Gardeners, gardeners tend to desire to achieve the highest possible quality result. Spring is the time of intense trouble with seedlings. It is very sad when all the labors and efforts, according to popular expression, “are covered with a copper basin”. Either the composition of the soil is not the same, the air or irrigation regime pumped up, then the seeds were damaged during planting.
So the cultivation of seeds in peat tablets is perceived by enthusiasts of the suburban area as manna from heaven. And not in vain.
Know-how benefits
To begin with, the use of this invention significantly saves the area occupied by seedlings. Nevertheless, the majority of gardeners and gardeners are urban dwellers, they have little free space to prepare for planting. We can say that all window sills are occupied, but there is still not enough space (I still want everything, albeit a little). And then peat tablets come to the rescue . The instruction recommends having a greenhouse for them, but craftsmen assure that this is not necessary - there are ways.
It is equally important that such tablets already contain everything you need - no top dressing, which is introduced into the seedlings by drip (and God forbid that you overdo it!), Will not be required.
You don’t have to loosen the earth either - you have peat tablets. The instruction clearly guarantees that there will be enough air inside them, the soil will not cake and will not put pressure on the shoots, and the water will be absorbed all over the entire volume.
What is most suitable for
If you are not interested in cost, but in friendly and powerful shoots, then the tablets are suitable for those plants that are marked by gardeners and flower growers as difficult to match. These include petunia, strawberries (especially strawberries, if you cultivate it), as well as all plants whose seeds are small.
If you got super-expensive planting material of something rare, then planting in peat pills will help you not to mourn the wasted money: the seeds will definitely come up in them.
Two methods of application: the first - mass
Which one to choose depends on your personal conditions for growing seedlings. The first saves space and gives more seedlings, the second ensures that the plant will definitely appear from the seed put in the tablet.
Number one advises you to choose a sufficiently large pallet, on which peat tablets will be located. The instruction requires only to observe a certain distance between future "pots": they have to increase every seven times.
“Billets” are watered with water (naturally, settled), left alone for a quarter hour or half an hour (depending on the manufacturer), and seeds are put in the holes on top of the tablet.
This method is especially suitable if growing seeds in peat tablets involves further mass planting, that is, the presence of plants in large quantities.
Two methods of application: the second - individual
This approach will require much more space for implementation. The point is that each future “cup” is placed in a separate small plastic container, for example, in a jar of yogurt. So one window sill is enough for a much smaller amount of seedlings. However, in this case, the swollen tablets will not squeeze each other's sides when swelling, and there is no risk that the roots of the plants intertwine if they suddenly sprout through the walls of their pot. Before planting in peat tablets, if they are in an additional container, it is better to disinfect these cups - seedlings do not need extra fungi and bacteria.
This method is good if you grow something new, as a single instance, expensive or requiring several other conditions of care and maintenance. In individual cultivation, the ideal solution is, again, peat tablets. The instruction will help you create an unusual pet optimal mode.
Subtleties of use
For starters - the first watering. Absorb the tablets exactly as much as they need to swell. If half an hour after adding water, it still remains, then this is excess moisture, and it must be drained.
The next moment is the temperature of the water. It should be at least indoor. However, it is noted that if the water is warm (somewhere around 30-40 degrees), then the process is faster.
Another nuance. It is not in vain that the greenhouse was recommended - in it all the properties of the used capacity are revealed more fully, and it becomes more visible how good peat tablets for seedlings are. The instructions are quite strict, but our gardeners have found a workaround: you can create a mini-greenhouse on the windowsill. It is enough to take a plastic box from the cake or pastries, carefully place the tablets there and cover with a lid. Cute, cheap and cheerful!
Further care
He is very uncomplicated. If you nevertheless created greenhouse conditions (in the same box from the cake), then you only need to ventilate the container so that mold and fungus do not flourish from humidity. It is not difficult to determine the timing of ventilation: drops drip on the plastic - open the box for half an hour. Just no drafts! If this is not the first time you have used peat tablets for seedlings, the instructions have probably already been memorized, but you should still remember: drafts - “no”, ventilation - “yes”.
Until sprouts appear, tablets can be moistened simply from a spray bottle (or, if you have a lot of seedlings, from a spray bottle). The main thing is not to overdo it: the force of the jets should not erode the peat base. When the seedlings hatch, the way of watering changes. Now the water should come from below, from a plastic tray (We hope you have holes in the "individual" cups? However, this is already at the level of instincts ...) If you water from above, the water will certainly fall on fresh leaves or stems, and this may be the beginning of some some diseases that we do not need at all.
Another important rule: do not overdry, but also do not over-moisten. Some novice gardeners, who had not encountered peat tablets before, relaxed when they learned that they did not absorb more than necessary. Of course, this is convenient. But the excess water still needs to be removed, otherwise the peat cup itself will rot. And the excess moisture in a mini-greenhouse will not benefit plants. At least you have to air it again, but these are also troubles. So it is better to observe the irrigation regime.
How many seeds and how deep
The use of peat tablets does not by any means eliminate agricultural regulations. So, small seeds are invested in a miracle invention shallow - a centimeter from the surface, not deeper. Large seeds require deep instillation - five centimeters.
The number of grains depends more on their value: expensive ones are planted in separate pots, more affordable - several in one, and then thinned out, leaving the strongest sprout. If you are thinking about how to plant a stalk in a peat tablet, follow the usual rules and you won’t be mistaken. The only thing that it’s better to use a root stimulant before planting . However, even without magic pills it is widely used, and it is more needed in this case.
To get started, count
Without a doubt, peat tablets are a very convenient invention, which greatly facilitates garden work. But do not forget that such "pots" are disposable, but they still cost money. So before you buy pills for all your crops, think about whether it's worth it. If you have tomatoes already harvested from year to year, so why spend extra money? And maybe it doesn’t “grow together” with peat tablets. So for starters, try an unfamiliar way on something familiar. Moreover, for the purity of the experiment, grow seedlings in the usual way to compare the results. Like it - use it! Yet peat tablets are very convenient.