Chamomile tea diluted and sprayed on the sides of the pots works.
Barb

Yeah i will third or maybe even fourth the McConkey suggestion. I got 500, 4 inch pots and 100, 18 pot seed trays for 110 bucks.

Or you could go refurbished pots...
 

Man, you guys buy pots in bulk!

Looks to me like getting 100 4" pots with associated trays will run anywhere from $50 to $60 with shipping at any of the many options posted in this thread.

Another route is to go to your friendly neighborhood plant nursery and purchase their used 4" pots with carrying trays and then soak them in 5% bleach when you get home.

I would think they would sell them to you 50% less than what you can get them for when purchasing them new.

smithmal

I use cups from coffee machine (pictures). Zero price for used material.
Vladimír

The 8 ounce Styrofoam cups are really cheap like 50 for a $1. I use then and put a pin hole a inch from the bottom for drainage or if I water from the bottom I put a pin hole in the bottom of the cup! Its easy to get the dirt out also! Water the plants with warm water and it stays warm for a good while inside the Styrofoam! To make large pots for flowers lighter I put the crussed cups at the bottom so the big 2 to 4 gallon pots or planters are lighter.!

I love the perforated board I assume you made to hold the cups upright. I would love to do this. What material and tools did you use ?

Wood drill jig, 7 diameters: 26-32-38-45-50-56-63mm.
The material in our country appoints Sololak and it is hard fiberboard made wet method (one face white). I don´t know the American equivalent.
Vladimír

Here it is called Hardboard, high density fiber board (HDF) fiber board and Masonite.
Also Isorel

The other thing is called a hole saw.
Mine are like this and I have had them for years for work.

You must be very careful with them because if they grab it can break the bit or break your wrist get hung up in pants leg and so on.

[IMG]http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/400/7a/7a174f96-98a0-4d12-b40d-423e38037879_400.jpg[/IMG]



Worth

I should point it out that when choosing pots, it is best to work with SQUARE ones other than round ones, as the latter tends to roll and fall, a lot less steady when you carry them out in a tray, or in a moving car (like giving plants to friends). The square ones also fit the rectangle nursery trays better, stack them one next to the other, with no space wasted.
Costco sells the red drink plastic cups, round but squeezed flat on two sides, that is fine.

[QUOTE=NewWestGardener;455867]I should point it out that when choosing pots, it is best to work with SQUARE ones other than round ones, as the latter tends to roll and fall, a lot less steady when you carry them out in a tray, or in a moving car (like giving plants to friends). The square ones also fit the rectangle nursery trays better, stack them one next to the other, with no space wasted.
Costco sells the red drink plastic cups, round but squeezed flat on two sides, that is fine.[/QUOTE]

You just made me think of something.
For some time now I have been thinking about swedging (forming)small vegetable cans to grow tomatoes in.
To do this I would need to have a block of steel with about a 10 degree taper.
Why not make it square with rounded corners.

Worth

I'd rather have square cups. But coffee cups in a vending machine are all conical.
Vladimír¨
;)

[QUOTE=MrBig46;455944]I'd rather have square cups. But coffee cups in a vending machine are all conical.
Vladimír¨
;)[/QUOTE]

With your system, you are better off with the round cups; square hole saws are hard to find.

Jim

Hello guys. I'm thinking of planting seedlings in solo cups. Is that okay? Plus how many drainage holes do I put?

Solo cups work fine. I usually take scissors and cut four slits off the bottom edges of the cup.

Thank you very much. Perlite or vermiculite isn't sold where I'm at. Can I use styrofoam instead?

From what I read, you can use styrofoam, although perlite and vermiculite are superior at retaining air and water in the media. You might try looking for other alternatives, like a very coarse sand, or a small-sized, porous gravel.

Thanks Cole.

[QUOTE=Mr. Frost;646186]Thank you very much. Perlite or vermiculite isn't sold where I'm at. Can I use styrofoam instead?[/QUOTE]I would use chopped fall leaves

[QUOTE=Redbaron;647274]I would use chopped fall leaves[/QUOTE]

Nice to see you posting Scott. Welcome back! :)

And, I agree with Redbaron. Chopped leaves are a much batter option than Styrofoam. Bark fines also work great. Many, many years ago, I too tried using Styrofoam with horrible results. Styrofoam does nothing to add any air to the soil. The soil just compacts around it. You need something that creates air pockets. Styrofoam just takes up space, never decays and pollutes your soil.

Chopped leaves? I haven't heard of that before. Fresh or dry leaves?

Sorry, I don't know what you mean by fall leaves, but I'll look it up. What size should they be? Should they be finely chopped or kinda big?

Would coco coir be a good addition if perlite is not available?

[QUOTE=Mr. Frost;647283]Sorry, I don't know what you mean by fall leaves, but I'll look it up. What size should they be? Should they be finely chopped or kinda big?[/QUOTE]

Well, I guess so. It's used a lot by a whole lot of gardeners for retaining moisture and lightening the mix.

[QUOTE=Redbaron;647274]I would use chopped fall leaves[/QUOTE]

I forgot to tell you that I'm also glad you are back posting as well.

And when I think Red Baron, I'm also thinking of the seeds I sent you and the variety was named Red Baron.

Do you remember that?

I've tried and tried to find out where I got those seeds from but I'm through trying to find out.:)

Carolyn

[QUOTE=Mr. Frost;647283]Sorry, I don't know what you mean by fall leaves, but I'll look it up. What size should they be? Should they be finely chopped or kinda big?[/QUOTE]

Fall leaves are dry brown leaves. I just rake them into a pile and run the lawn mower over them. I guess that they are about quarter size and smaller when I am done. I like them to be on the fine side.

[QUOTE=carolyn137;647381]I forgot to tell you that I'm also glad you are back posting as well.

And when I think Red Baron, I'm also thinking of the seeds I sent you and the variety was named Red Baron.

Do you remember that?

I've tried and tried to find out where I got those seeds from but I'm through trying to find out.:)

Carolyn[/QUOTE]Thanks Carolyn yep, three times I tried to get them to sprout! nada :( But one day maybe I'll find some again. This year I managed to maybe sprout an even older Rutgets, but that variety was a heart. Not good sprouters.

[QUOTE=Mr. Frost;647282]Chopped leaves? I haven't heard of that before. Fresh or dry leaves?[/QUOTE] Usually dry leaves that then are moistened as they become partly composted. It's easy enough. Just make a pile of leaves! Nature does the rest. Some people prefer the finer ones that filter down towards the bottom of the pile, others prefer a courser mix. If you make the pile in the same place every year you can even get good leaf mould from the very bottom! All of these are good mediums for starts.

[QUOTE=MissS;647529]Fall leaves are dry brown leaves. I just rake them into a pile and run the lawn mower over them. I guess that they are about quarter size and smaller when I am done. I like them to be on the fine side.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. The weather here is pretty much summer all the time. There's no Frost:twisted: So if I plant indeterminate tomato's say Cherry tomatoes, they aren't gonna freeze. Does that mean they'll live forever?

[QUOTE=Mr. Frost;647547]Thanks. The weather here is pretty much summer all the time. There's no Frost:twisted: So if I plant indeterminate tomato's say Cherry tomatoes, they aren't gonna freeze. Does that mean they'll live forever?[/QUOTE]

Technically, tomatoes are a perennial that are treated like an annual. If your frost free zone is anything like mine, there's plenty of insects and infective microbes to kill them off every year, but we have a 9 month season.

Wow. Well I don't think insects or microbes will be a problem. If they're like 3 years old, would their yield reduce?

[QUOTE=Mr. Frost;647570]Wow. Well I don't think insects or microbes will be a problem. If they're like 3 years old, would their yield reduce?[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't know, mine never live that long.