Are those Jiffy peat POTS or Jiffy peat pellets? I can't tell from the picture for sure but they look more like peat pellets rather than pots.

If pots as you indicated, what is the soil mix used in them? If pellets, how do you plant to separate the seedlings?

Dave

In the top pic you can clearly see the little sacks of the pellets but they tear away easily and its fairly easy to tease the sprouts apart at no more than first true leaf stage.

digdirt- they are pellets, peat incased in netting. I tear the netting off and separate the seedlings. The only hard ones are if 2 seeds ended up in the same hole, which happens. Or if some seedlings sprouted faster it can be hard to keep the little one alive since it won't be ready to transplant yet. I used to let the seedlings stay in the peat until big enough to transplant outdoors, so they were really crowded and hard to separate, but then I started transplanting to individual pots, which is a lot of work but gives better transplants at setting out time and gets them off to a better start.

I'm not very happy about the relative small size of the coco fiber seedlings, there must not be as much nutrition? I think transplanting will make up for it. It's harder to put the sprouted ziplock seeds into the peat pellets but could be done, or I also have loose peat moss. I'm also trying Black Gold potting mix soon for transplants mixed with perlite and probably peat moss, and it also contains some coco fiber. Supposedly it retains moisture better than peat moss and doesn't dry out to the point of being resistant to water uptake.

Nancy

I've tried coco fiber as well but find its texture is too coarse for seed starting...I prefer a fine mix like Gardener's Supply Germinating Mix and/or Organic Seedstarting Mix, or Thompson's (the one that has a wetting agent so the water doesn't run off the peat)...

Glad you could see them Dave, my old eyes aren't that good. ;)

Never used the fiber for starting but a guess would be that it has very different water retention abilities than the peat in addition to the texture differences. Container size plays a role too but nutrition doesn't really play any role yet as they are still living off the seed.

Either way they will all likely do ok.

Dave

This is the next series of photos,

Plants started in coco fiber and perlite-

Plants started in peat pellets-

There is still a very big difference, I will definitely not use the coco fiber as a very big fraction of future seeding or planting mixes.

Nancy

I used Jiffy peat pots with MG Organic Potting Mix (peat-based) for my tomatoes, bell peppers & Jalapenos I started last Tuesday. I hope I have just as good results! =)

Mine were started on 3/3 early night time. I saw 6 tomato seedlings poked through this morning...yay! =)

I tried 3 peat pellets (small 72, medium 36, and so large 16 I couldn't put the top on the tray Jiffy provided) and peat pots with 2 different mixes.

Across the board, the peat pellets grew better, bigger, and faster for me. I'm going to use the medium sized pellets next year for everything. I didn't pot up quickly enough this year but I won't make that mistake again.

My toms grew great in the large pellets, but they were so tall that they leaned sideways and fell over sometimes when I moved the tray. Plus the thing with the lid was annoying.

I got my last tomato seedlings transplanted last night. I way overdid this year, since I decided to clear out some old seed from 2001 or so and used the ziplock method, which does seem to germinate seed better. I got way too many to sprout and now have 3 flats of 36 = 108 plus 29 in the 4th flat since I ran out of the beloved rose pots and had to use crudy ones from plants I bought at nurseries. I decided maybe to try selling some in conjunction with the local home and garden show in late April. There are a few eggplants and peppers thrown in there though, not 100% tomatoes. I usually start planting out April 1 so can start hardening off some of the bigger ones when they hit the lights and maybe not be too much earlier than then.

I will have to search for more rose pots, they are excellent and fit just great in the trays.

Nancy,

We had a thread about coir back in 2002/2003 where Armadillo tried to use it to grow seedlings. It was an utter failure. I suspect that coir breaks down fairly easily and in the process consumes all the available nitrogen. When asked about using coir, I emphasize the part about adding additional nutrients. I also found out that it can have excess amounts of salt unless it was washed before drying and bagging.

Here is the blurb I have on my website. The last lines in particular are very telling.

CoirIt is often reported as a good seed starting medium and is more renewable than peat. Hydroponics suppliers may be the best source. Advantages over peat are: easier to wet, neutral pH, and contains a modicum of nutrients. There's some debate over whether the ecological argument that peat is a non-renewable resource is valid. Northern areas act as "carbon sinks" while tropical areas don't store carbon, so (the counterargument goes) the coir is taking carbon from where it's needed most, while peat is returning it to circulation. Pay particular attention to nutrients when using coir. It may not support normal seedling growth without amendments.

DarJones

Coir fibre-is a valuable asset to seed starting and seedling growing,provided you use it properly,the main aspect of coir fibre is that it gives more air to the mix and much better drainage and therefore removes most of the problems with surface born diseases like damping off, and stem rot at the base of the stem etc,
To use coir fibre correctly it must be mixed with approx equal parts peat moss, a little vermiculite-(couple of handfulls) and of course seed base fertilizer in the correct proportions,the resulting mixture will be superior to any other as far as the seed and seedlings are concerned- as it will hold water to a damp stage without being soggy wet, the roots love the more airy mixture to forage in and quick growth is usually evident.
You simply cannot use coir fibre just on it's own or with added perlite as there is just no food value in it at all.

Many professional plant nurseries-now use nothing else but the coir/peat/verm mix as it lessens their losses and failures through surface born diseases- the coir fibre does not break down much over a long period of time and can be re-used time and time again provided you add a little fresh seed base fertilizer.

I have been using it for years with great success.

Peat pots are useless for the delicate root system of tomatoes. Roots actually have to climb out of the pot into the soil. Use them for Ivy and other plants with strong root systems that resent transplanting but not for tomatoes. Large peat pellets that expand are only useful for larger reliably germinating seeds from cucumbers, squash and zucchinis that again, resent transplanting. They should not be used for any vegetable seed that stays in this environment for 6 - 8 weeks. Constant soaking and drying of the peat creates a difficult environment for tomato roots.

I don't understand Nancy's problems and results. What kind of coco fibers did she use? Due to the endosperm rich contents tomatoes do not require extra fertilizer initially and these days just about any seed starting mix is fertilized (unfortunately). Do not judge seedling health by the size of the plants but rather how strong and stocky they are.

I agree with Mickey on coir. In the U.S. you can buy Natural Beginnings which has given me excellent results. Here is their statement:

Only from Gardens Alive! Use this outstanding soil-less growing medium for all indoor seed starting and when repotting large, fast-growing plants like tomatoes. Our tests show that seeds started in Natural Beginnings:
sprout much faster, have a higher germination rate than seeds started in the leading commercial mixtures, grow stronger and healthier.
Soil-less Natural Beginnings is based on coir, the short fiber from coconuts. Because coir is porous, it allows air to circulate, reducing the incidence of root diseases. Compared to peat moss, coir retains more moisture and nutrients and is easier to keep wet. Coir lasts up to four times as long as peat and can be reused several times for successive sowings. In addition to coir, Natural Beginnings contains worm castings and mealworm guano as natural nutrient sources; the castings also enhance aeration and water retention.

Thanks for the info. I will certainly use the coco fiber in a mix and am interested in seeing how it does in hanging baskets. But as fusion and mickeyfinn point out it needs added nutrients. I just wish the salesperson had told me that when I bought it. It's sold very cheaply in a block that expands when dampened, but is chopped finely, so more of a peat moss consistency. I noticed when knocking the seedlings out to divide and transplant that it was very loose in the pot so I can see the aeration part of it.

I've been getting great results starting tomatoes in peat pellets for many years. I transplant to a growing medium with fertilizer after the first true leaves appear. The problem I have is that germination is not as good in peat pellets as in the ziplock bags. But I could put the sprouted seeds into the peat pellets after they sprout, or into the seedling mix with fertilizer. That may be my next experiment.

Thanks, Nancy

The cure all solution for tomatoes, that would let you use whatever planting medium you decided on (peat pots, trays, etc.) would be MG Moisture Control Potting Mix. It offsets the constant soaking & drying of the soil issue quite well. I've used it for a few years w/o any problems.

I have some great pots I use, Rose pots from Anderson Die and Manufacturing out of Portland. I ran out of them this year for transplanting for the first time and have not been able to find a place to buy them yet. Anderson sells them wholesale and I don't know if I'm up to the minimum $126 for 1900 pots. Anyone know a retail source? They are 2 1/4" square, 3 1/4" tall, and fit 36 to a flat. They are tougher plastic than nursery pots sold with plants in them and reusable, 6 years so far for me.