Aug. 19, 2024
Seed Starting Supplies and Equipment
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Having quality, reliable seed-starting equipment is a great way to ensure your seed starting success. Growers often consider trays, lighting, shelves, heat mats, and media when budgeting for growing supplies every garden season. Instead of buying single-use plastics that have to be replaced every year, we recommend growing in trays and containers that will last you multiple seasons.
Why start seeds indoors?
Starting seeds indoors helps give the grower a head start on the season. Getting this head start is especially helpful in areas with a shorter growing season. Many varieties also have a higher success rate when started indoors versus direct seeded outdoors.
Another advantage to starting your own seeds is the increase in varieties available to a grower starting by seed versus having only the selection available at a plant nursery.
Finally, starting your plants from seed enables you to have complete control over the inputs used to raise them. Starting the plants yourself is the best way to ensure that your starts have been started with high-quality seeds and soil and have been grown in the way you prefer. For more information on seed starting indoors check out Seed Starting 101: Starting Seeds Indoors for Your Garden.
Having the right supplies for indoor seed starting
Besides the list of seed starting supplies needed to start the seeds, it is essential to consider ways to manage the growing environment. Fans, shelving, and watering equipment are vital gardening supplies for seed starting. You can easily find these items at your local hardware store or look into pre-built kits like this automated grow rack.
If you are bringing water into your house, it is essential to manage moisture. We recommend using a dehumidifier in indoor growing spaces to keep humidity levels below 60%, with the ideal range between 40-50%.
Are humidity domes needed for seed starting?
Humidity domes help provide the optimal environment for newly sprouting seedlings. They preserve moisture levels to reduce the risk of drying out and they protect the seeds from pests like mice and insects. Humidity domes are a great tool for seed starting, but if left on too long, they can cause mold issues. Read more about how to correctly use a humidity dome in How to Use a Humidity Dome for Seed Starting.
What are the Best Seed Starting Containers?
The best containers for seed starting will depend on the crop, the quantity you want to plant, and the space you have allocated for the trays. We also recommend that you look for containers that are BPA-free and are made from food-grade plastic.
Cell trays are often used for those wanting to grow larger quantities as they can produce more plants in a smaller space. Read Selecting the Right Seed Starter Cell Tray for tips on choosing the right size for your situation.
Seed Starting pots are great for those starting fewer starts and those not wanting to up-pot before transplant.
Bootstrap Farmer carries both a 2.5&#; seed starting pot and a deeper 5&#; reusable starter pot for home gardeners and growers looking for a larger container to house their seedlings.
If you prefer to soil block your seed starts, you may want to try these deep mesh trays and deep without holes for bottom-watering. If you are wanting the air pruning benefits without the mess we recommend either trying our 4cell or 6 cell plug tray with air pruning features or our 72 cell air prune tray.
Why start your own seeds?
There are three central reasons why starting your own plants from seed is preferable to buying transplants at your local nursery or big box store.
Choice - When you start plants from seed you have an almost infinite number of varieties to choose from instead of being limited to the two or three basic types on offer. Imagine having not just red tomatoes but pink, yellow, orange, green, and black.
Cost - Starting your own garden plants from seed is far more cost-effective than purchasing starts. Instead of spending a few dollars per plant, you spend a few for a whole packet of seeds and can end up with so many plants you can give them away or sell them.
Left with extra starts after you fill your garden?
Check out this article for ideas.
Cleanliness - Plants purchased from big box stores are often treated with growth retardants and pesticides to keep them small and clean looking for longer. This extends the amount of time they can be held on the shelf for sale but ultimately can result in plants that never really get as big as they could be. Even treated plants from the nursery can bring home bugs, aphids and fungus gnats in particular can hitch a ride back to your farm. (If you need to buy starts be sure to look at the section in our
How to Transplant
article on how to choose the best ones.)
Heat Mats for Quick Germination
Heat mats are a valuable tool for speeding up germination and maintaining proper temperatures even in cooler spaces like a basement. Especially when it comes to heat-loving varieties like chile peppers and tomatoes, having a heat mat to warm the soil can mean the difference between a few straggling starts and a full tray of beautiful babies. Don't forget to get a thermostat controller to help you dial in the temperatures even easier when seed starting.
If you are interested in learning more about How to Use Heat Mats, be sure to give this article a read.
Cell Trays for High Production Growing
Anytime you will be growing a large number of any one type of seed using a cell plug tray is the most economical use of seed starting space. Cell trays are great for use with single varieties or a few varieties of the same plant type.
You can plant 3 kinds of kale in the same cell tray but we do not suggest starting kale, cabbage, and bok choi in the same tray. This is because differences in growth patterns can mean that these plants are ready for transplant or hardening off at different times.
Lighting for Growing Seedlings
New seedlings need good light to grow properly. Plants that do not receive adequate light can become leggy as they stretch upward in search of energy for photosynthesis. At best, this results in seed starts that are tall and thin, at worst it can mean your plants fall over and become susceptible to fungal infection when they rest on damp soil.
The ideal grow light for any plant should be:
A full spectrum bulb that closely mimics sunlight.
Placed 3-4 inches above the growing plants and regularly raised.
Run at a cool temperature so as not to burn plants that get too close to it. (This is why we recommend using LED bulbs.)
Be of low enough wattage draw to reduce the risk of overloading your circuit.
There are many options out there for lighting your seed starting space. Here at Bootstrap, we carry a 48&#; full-spectrum LED light fixture.
If you want to learn more about lighting options you can review this article on Lighting for Microgreens, where the principles apply to any indoor growing setup.
The Best Grow Rack Fans
These indoor grow rack fans are used on our Automated Grow Racks as the included ventilation system. These fans are the perfect size for indoor grow rooms as they provide airflow without the risk of causing damage to tender seedlings. These fans are not high-powered. The gentle breeze also helps to strengthen plant stems and prevent overly leggy starts.
Growing Medium for Seed Starting Indoors
Seeds can be started with a variety of different growing mediums such as coco coir, potting soils, compost, and rockwool.
When searching for good potting soil, look for soils that are free from chemicals, have a balanced PH, and have optimal drainage. Some of the additives you will find in this type of soil are coco coir, peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite. We also recommend looking for a seed starting mix, either soil or soilless, that contains a light fertilizer unless you plan to use worm castings, compost, or a separate feeding fertilizer.
Recipes for making your own seed starting mix
If you do not have access to a good seed starting mix there are a few ways to make your own.
One of the easiest ways to create your own seed starting soil is to mix equal parts of your favorite potting soil with rehydrated
coco coir
. This gives you all the qualities of potting soil with the increased drainage and fluffiness of coco coir.
The other commonly used seed starting mix is made up of:
1 part well-aged, weed-free compost
Want more information on Seedling Trays Price? Feel free to contact us.
1 part decomposed granite, pearlite, or builder&#;s sand
1 part coco coir or peat moss
For both of these, mix the ingredients well in a large container. Ideally, you should also sift the mix through something like a hardware cloth that has holes around ½ to ¼ of an inch to remove large particles before use. For exceptionally small seeds and fine particles, you can use one of our deep mesh trays as a sifter.
Caring for your seed starting equipment
Because seedlings are delicate it is particularly important to ensure they have the best environment possible to begin growing. This means providing them with equipment that is clean and free from fungal spores and possible sources of disease.
All seed starting supplies should be cleaned before use and again at the end of the season before being put up for storage. For detailed information, you can read the article on How to Care for Seedling Trays.
Lights and racks should be kept free of dust and periodically wiped down with a mild hydrogen peroxide or a vinegar solution to kill spores.
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When planning a garden, seedling starter trays are a smart way to get an early start on the growing season. Simply dropping some seeds into the garden often isn&#;t an effective way to ensure that the seeds will grow. In fact, planting seeds in an outdoor garden often leads to them being eaten by insects, rodents, and other pests. Instead, start your seeds in a safe, controlled starter tray that can be kept indoors until the seedlings are ready to be transplanted into the garden. The trays come with humidity domes, watering mats, and base trays to help improve the chances of your seeds germinating without putting them at risk of being eaten by scavengers. Keep reading to learn how to choose the best seedling starter trays for your next home grow.
My years of home gardening experience helped me understand what works and what doesn&#;t work regarding seed germination and seedling growth. This experience, combined with extensive research of more than 40 different products, is the basis for this selection. I concentrated on the material, dimensions, and capacity of the seedling starter trays.
There are several different materials used to make these trays, and each one has a different but equal benefit. I chose top products from each material category, including biodegradable, disposable plastic, and reusable plastic. I also took into consideration the dimensions as well as the capacity of the seedling starter trays to determine how many plants could be grown at one time without choking out nearby seedlings. Additionally, any product with extra features that improved the germination, sprouting, or growth period superior to similar products that lacked these added benefits got extra weight in making my selections.
Whether you&#;re just getting started with planting, overseeing a kids&#; project, establishing seedlings for a greenhouse, or have lots of garden tools ready to go, we&#;ve rounded up the best options for taking that first step.
Super Sprouter
Why it made the cut: Use the built-in grow light and humidity dome to germinate, sprout, and grow plants efficiently.
Specs
Pros
Cons
Our best overall pick can help ensure the seeds germinate and sprout quickly. The Super Sprouter Deluxe Propagation Kit has a humidity dome to help control the humidity level during germination. The seedling starter tray measures 10 inches by 20 inches, allowing it to be used with most standard inserts and plug trays. Though it should be noted that while this product can accommodate a tray with up to 72 cells, it does not come with a plug tray. Instead, the seedling starter set comprises a reusable plastic base tray to collect excess water, a humidity dome, and a grow light to provide even lighting to the plants.
The grow light is designed to sit in a track on top of the humidity dome, where it can shine down on the entire tray. This comprehensive kit is an excellent option for a beginner because it provides the user with all of the basic supplies to start growing their plants in the comfort of the kitchen, living room, den, or even the bedroom.
Jolly Grow
Why it made the cut: Ensure that the roots, stem, and leaves are undamaged by poor transplantation with this biodegradable starter tray that can be planted directly into the garden.
Specs
Pros
Cons
One of the main benefits of using a biodegradable seedling starter tray is that the seedlings do not need to be removed from the cells. This makes it simple to break apart the cells and plant them individually in the garden without worrying about damaging the seedling in an attempt to remove them from a plastic tray. Once the biodegradable peat cells are buried, they will begin to break down, and the roots of the seedlings will have no issue piercing through the peat walls and spreading into the soil.
The JOLLY GROW Seed Starter Peat Pots Kit comes with five trays that each have 10 cells for a total capacity of 50 cells. Each tray measures 4 inches by 10 inches and also includes plastic plant markers so that the cells can be labeled with the plant&#;s name. Remember that the biodegradable cells, while great for the environment, are water-permeable, so it&#;s advised to have a non-permeable base tray to collect excess water that drains from the soil.
Why it made the cut: Control the humidity level inside each of these five seedling starter trays using the included domes.
Specs
Pros
Cons
In contrast to other seedling starter trays, the Gardzen 5-Set Garden Propagator Set does not require soil pods to help seeds germinate and sprout. Instead, these seedling starter trays consist of a seed tray with a drainage hold to prevent overwatering; a base tray for hydroponic gardening; and a humidity dome to encourage growth. You can also place the trays on a heating mat for extra warmth.
Each tray is made of reusable plastic and measures 9 inches by 14.5 inches. The set also comes with a dibber and a widger for easy planting. Each of the 40 cells is 1.4 inches square, which makes the trays ideal for early-season pepper and vine and smaller plants, such as cabbage, kale, and broccoli. (The company also makes 15-cell and 70-cell versions for different sizes of seedlings.)
Why it made the cut: The base tray and watering mat hold excess water until it&#;s needed for germination, sprouting, and growth.
Specs
Pros
Cons
While most seedling starter trays can include standard-sized cell trays, this Burpee Seed Starter Tray has two cell trays that each have 16 extra-large cells, making them ideal for plants with strong, deep root growth. The cell trays have drainage holes in the bottom. They can both sit within the 10- by 20-inch base tray, which doubles as a watering mat, allowing the seeds and seedlings to absorb water from the tray as necessary instead of oversaturating the soil.
This product also comes with 32 natural coconut fiber growing plugs so that users can start their next home grow as soon as they have the seeds for the coconut fiber growing medium. Use the included humidity dome to help accelerate germination, but remember that while the base tray and dome are made with reusable plastic, the cell trays are thin and disposable, so they may need to be replaced after two or more home grows.
Why it made the cut: Germinate and sprout up to 180 seedlings with this biodegradable product.
Specs
Pros
Cons
The Mhonniwa 180-Cell Seed Starter Tray is an impressive product, especially given the 180-cell capacity and the affordable price for this complete set. This seedling starter tray set includes 12 small trays that each measure 6.5 inches by 4.7 inches and have a capacity of 12 cells. Additionally, this set comes with two gardening tools to help with transplantation, as well as labels for the plants. If you don&#;t have good soil for a garden, check out our guide to the best raised beds.
In addition to the plants you wish to grow, here are some important factors to weigh before selecting the best seedling starter tray for your needs.
The capacity of a seedling starter tray can range significantly&#;from a single-cell tray that can manage three to four seedlings to seedling trays with more than 40 cells. Consider the number of plants that you want to grow, the space necessary for these plants to germinate properly, and the space required for the seedlings to finish growing after being transplanted into individual pots or a garden.
Remember that some plants also require larger cells because they tend to sprout dense roots that need more space to grow and expand. Before starting any gardening project, research the individual plant species to determine the specific needs of the plant. This foundation of knowledge will make it easier to decide on the best seedling starter tray capacity.
At first thought, the material for a seedling starter tray seems like a trivial matter. After all, the tray is just used to hold the seedlings while they grow. However, these trays can be made of thick, reusable plastic; thin, disposable plastic; and even biodegradable peat pots that are specifically designed for planting directly into the garden without having to remove the seedlings.
Biodegradable trays are a popular option for people that have a hard time properly transplanting their seedlings, but these products rarely have the same capacity as plastic seedling starter trays. Choose a thick, reusable plastic starter tray if you are planning on regularly growing seedlings at home, but keep in mind that the tough plastic makes it more difficult to take the soil plug out of the tray cell during transplantation. On the other hand, it&#;s easier to remove the plugs from thin plastic starter tray cells, but these disposable products won&#;t typically last for more than one or two home grows.
Despite the simplicity of seedling starter trays, they can actually come with several different added features that manufacturers have included to improve the product. These include a humidity dome, a base tray, a watering mat, and a heating mat.
Humidity domes are essentially clear plastic domes that are intended to cover the seeds and soil plugs to help maintain an ideal humidity level during the germination period. Base trays are commonly used to catch the excess water from seedling starter tray cells, reducing the chance of mold, mildew, and disease. Watering mats help to make the growing process easier. These mats are filled with water and sit underneath the seedling cells, allowing the plants to draw water from the mat at any point without oversaturating the soil. This is a basic form of hydroponics. Heating mats are rarely included with seedling starter tray sets, but they are a good accessory to help increase germination and growth rates.
Whether the tray can be reused or not depends on the specific product. Some trays are made with thin plastic that isn&#;t very useful for more than one or two seedlings&#; germination periods, but other products are made with thick, durable plastic that can be reused multiple times. It should be mentioned that seedlings are more difficult to remove from these hard plastic trays.
Q: Do seed-starting trays need drainage holes?If you don&#;t want the water from the seedlings to spill out onto your counter, table, or seedling shelf, then you should have at least one base tray that does not have drainage holes. However, the pots or cells where the seedlings are grown should have drainage holes to prevent the build-up of excess water, which can lead to mold and mildew growth and damage the seedlings.
Q: How long can seedlings stay in trays?Seedlings typically outgrow their starter trays within about three to four weeks. If the seedlings are not removed before they outgrow the tray, this can lead to the plants becoming root-bound. This means that the roots have twisted and turned, growing into a tangled mass that inhibits further growth.
Q: How long do you keep seedlings in the humidity dome?A humidity dome is specifically intended to trap humidity and moisture, making it easy for the seedlings to germinate. Still, as soon as you see the plants poking out through the top of the soil, it&#;s time to remove the humidity dome. Leaving this dome on for a longer period of time keeps the seedlings trapped in an overly humid environment, which can lead to mold, mildew, and disease.
Getting an early start on the growing season is a great idea. Equipped with a grow light and a humidity dome, the Super Sprouter Deluxe Propagation Kit is an excellent option. If you need a product with a greater seedling capacity, go with the affordable Mhonniwa 180-Cell Seed Starter Tray.
For more information, please visit Epic 6-Cell Seed Starting Trays.
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