots dissolve in the soil faster and provide the plants with additional nutrition.
- To prevent the peat pot from becoming moldy, spray it with a special drug, for example, foundationazole. This will not have a detrimental effect on the seedlings.
- And finally, you can use peat pots not for all seedlings, but only for the strongest and strongest ones - for example, the same pumpkin, whose roots easily penetrate the walls of the peat molds.
Spring is a troublesome time for gardening lovers, because it means, first of all, working with seeds. The modern assortment of various seedling containers and pots is truly huge, but still most gardeners, in order to save money, prefer to use improvised means. Do-it-yourself cups for seedlings are made by the most different ways, and you will learn about the simplest and most accessible ones from this article.
Jars for canned food, coffee or tea are, so to speak, classics. In the bottom of each container you need to drill a couple of drainage holes (preferably from the inside), and to make it easier to remove young plants, you can additionally make cuts on the walls. If the cups will be used for several seasons, instead of making cuts, it is better to lay a strip of polyethylene or thick paper- this way you can remove the earthen lump without damaging the root system (you just need to pull this strip). Cut-off beer cans, toilet paper, PET bottles and much more can be used in the same way, but more on that later.
Cups from under baby food and yoghurts. But the bottom of such jars needs to be cut off and a cardboard or tin circle of the appropriate size placed in its place.
When you need to transplant seedlings, you just need to press on the bottom with a stick.
Note! Not the best option for seedlings are disposable plastic cups, which is explained by the risk of slowing plant growth.
Cups from old newspapers
A small stack of newspapers is quite useful for making disposable cups. Typically, such containers are more convenient than the options described above, because when replanting the plants do not need to be shaken out - instead, you need to tear the cup. As a result, the root system will not be damaged.
To make these cups we need a mold. A small bottle or tin can will do. The algorithm of actions should be as follows.
First, take a sheet of newspaper and fold it in half.
Fold the edges of the resulting container and its bottom.
Fill the glass with soil mixture.
Note! If you are not sure that the cup is strong enough, you can tie it with thread or an elastic band.
Seedling cups made from toilet paper
The next manufacturing option is based on the papier-mâché principle. Here we need a spray bottle, glass glasses and toilet paper itself. The technology is extremely simple: we wrap the glasses toilet paper, moisten it generously with a spray bottle, and then firmly press the paper against the walls. We dry the workpiece for 24 hours, and then remove it with careful circular movements.
Note! Such cups are good because they can simply be torn apart to transplant seedlings into the soil, as mentioned above. Or, as an option, the plants can be planted together with the container (it will subsequently collapse naturally).
An original version of making newspaper cups
Here you will need all the same newspapers, as well as scraps construction profile. If necessary, the latter can be easily found among construction waste, so you don’t have to buy anything. In our example, two sections of profiles are used, each approximately 20 cm long. The width may vary depending on the specific crop (for example, wider cups are needed).
First, take a newspaper and cut it lengthwise and crosswise.
In one hand we take a piece of the profile, in the second we take a newspaper folded in half (i.e. two layers). We wrap the form with newspaper as shown in the image below.
Where the bottom of the cup will be, bend the corners one by one.
We don’t remove the profile yet - it makes it much more convenient to fill the cup with soil mixture.
When the cup is filled, carefully pull out a piece of the profile.
Place the filled cups in a box pre-lined with polyethylene.
The result should be something like this.
Paper cups - an improved option
Another option for making containers from old newspapers is to use original device. For the convenience of visitors step by step guide presented in table form.
Table. Master class on creating paper cups.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| To work, we will need such a rectangular device - a kind of tin sleeve placed on a small wooden block. |
| We will use this device when making seedling cups from newspapers. The sleeve can be made from tin can. Such containers are tinned with food-grade tin, and therefore it will be enough to overlap the tin and heat the joint with a soldering iron. We will use the electrical tape on the sleeve as a guide when winding the newspaper so that the finished cups have the same height. |
| We can cover one end of the block with a piece of leather soaked in oil. Thanks to this, the soil will not stick. |
| First, fill the sleeve with soil mixture as shown in the picture. |
| We wrap the sleeve with a strip of newspaper, focusing on the electrical tape. |
| To form the bottom of the container, bend the edges of one side. |
| Carefully pull the sleeve onto the block, holding the soil with the end with the leather patch. |
| Place the filled cups in wooden box, pre-covered with polyethylene. |
Note! As for the dimensions of the container, they will largely depend on the dimensions of the box itself. Although on average it is from 2x2 to 4x4 cm.
We use toilet paper rolls
The advantages of this method are the same as those described above - the bushings are environmentally friendly pure material, they do not contain foreign impurities, so the seedlings can be planted in the ground without removing them from the cups (the latter will rot in the ground without a trace). If the cups will be used for large plants, we can use entire bushings; in other cases, they (the bushings) can be cut in half. The manufacturing process itself is not complicated.
Table. Master class on making cups from toilet paper rolls.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| So, first we prepare everything necessary - these are the bushings and scissors themselves. |
| We take the first sleeve, crush it and cut it into two halves. |
| On one half we make four cuts (about 1/3 of the height). |
| We bend the “blades” that were formed as a result of this and form the bottom of the future cup. Simply put, we make the same bottom as in ordinary cardboard boxes. |
| The bottom is almost ready. |
| The result should look something like this. |
| That's it, the seedling cups are ready for further use. All that remains is to fill them with soil mixture and sow something you need! |
Video - Making cups for seedlings
Film cups
To create such cups, it is recommended to use PET film for greenhouses. We also need a simple stapler and a base that has the required shape. First, we cut the film into strips, wrap it around the base, and then fix it with staples. The result will be a nice square cup. Although there is a simpler option - make small tubes from film with curved upper edges (required for rigidity). We place these tubes on a pallet or in a box and fill them with soil mixture.
Note! The film must be dense, otherwise it will easily lose its shape!
You can also use bags from fermented milk products. To begin, we fold these bags, fill them with soil, sow the seeds and turn the edges back. In the future, as the seedlings grow, the soil will have to be added little by little. Minus this method is packet instability. To achieve greater rigidity, it is advisable to strengthen the edges with cardboard strips.
Making cups from plastic bottles
Any plastic bottle will do here (in our example, a 1.5-liter bottle). The algorithm of actions is given below.
Table. Master class on making seedling cups from plastic bottles.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| First, cut off the neck and bottom of the bottle as shown in the image. |
| The cut may be uneven - this does not play a special role. |
| Flatten the cut bottle (you can glass jar, as in the photo), forming the first pair of ribs of the cup. Due to the features and properties of the plastic, the ribs will definitely be straight and parallel. |
| It should look something like this. |
| Next, we press the resulting workpiece with our hand (the hand does not have to be six-fingered, as in the picture) and cut along the lines of transition of the container into the neck and bottom to get smooth edges. |
| The edges turned out really smooth. |
| We bend the workpiece as shown in the photo and make a couple more ribs. |
| We still use a glass jar for this. |
| As a result, we got square capacity without bottom. We measure the side of one square and divide the resulting figure by 2. Example: 7:2 = 3.5 cm. |
| We cut each of the edges by 3.5 cm. |
| The result should be the following. |
| We bend the cuts and form the bottom, like, again, a cardboard box. |
| We align the edges so that the finished cup is more stable. |
| The glass is ready. We do not make drainage holes. |
| At the end, we wrap the container with “foil” - a label from the same bottle. If you are concerned that water will leak out a lot after watering, you can seal the bottom with tape, although this is not necessary. |
How to sow seeds in such cups correctly? Nothing could be easier! As an example, consider the cups described above, made from plastic bottles.
So, take a ready-made glass and fill it with soil mixture - store-bought or home-made.
Fill the container completely or only 2/3 full. We place a couple of seeds, peppers or any other crop on the soil.
Then lightly sprinkle the seeds with soil mixture and water thoroughly.
Cover the cups and place them in a warm place, waiting for the shoots to appear. As we see, even from such a seemingly useless thing - plastic bottle– you can make excellent seedling cups.
The ideal soil for sowing should be light and loose, have a porous structure and sufficient aeration, and also match the crop intended to be grown in this soil. Read more in .
An alternative option is to make nutritional cubes
To make such cubes we prepare:
- 1 turf soil;
- 5 - humus.
There is another option:
- 1 part humus;
- 3 - peat.
Mix the prepared ingredients and add to the resulting mixture ammonium nitrate(15 g per 1 kg), potassium sulfate, superphosphate (50 g per 1 kg). In addition, add water - such an amount that ready mix had a creamy consistency. We place all this in a tray in a layer 80-100 mm thick, and then cut it into cubes of the required sizes. You can move the cubes a little away from each other to make it easier to work with. At the end we sow the seeds.
Video - How to make seedling cubes yourself
As a result, we note that regardless of what kind of cups you use, they must be rigid, spacious enough, with low thermal conductivity and opaque walls. In addition, you should take care of drainage - it will protect the plants from excess moisture. If all these requirements are taken into account, the seedlings will grow healthy and strong, and adult plants will definitely delight you with a rich harvest or abundant flowering!
Video - Making cups for seedlings
Gardeners prefer to use peat pots. The main element in the composition peat pots is peat, auxiliary elements are 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 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 as 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 survival process guarantees early and high yield. 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.
Store-bought soil or a soil mixture made yourself should be poured 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.
To ensure that the plants enter quickly and amicably, the container is covered with polyethylene film and placed in a 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 be various 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). Minimum cost ranges from 10-15 rubles per piece.
How to make a peat pot?
For creating 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 container made of of stainless steel, which during reusable will not corrode.
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 peat cups dry 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 finished products.
The choice of containers for seedlings is huge. But not every summer resident can fork out for a purchase every spring. Healthy and strong seedlings also grow in homemade containers - especially if you take the time and make nutritious seedling pots with your own hands.
Such homemade seedling pots compare favorably with purchased options the fact that their composition is under the control of the vegetable grower.
In RuNet there are several dozen recipes for preparing a substrate for nutrient cubes. The main thing is that such mixtures meet the requirements of breathability, moisture capacity, high nutritional value and are free from diseases and pests.
The composition usually includes peat, garden, turf and compost soil. To normalize acidity, they sometimes include lime, and to add looseness - cut straw, sand, and sawdust. Proponents of “mineral water” add complex fertilizers to the substrate.
The binding component, thanks to which the container retains its shape, is mullein soaked in water.
Let's look at the optimal proportions of each of the components when making pots for seedlings with your own hands. Please note, for different cultures they will be different.
For squash, zucchini, cucumber and pumpkin, take five parts of decomposed peat, three parts of humus soil, one part of turf soil and one part of fresh manure (preferably mullein). If peat is not available, use mature compost in the same ratio instead.
No less good result it turns out if you prepare a mixture of the following composition for pumpkin vegetables: seven parts of ripe humus, two parts of turf soil and one part of fresh cow dung.
Here is a simple recipe for preparing universal pots or cubes for growing seedlings.
- Combine equal parts garden compost and humus soil.
- For 8-10 liters of mixture, add 1.5-2 cups of ash.
- Mix one part cow dung and nine parts water.
- Moisten nutritional composition soil mixture so that when molding it does not fall apart.
Just don’t add too much mullein, otherwise the substrate will become very compacted and the plant roots will experience oxygen starvation. 
It is convenient to make pots for seedlings with your own hands from paper. To do this, you will need a 1.5-liter bottle and paper blanks measuring 25 x 16 centimeters or 20 x 12 centimeters (for smaller cups). The diameter of such containers will be 7 and 6 centimeters, respectively, and the height - 10 and 8 centimeters.
I recommend making the cups two-layer: the first strip is wrapped around the bottle at the selected height. And the second is applied so that its middle falls on the seam of the first. Then the loose piece of paper at the bottom is pressed to the bottom of the bottle. And that's it, your free seedling pot is ready to use.
A variety of containers are suitable for growing seedlings. Milk cartons, glasses of sour cream, ice cream, mineral water, mayonnaise buckets, and so on are suitable for this purpose.
Just don’t forget to make at least 5 holes with a diameter of 2-3 millimeters each in the bottom of the cups before adding the soil mixture. This will facilitate air access to the roots of the seedling and protect them from getting wet due to excessive watering.
I also advise you to read a detailed overview of all options.
Watch the video instructions on how to make cups for seedlings in just 5 seconds.