Trays v. cells

Yes, that is pretty much what I do, except I try to miss out the smallest plug level and pot on into 9cm cells or similar rather than 9cm pots. If it's a large seed or quickly makes a large plant such as beans, then I sow one to a 9cm cell or pot.
However, as I said, I've now decided to use trays predominantly in future for all of the smaller things, especially those which may be sitting in them from April to June. That doesn't happen to beans usually.

 

i binned all my plastic seed trays/cells ect, i just had so many of them it was getting a bit ridiculous...i actually think i was in danger of becoming a seed tray hoarder! if there is such a thing

 

Intrigued as to what you reason is for 9cm cells rather than 9cm pots?

My preference for pots is that I can juggle them about, I rarely have exactly the number of plants to fill a cell-tray, and sometimes I want to move them further apart, as they grow, than "just touching" (as they would be in a cell-tray)

 

Believe me, Honeybunny, there is such a thing - I am one of 'em I save every plastic seed tray/delivery packs etc - all food trays (transparent meat dishes make such good propagator lids )

S

 

i make "disposable" ones now so's i can chuck 'em in the bin when im done with them, stops me hoarding & saves me washing them too, i use empty cereal boxes for seed trays (i line them with the actual cereal bag & staple it in place...its perfect size) & use empty milk cartons & the bottom half of bottles for small pots...oh but i am starting to hoard kimberley biscuit tins, they are just perfect with the pot shaped inserts

yummmmy kimberley biscuits

 

It's a good point about being able to move them about but if they have to be switched from one greenhouse shelf to another, or moved outside, which I'm doing all the time, it's far more convenient to place the pots in a tray anyway, for quick transport, so I would normally use a cell tray or 6x pack or 9 x pack or a 12x pack. That way I can always find something that's about the right size for however many seedlings I've got. I have got a large plastic holder which takes about 40x 5cm pots but it needs an awful lot of space.
Honeybunny, you are definitely not the only hoarder of this stuff. Luckily, the trays easily get damaged so have to be thrown out regularly, anyway.

 

I have my 9cm pots in pot-carriers - grid-frames 5x4 that hold 20 pots. I got a whole stack of them from a nursery clearance I "Bought" on eBay. There are also the flimsy trays that pots are displayed in at garden centres but they are ... flimsy of course.

 

Yup, especially if you lose your temper with them!

I have had to try to explain to the BF why a tiny seedling cannot be placed in a great big pot when they seem to be alright in the great expanse known as "the ground", didn't quite succeed in convincing him even though, of course, I'm right. D*mned if I'm sure why, though.

Brilliant idea - would you just get grey plastic plumber's pipe and chop it up with a hacksaw?

Heh, heh, been there. Might as well bite the bullet and give each one its own label. They'll need it when they're in the separate pot stage, as it's even harder to keep track of which groups go together then.

If you used old-fashioned flat trays you could easily refill the empty half with compost and replant with fresh seedlings as long as the leaf shape was clearly different.

It makes sense to make an activity that is regularly repeated go as smoothly as possible!

 

Because you are

I looked at that, but that pipe is EXPENSIVE!! I reckon it will have to be Blue MDPE Water pipe, its a lot lot cheaper. I have some lying around, but if you don't you might find 25M is the shortest piece you can get - I've done the maths for you that's 1,000 x 1" tall pots

(Sorry if repeating something I already said). I use colour labels for that. I buy the shortest ones I can find, for cheapness, and then stick, say, a red one in the first pot with a named label, and then red ones in all its brothers. Different colour label for a different variety. Have to eb a bit careful not to reuse the same colour for a different variety (I get into a muddle with my Dahlias, as I have lots ... some get two coloured labels as part of the coding scheme). Saves me having to spend the time writing each label, and because the coloured labels are not written on they are easily reused. (I also use them in the Autumn to colour code plants in the ground in readiness for lifting - ones that want total dry, grouping together for watering / heat / etc. which then streamlines the lifting and bringing-in process at bit).

Ah, that feels better! I'd much prefer to call it an SOP rather than OCD ... "Standard Operating Procedure"