Seed starting tools

March 1st, 2008 Mike (tfb) Posted in Hand tools, Seed starting, Watering No Comments »

Seed starting tools

This may come in handy for some, a display of all of the tools I have for indoor seed starting. This is for starting about 2,500 veggie seedlings. I have homebuilt, fluorescent-lit plant racks, and use mostly 38- and 72-cell plug sheets. Most of these tools are used always, some not as much: 1. The Seedmaster, a gadget for trickling out small seed as you rotate the wheel (the yellowSeed starting tools map pieces are click-in filters for different seed sizes); 2. assorted white plastic plant labels; 3. a dibbler or dibber or whatever, for poking little holes in soil; 4. a fine-point black waterproof marker (I like Sharpies) for labeling; 5. the mini-transplanter is essentially a tiny, stainless steel shoehorn for easy liberation of plugs from their cells; 6. a moisture meter, simply stick it in the soil; 7. plant snips for thinning seedlings; 8. Mini-Sim seeder: fill and shake out; 9. suction seeder with three tip sizes: squeeze the bulb, put the tip on a seed, release to hold, squeeze again to drop… ($25…what was I thinking?!); 10. digital timer for keeping track of repetitive tasks like bottom-watering trays one by one; 11. plant light meter, reads in footcandles, with settings for indoor and out; 12. digital indoor/outdoor min/max thermometer/hygrometer, mainly for keeping track of temperature; 13. magnifying glass with light, for examining seedlings (and GREEN MOSS) up close; 14. soil scoop for filling plug sheets and pots with seedling mix; 15. spray bottle with good quality spray head (more water per pull; I’ve used a wand mister like I have in the greenhouse, but the hose kept getting in the way, I may try one again for the seedling room this year); 16. small fibrepak flats, convenient for holding tools and seed packets on the potting table (left lying, the packets can so easily get wet…); 17. small bulldog clips, useful for all kinds of things, like organizing groups of seed packets. And the winners are…all of them, EXCEPT for: #9, which I found to be useless for my purposes; #8 which is great, but mostly for heavier hand seeding in the field, like for flowers; and #6, 11 & 13, which are more educational toys than essential tools, but still cool!

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Soil block maker

November 20th, 2007 Mike (tfb) Posted in Seed starting No Comments »

Soil block maker

A soil block maker. This is a stand-up model for 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ blocks. With the proper potting mix, these guys let you start transplants without pots. Make the blocks and place them in trays. There are block makers for 3/4″, 1-1/2″, 2″ and 4″ square blocks as well. You can also form the larger blocks with an indent that lets you pot up the 3/4″ starters to a bigger block (although this step may not always work that well). Johnny’s Seed (US) carries a full line.

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Peat pot maker

November 16th, 2007 Mike (tfb) Posted in DIY & Repair, Seed starting 1 Comment »

Build-it-yourself peat/soil pot maker

An interesting site full of gardening tips and tricks, the gardeninggrapevine.com offers building instructions and usage advice for this peat moss/soil block maker. Seems like a simple enough way to try out soil blocks, without investing in a commercial block maker. There’s even more DIY block-making info, diagrams and photos here.

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