The seedlings from my first flat are doing well. As you can see they have their second set of true leaves. Seeds don't want any nutrition which is why you use a seed starting mix. Once they get their 2nd set of true leaves, they want a bit of nutrition, but not too much. I use a 50/50 mix of seed starting mix and potting soil. You don't want to use only potting soil, it's too dense for the little seedlings. I'm using paper cups this year, it gives lots of room for the seedlings roots to grow nice and long, and give me large healthy seedlings. I poked 3 holes in the bottom of the cup for drainage. Another benefit about using paper cups, is you can write the variety on the cup itself, eliminating the need for lots of plant labels. I got all my cayenne peppers, eggplants, parsley and sweet basil transplanted today. Next; grafting the tomatoes I've started, as well as planting my 3rd flat.
Paper cups is a genius idea, but surely the modern cups are designed not to collapse full of liquid and are coated in all sorts of nasty chemicals that don't rot down in the soil?
ReplyDeletenot if you use un-coated paper cups, not plastic cup.. but even if you want to use those, they are food grade, which means they won't leech chemicals into your soil or seedlings.
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