[QUOTE=NarnianGarden;730786]Foose & AlittleSalt, that sure doesn't sound encouraging :lol::lol:

But hooray! The first one has come alive! Not all hope is lost. Am well aware about the netting problem and will remove all of that before re-potting the seedlings.
It's an experiment I took upon me in order to avoid buying heavy bags of soil... which I'll eventually do for the latter stage. So many people seem to happily use them, so they cannot be all bad (except the enviromental issue of course which is removable)[/QUOTE]

Well, being blunt sums-up my experience with them. I found a way that I like with the seed cells, I believe it mimics nature more. In the same thought - I hope the Jiffy Pellets work out great for you. :)

My wife was telling me about something on her Facebook thing that actually sort of makes sense. People are starting seeds in ice cream cones...I guess it would work?

I am sure anything would work. Nature is quite resilient and willing :)

My experiment is simply based on the hopes to avoid buying heavy soil bags (I will have to buy them later for the final planting) and many folks seem to use the jiffy pellets so... I thought I'd give them a try. They definitely are lighter to bring from the store than a ten kg bag..!
Will keep a close eye on them, we'll see how it goes.

I've not tried them, but I can see where they would have a niche... good luck with them and let us know how it goes! :yes:

An update. About a half of my 24 pellets have come to life! Those are the strong and vigorous ones; there were a few sickly looking ones which had surfaced and died after a few days (or I accidentally managed to give them [I]coup de grace[/I]).. As for the remaining ones, I am hopeful. Sowing more seeds 'just in case' would be unwise, because that is a foolproof way to get too many seedlings.
We'll see..

Because of my MG Seed Starting Mix disaster, I went immediately to Jiffy plugs and Jiff Seed Starting mix. I have no complaints about Jiffy. I put some saved seeds from 2012 into the mix and they were up in numbers after day 3.

I also started a bunch of the plugs and have had the same results. But, I agree with a previous comment about not leaving the seedlings in the plug very long. I have potted up most of the 9 dozen plugs I started after the disaster. To do so, I break the netting off and chunk it. Then I break the plug apart enough to get to the individual seedlings and their roots. At this point I am treating them like any other seedling being potted up.

With some of the seedlings, I am combining the material from the broken up plugs and some of the loose Jiffy mix and loading up some of my usual 9 oz cups. I'm also beginning to apply some ferts. I'll repot with my usual potting mix ASAP. Right now, it's a fast pace task to save these seedlings from attempt number two for the first time.

But, I must confess that I have a heat mat. And I love it. You must find a way to add heat to the bottom of your germination flats.

All that popped up are growing well and seem to have survived their birth trauma. Still waiting for seven - those are varieties I really want to try, including Anmore Dewdrop, Boloto, and Green Grape..

Find it best to strip off the pellet webbing when transplanting. Don't use them any more, just Jiffy-starting mix. No need to fertilize until the plant develop second set of true leaves.



Edited to add: Now use diatomaceous earth to start tomato seeds. Jiffy mix for basil, lettuce, catnip, etc. Get the DE from automobile parts supply store. Not the claylike stuff that is kitty litter. DE has prevented dampoff.

[QUOTE=NarnianGarden;731838]All that popped up are growing well and seem to have survived their birth trauma. Still waiting for seven - those are varieties I really want to try, including Anmore Dewdrop, Boloto, and Green Grape..[/QUOTE]




If you have extra seeds of the no show varieties, you could try starting them using the Deno (paper towel) method and transplant into the peat pellet after they put out a root. Good luck either way !


- Lisa

Three more babies appeared - woohoo! Antonovka Myeodovaya, Boloto and Golden Eggs. So that brings the total number to 19. Which is enough, under present circumstances.

Will keep a close eye on all of these and transplant them as soon as I can see more than one true leaf...

But now I saw that one of them has three-leaved cotyledons - I read years ago that it's not good news .. Well, I shall wait it out and hope for the best ..!

[QUOTE=NarnianGarden;732027]But now I saw that one of them has three-leaved cotyledons - I read years ago that it's not good news .. Well, I shall wait it out and hope for the best ..![/QUOTE]

I have had them with no problems.
Bad news for pecans though as it produces three nuts not two and you get a lower price.
It can be passed on in the seeds of anything.

Thanks Worth, that's good to hear.
I found a couple of old threads about the same subject, and it seems to be something quite benign after all ... *feeling relieved*

Update: Most seeds have germinated and the seedlings are growing well. They are outside on the balcony during the day, not too much direct sunshine, but enough light to make them sturdy and strong. It is good they aren't growing too quickly, because I cannot plant them outside before the end of May.
Following the advice given here, I will soon transplant some of the earliest ones to their own cardboard pot..

I've always had great germination, growth etc. with 36mm pellets. But the very thin mesh that is easily torn off is a thing of the past, as currently (2021) the Jiffy pellets are surrounded by a weave that must be cut off with scissors. I've only found 1 windowsill tray that was the old style this year..

Being a lazybones I once tried peat Jiffy pellets in hope they'd save me a bit of extra work. I can't remember the diameter, but tomato seeds didn't germinate well in them unlike cucumbers which took the Jiffies in a stride. I never thought of taking the cover off, so I found it still in place when I pulled out my dead cucumbers at the end of the season. That's how I realized the "lazy ways" were not exactly what my plants deserved. Elbow grease is what they appreciate.;)
Milan HP