How to grow seedlings in peat tablets

Diving, or transplanting seedlings from boxes into the open ground is a real stress for any plant. There is a high probability of damage to the root system, or that a fungus lurks in the black soil. To get a strong and healthy shoot from the grain, which will give a rich harvest, modern summer residents use peat tablets.

The benefits of peat tablets

In specialized stores you can find washers of a brown shade of various diameters with a recess for seeds. Outside, there is a fine-mesh net that holds pressed peat with antibacterial additives and mineral components that nourish the plant.

There are several advantages of tablets:

1. The base is breathable, so the root system is constantly supplied with oxygen.
2. Such alternative pots are compact and do not take up much space. Pills of small diameter can easily fit in a box from under the cake.
3. Seedlings during transplantation are not removed from the peat base, but put into the ground with it.
4. The outer shell resolves gradually, and initially protects immature plants from fungus.
5. Thanks to mineral additives and growth stimulants, the seeds do not need additional fertilizer, and the shoots are strong, and give a rich harvest.
6. Peat pills perfectly take on capricious and tender plants. Such devices are often used for growing expensive crops, and seedlings, which do not tolerate picking.

How to choose peat tablets

It is better to buy tablets with a loose structure, because in coarse and densely pressed varieties, the root system is poorly developed and becomes weak. Conifers and flowers love acid soil. Vegetables and strawberries should be grown in a neutral environment. It is worth buying tablets in boxes where the level of acidity is indicated.

Size matters
Tablets with a diameter of 24 to 36 mm are suitable for small seeds of strawberries or petunias. Options ranging in size from 41 to 70 mm are used for growing eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage, which need a lot of space for root development.

Saving is bad
Some gardeners choose cheap tablets without a paper shell, but it is better not to spare money, and buy copies in cardboard cups. Firstly, they are saturated with fungicides, which will protect plants from fungus. Secondly, it is thanks to the shell that peat holds its shape during swelling, otherwise it will crumble and fall apart in its hands.

How to use peat tablets

Before use, the tablets must be soaked in water so that they swell and increase in size by 6 times, and sometimes all 8.

1. You can put the peat base on a tray, plastic or iron, in a plastic box from under the cake or a container from under the rolls and other products that do not leak and have a lid.
2. The recess for the seeds should be on top, because swollen tablets are better not to turn over.
3. You need to keep a distance between alternative pots, otherwise, during seedling growth, it can be entangled with roots, and it will be difficult to accurately divide it.
4. It is better to take warm water, then peat swells faster. Pour liquid onto the tray so that it covers the tablets with the top. After 2-3 minutes, they will begin to absorb moisture, and rise up.
5. If necessary, add a little water until the peat stops sucking it. Drain the remaining liquid so that it does not stagnate in the tray.
6. If necessary, you can break the grid at the top to expand the sown area. Bend the edges inward so that they do not interfere, and do not cling to each other.
7. In cases where only one seed is placed in the tablet, it is not necessary to tear the net.

Tip: Peat tablets can be placed on a pallet, in a cassette with special cells, or in a box filled with coarse river sand, which will pick up excess water, preventing the appearance of rot and fungus.

Planting seeds per tablet

Planting material is carefully checked and sorted out, discarding empty and damaged specimens. Large seeds, like cucumbers or tomatoes, are stuck in peat, and pushed with your finger inward. The grain should be at a depth that is calculated by the formula: 2 * the length of the workpiece. On top of it, they sprinkle with a layer of humus, or carefully peat the peat from the edges to the center of the tablet.

Small seeds, like strawberries or some garden flowers, are picked up with a damp toothpick or match. Put the workpiece in the recess, and lightly sprinkle with soil, or leave it open if the culture likes a lot of light.

How much to plant
To grow ordinary seedlings, for example, cucumbers or cabbage, you need to stick 2-3 seeds. Usually everything takes root, but you need to leave only the strongest and strongest sprout. Gently pull out the rest.

Expensive copies spend more economically: for 1 tablet of peat, only 1 seed, maximum 2, to be sure that the culture will grow.

Optimal conditions for growing seedlings

Capacities with future seedlings are covered with a plastic lid or a piece of plastic bag. You can use glass. Put the drawers on the bedside table or bookcase, the room should be warm, because in cold conditions the seedlings do not germinate, freeze, and die.

Do not place tablets near batteries or other heating objects. The soil will dry out, and the plants will become weak, requiring additional feeding.

During the day, you can put containers with seeds on the windowsill, so that they get sunlight. It is useful to open the lid daily for 1–2 hours to prevent condensation inside the box.

Tip: Peat tablets with capricious plants can be placed in plastic cups, which are covered with plastic bags. Thanks to the miniature greenhouse effect, seedlings hatch faster.

You can not keep seeds around the clock on the windowsill, especially at night. They freeze, and make their way out later than specimens that were in warm conditions. When there are pots with plants on the windowsill, you can not open the window for ventilation.

Rules for watering peat tablets

Until seedlings have pecked, you can spray peat pellets from the sprayer so that they do not dry out, but do not get wet. If a fluffy white hue appears on them, you need to reduce the amount of fluid.

Water must be defended for at least 24 hours so that harmful impurities settle to the bottom. White plaque on tablets indicates an excess of salt and heavy metals. In this case, it is better to pass water through the filter.

Peat should dry slightly between waterings. If the soil remains moist, it is better not to add liquid, so as not to create conditions for the development of the fungus.

First achievements

After the appearance of sprouts, one edge of the lid is advised to be lifted by placing a matchbox. It is better to air the seedlings 2-3 hours a day, but avoid drafts. When green stalks hatch, spraying is stopped. Now water is poured onto a pallet so that peat absorbs it, and watered the roots of plants.

2 weeks after germination, components that stimulate growth can be added to the irrigation fluid.It is advised to try Fitosporin, which disinfects the soil with water, preventing the appearance of mold and fungi.

Tip: It is not necessary to remove the outer shell from the tablets, which prevents peat from decaying. The roots under such conditions develop well, and become strong enough to break through a thin frame. Seedlings are planted in the ground with a paper cup.

Secrets of experienced summer residents

1. It is useful to take out grown and stronger shoots on the balcony when the air warms up on the street. It is enough 2 hours a day for plants to quickly adapt to new conditions after planting in open ground.
2. If the seed does not take root in any of the tablets, you can plant a ready-made sprout in its place, which remained after thinning the seedlings.
3. Sprouts can be moved to the open ground after 3-4 weeks. If the culture belongs to the category of heat-loving and whimsical, it is better to wait until 10-12 weeks, when the roots begin to break through the outer shell.
4. Seedlings are placed in the ground without removing from the tablet. Cardboard or net dissolves in the ground over time, turning into an additional fertilizer for plants.

Peat pills are a godsend for gardeners and gardeners who want to receive strong and stable seedlings annually that can give a rich harvest. They are compact and easy to use, contain all the necessary components for the rapid growth of garden flowers and vegetables.

Video: how to use peat tablets