Plug Plants, Any exerienced growers?

s4lvatore

Hi guys

Bought some plug plantsthis year from ebay seller funkyflora, got to say I am very impressed with them. In fact I am so impressed that next year I would like to grow my own as it seems a great way of growing seedlings without taking up too much room in the house.

Now what I'd like to know is is it as simple as buying the cell trays, filling them with fertilizer, placing a seed on top and then covering with a tiny amount more soil?

Or is there more to it?

If anyone can lend me some advice it would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Kay_Peel

You got it! Addictive, isn't it? :T

If you're new to seed sowing then the best advice is to get yourself a small bag of seed compost and a cheap, plastic window-sill 'greenhouse'. I bought mine for a couple of quid from Asda. it's got umpeen cells/modules, a drip tray to eliminate all the mess, a dome of clear plastic to keep the heat in and it fits nicely on my kitchen window sill. The results are fast, so you can take off the lid when the shoots appear. You can keep the cells nicely moist by putting some water in the drip tray and letting the cells soak it up - but remember to throw away the excess when they've had enough.

A big :T to the Ebay sellers who have provided me with fantastic plug plants of choice vegetables when I only want a few of them - brocoli, kale and cauliflower for instance. But the rest we can do ourselves - if we don't mind faffing around with seed trays and potting the plants on when they outgrow their cells.

Go for it!

savemoney

Is this the seller

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/funkyflora/

amcluesent

>Or is there more to it?<

IMHO you've missed the point of buying plugs. It's saving you the bother of sourcing viable seed, getting the right growing medium, controlling heat and light for germination etc. etc. You can't beat them, so don't join them. Just buy their plug plants and get the benefits.

s4lvatore

Yes that is them, funkyflora. A very professional service.

There isn't more to it. Basically a couple of years ago I done my own from seed, but it took up a hell of a lot of room in my kitchen and stuff so the last couple of years I havent bothered.

This year, for the first time, I ordered my bedding stuff off the net and was amazed at how little space these tiny plug plants needed to grow in. I looked at the cells and figured just by leaving them on my kitchen windows I could easily start about 700 plugs before transplanting onto bigger pots into my small greenhouse. This will save me a few quid too. So it isn't I wanna beat them.

So the question remains, is there any particular knack to doing these or is it as I said in post 1.

Mankysteve

Well they'll be most likely using heating mats and auto misting units.

westiea

I agree. They are professional growers.
They will use controlled watering/misting/heat and possibly even lights - and tbh replicating that on a windowsill is difficult if you are growing a large variety of different plugs with different requirements. Then you need space to hold them when potted on if there is still a risk of frost - where they will still get those constant requirements.

Light levels tend to be poor at the start of the year(on a windowsill especially) =long drawn plants
Lack of or too much Heat = uneven/poor or no germination (all seeds require different conditions to germinate
by the time you've bought the compost, (seed/plant) heat mat,trays, seeds imo it is much easier and probably cheaper in the short term to buy plugs!

If however you decide to go for it Seeds: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Successfully from Seed By Jekka McVicar, is a book i recommend.

peter_the_piper

Just to give an idea of the big growers.
Each greenhouse is often over an acre in size, concrete underfloor heating, each zone is individually heated to precisely the best heat for a particular variety and all watering is done by computer to give just the right amount of moisture and nutrients.
Seeds do not NEED these strict conditions when grown at home its just that growers want to be able to supply every plant to a strict plan so all customers orders are met.
When you consider how many small nurseries there are out there, as well as the Sheds,Garden centres and indeed the general public you can have a guess as to how many plugs are produced. Even a small nursery will have about 20 trays of 500 plants per week for about 8 weeks.

ds1980

Wow! Think OP just wants to grow some seeds. There is nothing more satisfying than growing something from a simple seed and watching it mature over the years.

Basically reuse your pot with the plugs in put some moist compost in and put your seeds in. Pop into a dark or light warm place depending on the seeds and wait for them to grow!

Thats what i do and it don't go that much wrong. Forget all the books and just try it. If it doesnt 40-50 seeds is going to cost you pittance. Better still collect your own off any flowers that seed or ask anyone you know for free.

s4lvatore

Thank you ds1980.

All I wanna do is grow a few seeds and save a bit of space. I aint looking at taking over from any big garden centres, lol. I think some people have got the wrong end of the stick on this thread, lol.

Lotus-eater

The question is, do you need 700 plants?

I have some of the tiny cells you buy plug plants in, but I hardly ever use them. preferring the larger 6 or 8 tray cells. This means I don't have to worry about potting them on and they can just go straight out when ready.