Has anyone used the jiffy pellets?

I was in Lowes the other day and I bought one of those greenhouse kits that come with the little jiffy pellets that you add water to and then place the seeds in the little whole. It comes with a 72 slot seedling tray and then a plastic dome lid. I have not used it yet and was wondering if anyone has ever used this before, and if so, how many seeds do I put in each tray? I know nothing about sowing seeds and how many to add to each little tray. By the way, these are Lithop seeds. If anyone knows, please let me know. Thank all of you for your help. And if anyone wants to see what I am talking about, I have found them online at this URL: http://www.novoselenterprises.com/products/seedling.asp

JesseK

The seed starting kits that you've mentioned are quite useful. But, there's a few tips that aren't in the instructions.

Don't overwet the little pellets. Peat is difficult to keep regulated and will mold if it's soaked too much. Wet just enough to expand them. When you put the lid on, there should only be a tiny mist of condensation on the top. If there are drops, or lots of condensation, your pellets are too wet. Take off the lid and let it dry for 24 hours...then put it back on and check again.

I use the trays, but not the pellets...don't like peat because of how difficult it is to keep proper moisture.Don't like the peat pots either...they wick up too much moisture, or dry out too fast. Just be careful on your moisture and keep an eye on them. I plant about 1000 seedlings every year and prefer to use small plastic cups. Makes it easier on me. One of the most common problems with seed starting is 'damp off'. A fungal disease that attacks seedlings that stay too wet. You seedlings will just wilt and fall over for no reason, but on examining the roots, you'll find them wet and withered.

When your plants germinate,crack the lid open, and remove it after they get a leaf or two. I use fluroscent bulbs over mine to give proper light...a window usually is too cool and the light is weak. My lights stay about 2 or 3 inches from the leaves for about 16 hours a day.

Hope this helps.

I have used the peat pellets for over 20 years & have never had a problem. Have never had anything damp off either. When it comes time to water, I always put a little water in the tray, never water from the top. I usually put 3 seeds in each pellet.

I have been using the pellets for several years now, and love them. I only water then by adding water to the tray. These work just wonderfully for most 'larger' seeds.....don;t know how they'd work with tiny seeds.

RikerBear they work great for tiny seeds too. I start everything in them.

Cool....I just don;t handle small seeds well, so ususally broadcast those over a larger surface area.

I agree. But, I bought the Jiffy 9's by mistake and have
been sorry every since. They are smaller than the
Jiffy 7's, no netting, and like to fall apart when you move
them.

Oh well....live and learn......or,
live and learn to be more careful!

Since you are growing lithops, you might want to avoid peat. They start best in rough sand as do other seeds of cactus and succulents and in much dryier conditions. One thing you might want to try is the Glad storage containers. I don't know how much seed you have but they are deep enough to prevent losing stuff when bumped and the lids are very helpful for shading and maintaining what moisture you do need. You can get away with only an inch or so of soil and just like any starting mix, nuke it first.I do use the Jiffy peat pots, but unless you get a good deal or don't need too many they can be outrageously expensive. I get mine at end of season sales. They are good for larger seeds and for things that like the acid soil and lots of water. Don't let them sit in water once the are seeded. Mineral deposits and algae can result which will burn new plants. Jessamine

I was wondering if the peat would be okay for Lithops. I have some cactus and succulent soil. Would this be better? Or should I use mostly sand? And should I randomly sow them or put them in separate little containers like the one that I got with the jiffy pellets? It has 72 slots. And I have 100 seeds. So I'm not sure which to use. I've never grown anything from seeds before.

JesseK

I have had good results but have not devised a good way to label them.

JesseK, LOL ! I always figured they put a hundred seeds in a pack and a number like 72 in the trays to drive you crazy or make you buy more but to tell the truth It is all about geometry and how to give each pot and plant, the same space. Uniformity means better profits which is why you don't see cheap cactus or lillies. You would likely be better off putting all your seeds in the same basket, uh container...shallow container. The reasons for this are that lithops are very irregular in germination and the germination rate is never going to be 100%. It may be likely that 72 of the seeds will germinate and need their own container but how do you determine which of the hundred is going to be one of the 72. or 75... or 50... or when? Also it is a lot easier to keep one container at correct temps and humidity than it is many. Shallow soil makes it easier to remove the new sprouted seedlings without damage or accidently driving unsprouted seeds too deep. It is only five minutes to nuke a half gallon of soil and even less for the cup or so you would need for a 6x6x2 inch container, but it takes an hour or more to be able to use the half gallon since it takes a while to cool down. A hundred seeds in a 6x6x2 inch container is going to allow you much more economic use of available space and labor. You will need only a small space in a bright window for your seeds rather than a whole shelf which would probably mean you would need a set of grow lights. You would want to get the 4 foot long lights and fixture since it is less than half the cost of the 2 foot fixture (by the time you count light tubes), which means you need a shelf at least 4 feet long and a way to hang the light and since you have the space under the light for TWO flats...LOL. Do you see what I mean? The cactus and succulent soil you have is probably fine, dry compost, organic matter. It is hard to get the stuff to hold any moisture without nuking it. I would mix it 1/4 soil to 3/4 rough sand. Hold off on any fertilizer. It won't be useful. Jessamine

Jessamine, thanks for the detailed information. Since I am new to this I need as much detail as possible. I think I will go tomorrow and buy some sand since I do not have any, and mix it as you have suggested. I do not know why I need to nuke the soil or sand, unless it is to make it sterile. I know nothing about sand since I have never used it. I already have enough grow lights so that is not a problem. I will hopefully sow the seeds tomorrow and will keep everryone posted on the results.

JesseK

Hey JesseK: Nuking the soil is good for making it sterile. Most seeds are suseptible to the microbes and fungus spores in the soil but there are such things in the soil as weed seeds or insects and their eggs that need to be eradicated too. In addition, most soils or blends can have a surface tension around individual particles that prevent them from absorbing or releasing moisture. Heating the soil with steam under pressure is the most efficient way to get around that problem and the microwave is the most efficient way to do that at home. The water you add converts to steam and with a closed or almost closed lid increases the pressure and the organic elements in the soil absorb it. Inorganic material like sand or perlite holds the moisture in minute crevices on their surface. Steam works best since it gets into those crevices better than just water. Best luck, Jessamine

Jessamine, thank you so much for all of your help. I am learning so much from all of the info that you have shared with me so far. I hate to keep asking so many questions, but is there a formula that tells how much soil to nuke for a specified amount of time? Such as X number of minutes for X amount of soil. And how much water should I add?

JesseK

I have always used the same formula as to time and quantity (1/2 gallon soil more or less for 10 minutes) for standard potting soils. There is always a judgement call when it comes to the water. I want there to be enough steam to penetrate all the soil so I use about 2 cups of water. That is also what the publication on propagation from the Purdue Co-operative Extension suggests. Since the power put out by modern microwaves is so much stronger I wondered what some other reccommendations were and found a strange variety. UC-Davis recommends heating the soil to 140oF and keeping it there for 30 minutes. N. Dakota State says 2 pounds of soil for 2.5 minutes and in another pub. says 1 pint soil, moistened for 2.5 to 3 minutes and if it isn't too hot to handle, do it again.LOL. So I will reccommend what I have been doing for years and feel you will have no problem with those instructions. I sometimes use plastic bags but they are no longer designed to withstand the microwave heating so I normally use old Tupperware canisters. I mentioned this in the propagation class I gave for Master Gardeners and one of the attendees yelped " I wondered why I was keeping all those old ugly containers!". Remember to replace the lid while it is cooling and don't speed up the cooling. The longer it maintains a high temperature the better. If you want to be really exact try a cooking thermometer and get it to 140 to 180 degrees before you stop heating. I haven't been able to find a thermometer to use in a microwave so you will have to stop heating to measure the temp. at 10 minutes and continue if it it is not that hot. I do quite a lot of containers at one sitting so it is ready when I have time to plant. Jessamine