Those thicker plastic bottles are definitely more difficult to cut through. I hate using them and only use them when I'm completely out of other containers. I nearly sliced my fingers off one time when I was trying to cut a wholesale party mix bottle. Eventually I just sawed them open. I'll stick to soda bottles and milk jugs. All I can say is be very very careful.

Greeting Sue in Kansas!
gotta love the recycling center!! I came home with 3 trash bags full on little water bottles!
I used the juice bottles last year and liked that they were stonger and were a squarish shape, but when it came time to remove the seedlings(or PLANTS in some cases)the jug usually had to be cut all the way down! On the plus side they work well if its something that will stay in a jug the first year, like if you're waiting to see what color the flowers will be.
-B

I liked that they were tougher, but I also didn't like how hard it was to cut or get the plants/ seedlings out. Some of them have an indention for the handle and seedlings got stuck in there. Also, where I'm at, with 80 degree days and 30 degree nights, it was a lot tougher getting the lids on and off each day. I have some, and I'll use them if I have to, but I prefer the milk jugs myself.

Agree with all: perfectly usable for the intended purpose, but hard to slice, and I ended up cutting myself more than once when taking out HOSs- whole or pieces-parts.

Maybe a heated knife will work on it? I saw that suggestion on Trudi's site and I just tried it now to poke holes into a mayo jar. Worked great but since what I did was put the knife tip in a candle, the knife tip turned black.

Um, so use a old knife /one that you don't care about so much in case it turns black too.

(Trying to scrub it off with baking soda -- working but not easy)

I also use them when out of milk & soda jugs. Getting the seedlings out is harder and if there are ridges or indents in the jug the roots seem to grow into them making it harder to get the seedlings out. The whole thing can be filled w/ roots.

Tried them once and won't use them again. Same reasons as above.

I'm using them. I had no problem cutting them. I used a box cutter to cut them open. To keep them open when the time comes I think I'm going to use sticks with a cut on each end to prop them open.
To label my plant containers instead of writing on the container I simply put a number on the cap and wrote down in my gardening journal what was planted under what number. I figure that way I may be able to reuse the containers a few times.
Soda bottles in NYS have a deposit on them, so using juice containers makes more sense for me.

My softsoap refill bottle is almost empty, and so is my soy sauce. Yay!

Carol, do you cut other holes for ventilation and rain/snow in the tops of your containers if you use the caps? Most of us throw away the caps to leave the neck open for those reasons.

The great thing about sharing ideas is that we can read about others' experiences and then do what works best for ourself. Every year I try new containers and use a variety though still mostly use milk jugs and soda bottles. I am a frugal (cheap) person and wouldn't use soda bottles if I could get money back on them.

I will remove the caps when the weather gets better. I'll then mark the containers with numbers. I'm guessing by the time I remove the caps the numbers on the caps will be fading anyhow so marking the containers will be needed.

Carol:
What are the numbers for?

Thanks,
Audrey

Carol, if you have seeds that need cold stratification I suggest that you remove the caps now so that the changes in weather can work to break down the seed coats. Also, it is important for air circulation. If you have used the cap on scenario successfully before please disregard this suggestion.

I also write a number on my milk jugs, or the name of the seed, and also put a small mini-blind label, with the seed name written on it, inside each container. For clear bottles, ie: soda bottles, just the mini-blind label is used as it is easy to read through the bottle. When the seedlings are planted in my garden the label is ready.

Thanks to all for your input!

I've decided to stick with the Ocean pray bottles, as they are the best design (rectangular, no handle, shallow grooves). The plastic of the V-8 bottle was so thick, I couldn't hack through it with a saw--and some of the bottles with "built in" handles didn't offer much sowing space at all.

So, containers are loaded with MG potting mix...seeds are all inventoried and ready to roll...tomorrow is forecast to be in the high 60's...I am one happy (and enthusiastic!) camper :-)

My milk jugs are sprouting, and plenty of bulbs are popping through the dirt all around the yard *smile* Spring is almost here, woooohooo!

Susan in Kansas

Just a suggestion--I used a wood-burning tool to melt (instead of cut) my thick juice bottles in half. It worked well and didn't leave jagged edges that I might get cut on. Not looking forward to getting the seedlings out past the grooves, but I ran out of milk jugs.

Diana Lynn

One thing you learn in maintenance is that a new blade cuts easier but be careful, they can cut you too. Cut away from your body parts. box cutters with the snap off blades can cut thru thicker plastic and as mentioned a hole burned into the plastic gives a starting point.

Also, check you stores for good scissors. Look in the tool dept for ones that will also cut light metal or heavy fiber. They are thicker than sewing scissors and I keep one for cutting plastic bottles and mini blinds for markers.

When cutting thur those extra thick bottles found the use of a dremel drill and the round blade bit just cut through them like butter.

ml

Hi irisheyes66,

have you wintersown morning glory this early before and had success? There is a thread i started on morning glory wintersow and mostly people have better experience if they start late. how many seeds do u sow per bottle and are they easy to transplant?

Cutting those bottles sounds like a job for Token's band saw! :)

I used one of those last year - it works okay. Lots of different containers work okay. It's trial and error, personal preference, and what's available.

My main goal is to be able to re-use the containers, and avoid collecting and prepping them each year. They should also be easy to sow, hold up well, easy to take tops on and off, easy to get seedlings out of (without destroying), etc. This year I am using mostly 1 and 2 LTR bottles (nice straight ones, no molded sides or bottoms), large salad boxes, and some milk/water jugs.

daisy08,

This is my first year trying WS, so I'm afraid I can't be of much assistance in regards to your question. I do plan to WS 4-5 varieties of morning glory, but not for at least another month or two...I don't think they'd make it if I WS them now, since we'll probably have at least one or two more cold snaps.

Take care!

Susan in Kansas