![]() ![]() The thicker material helps them support the plant for longer while you encourage it to grow to ground-planting size. These come in multiple sizes, which means you can use them for transplanting or repotting purposes. These work extremely well, especially when you’re trying to get enough leeks or onion seedlings to work with.įinally, there’s the standard peat pot. If you’re starting a tray of seedlings for transplanting into the garden, and want to use some of your own potting mixture or compost, strips are fantastic. You may need to use some liquid fertilizer on these once you see signs of growth. However, peat doesn’t have much nutrition, and you don’t have potting mix or compost. They’re fun to use, and they work extremely well. Starting out seeds with the plan of transplanting them soon makes Jiffy pellets the easiest option for beginners. It’s almost like using miniature fabric pots! Which Peat Product Is Best? There’s usually a small indentation in the planting side, making it easy to drop a couple of seeds inside. Once warm water hits the compacted pellets, they immediately start to swell up, forming a cylinder of peat that is barely held in place by the surrounding bio-mesh. The Jiffy peat pellets instructions say to pour warm water over the pellets until they have fully expanded. If you buy one of Jiffy’s peat pellet starter kits, they also have a plastic tray with round indentations for the discs. When these arrive, they’re small, compressed discs. Instead, they’re covered with a fine biodegradable mesh that helps give the pellet some form. These little pellets don’t actually use the wood pulp that standard peat pots or strips use. These are very useful when paired with high-quality potting soil. You may actually be able to use a peat-based pot consistently for a few months before it starts to warp and fall apart. It’s also an option for transplanting seedlings into, giving you more time before they’re planted into the soil. Made exactly as I described above, peat pots are usually larger and thicker containers that can hold a plant until it reaches a reasonably large size. You’ll need to transplant these out rather quickly before the peat layer starts to break down. However, as strips tend to be very lightweight, these only hold up long enough to start your plants. This causes less transplant stress, and the peat will eventually break down in the soil. ![]() You then simply plant the entire chamber, pot and all. However, you can use a razor blade, Exacto knife, or scissors to cut the chambers apart, and may even be able to pull them apart by hand. These pressed strips of peat form little chambers, much like a standard seedling tray. Let’s go over the differences and similarities between these now. There are a few different variations on these peat-based potting products. Should You Use Strips, Pots, Or Pellets?Ĭommercially-made pots, prepared for planting. However, the pot will eventually lose form, so it’s important to plant your seedlings quickly once they’re ready. Tightly compacted together, it will then be dried thoroughly, creating a biodegradable pot.ĭue to the addition of the wood pulp, these pots will hold their shape long enough that starting seeds shouldn’t be a problem. Pressing it compacts the moss and wood pulp into its intended shape and also squeezes out most of the excess liquid. Once the slurry is prepared, it will be pressed into forms. They will add some wood pulp to this mixture for rigidity and then blend it thoroughly together into a peat slurry. Both of these are also excellent choices and work functionally the same way as peat.Ĭommercially, manufacturers of these pots will take large quantities of their peat material and completely saturate it in water, causing it to turn into a thick muddy mixture. Since peat is slow to form naturally, some manufacturers have begun using recycled cow manure or coconut coir as an alternative to sphagnum peat. It basically becomes a fibrous material that works as a natural sponge. Slowly decaying in an anaerobic environment, it develops great moisture-retention capabilities. Sphagnum peat is the decomposed remnants of sphagnum moss. The roots are never disturbed, and your plant is stronger and more vigorous! How Are They Made?īefore a pot can be made, manufacturers need sphagnum peat moss. And, even better, there’s almost no chance of transplant shock when you put your plant into the soil later. They also add to your garden soil, helping to keep moisture around the roots of your plant. This makes them incredibly eco-friendly, as you don’t have to worry about plastic going into landfills. ![]() Made of natural materials, they eventually lose their form and simply become part of the soil around the plant. Simple put, they’re a type of biodegradable planting pot. A selection of peat strips, pots, and pellets. ![]()
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