Hey, I don't use peat pots at all anymore. I find that they confine the plant roots....they do not grow through. Also they don't break down in the garden...One year I started rudbeckia in them and the plants didn't do well and I couldn't figure out why....at the end of the season I pulled the plants out to investigate and the pots were still in tact......Never used them since. Use cell packs or pots.....and you don't have to worry about this happening and they are re-useable too.

Sierra

I've used them (large ones) for lilies and glads that i want to start early. When i plant them out, i cut the bottom off so that the roots can come through.

I've used them with no problems. As long as you keep them well-watered (e.g. a plastic tray full of peat pots, side-by-side works well), the peat stays moist and the roots grow right through....but, if the roots are growing right through, those plants probably need to be planted out pretty soon anyway. At planting time, I just tear down the rim so that it doesn't stick up out of the soil - if it does, it will wick moisture away and dry out - very easy to avoid though.
Yes, I could see that perhaps they are adapted a little better to areas with higher soil moisture than here, where they will break down more quickly. Haven't bought them in years, since I've just gone to reusing the 4" plastic pots from the nursery.

You could also try making paper pots using old newspapers, they work great for plants that don't like their roots being disturbed(poppies)and you never have to peel away the paper,just plant them in the ground and forget about them. And of course the newspaper keeps them moist.

Corine

Oh yes Corine newspaper pots are a great idea, Lee Valley Tools actually has a little instrument for making them.

I don't actually have a problem with peat pots, I like them because they are cheap and square so they fit together efficiently. I have also discovered as Lori said that if you keep them in a plastic tray they will stay moist longer. It makes sense that if they are moist, roots could grow through them, but I guess our soils aren't moist enough. Just wondered what everyone else thought of them.

I will have to save more plastic nursery packs this year... I thought I had a lot but they went fast!