How to use peat tablets for seedlings correctly?

Many gardeners use peat to fertilize the land, while not everyone knows that there are special peat tablets for seedlings. The availability and ease of use of this tool captivates not only experienced professionals, but also ordinary amateurs. However, the question remains: how to use peat tablets correctly?

Types of pills

At the initial stage, you should decide which tool is best for you. Peat tablets can differ in size, composition, presence or absence of a shell, as well as various additional components.

• The size.

The diameter of the tablets ranges from 24 to 90 mm, and the height is from 8 to 30 mm.

• Composition.

The main part of the tablet is a peat humus substrate, which provides good air and water permeability.

• Shell.

The compressed peat can be inside a stretchable mesh, special paper, or sold in pure form.

• Additional components.

The tablet can contain growth stimulants, antibacterial drugs, mineral fertilizers, additives to reduce the effects of plant transplantation, as well as other excipients.

Peat tablets should be chosen based on the seed of the plant and its type. For example, petunias need a smaller diameter, and to grow peppers and other vegetables, you need to take a larger tablet. In addition, the peat substrate can be of different acidity, which is also important to consider when growing seedlings of a particular culture.

Advice

When choosing peat tablets, pay attention to the structure: if it is too rough, then the air will not flow well to the roots of the plant and the seedlings will grow weak. It is also better to get a washer with a mesh that will hold the mixture after watering. In addition, it is impregnated with fungicides, which protects the seedlings from certain diseases.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are much more positive aspects of peat tablets than disadvantages. The main advantages include the following.

1. The friability and friability of the peat structure provide comfortable conditions for the formation of the root system.
2. Antibacterial additives, as well as the ability of peat humus not to concentrate excess moisture, prevent plant diseases and prevent roots from rotting.
3. With the correct selection of tablets with a sufficient amount of mineral fertilizers, growth stimulants and other substances, manufacturers guarantee 100% germination (an important factor when growing expensive seeds).
4. The washer shape allows you to maintain an optimal distance between the planted seeds.
5. The nutrient complex embedded in peat allows not to engage in additional fertilizing for a certain time.
6. The balanced composition contributes to the acceleration of plant growth and prevents the risk of improper use of fertilizers.
7. Transplanting seedlings into open ground directly with peat lumps allows you not to injure them. Seedlings take root better, plants begin to bloom and bear fruit faster.
8. The shell helps to quickly and accurately detach the roots from each other, due to the presence of a net or paper, transporting the plant from the container to the ground is facilitated. The soil does not crumble, the transplanting process becomes cleaner, time is saved.

If we talk about the disadvantages of peat tablets, then there is only one drawback - a rather high price. Considering that gardeners often grow a large number of seedlings, it turns out that it is quite expensive to purchase this tool.

Manufacturers

A wide range of peat tablets allows you to choose a fertilizer for every taste and budget. Their cost ranges from 3 to 10 rubles and depends on the size and manufacturer. Imported Jiffy and Ellepress are more expensive, but the domestic manufacturer pleases with an affordable price, but there are much less excipients.

• Jiffy - the very first manufacturer of peat tablets. In addition to the peat humus substrate, the fertilizer contains growth stimulants, anti-stress additives, and antibiotics. Thanks to their excellent loose structure, it is a pleasure to use Jiffy tablets, they are suitable even for the most fastidious crops (pelargonium, conifers, etc.). The approximate price of one cylinder of medium diameter is about 6 rubles.
• Ellepress produces peat fertilizer in the form of a cylindrical container, the strong shell of which makes it possible not to use additional containers for growing seedlings. In addition, it is treated with fungicides, which protect the seedlings from parasitic fungi. Peat in Ellepress tablets of the highest quality - Finnish light sphagnum. The manufacturer regulates the acidity of the substrate with a lime additive. The optimum pH level of 5.4–6.2 makes the fertilizer ideal for most plants. The average cost of the product is 7 rubles apiece.
• "Ecosad" Is a producer near Moscow that uses high-moor peat with the addition of vermicompost for the production of fertilizers. This combination improves the water-physical properties of the soil, has a positive effect on its structure. The cost of one tablet is about 3 rubles.
• "Ekotorf" produced in the Nizhny Novgorod region, it is pure peat without any additives. You can buy fertilizer in a set for 50 rubles. It includes a plastic cassette for 12 cells, a pallet and the product itself.

Instructions

Almost every manufacturer puts an information leaflet with recommendations and instructions in the packaging with peat substrate. However, if there is none, it is quite simple to deal with fertilizer.

So how to use peat seedlings? The instructions are pretty simple.

1. Place the washer in a plastic box, container, pot, cup or any other container designed for germinating seeds.
2. After that, pour over water at room temperature and wait about 30 minutes. During this time, the peat will swell and rise to a height of 5-7 times (the diameter will not change).
3. Having drained the excess water, you can start planting seeds. On top of the tablet there are special indentations for easy sowing. Usually 1-2 seeds are planted there. Depending on the characteristics, the seeds are sprinkled with soil or left open.
4. Then a place with optimal conditions for the further growth of seedlings is selected.
5. After reaching a certain level of development, the seedlings are transplanted together with the remains of peat. After a while, the shell decomposes on its own and does not prevent the roots from growing further.

Growing seedlings in peat tablets greatly facilitates the work of any gardener. This is the best way to grow seedlings with 100% germination and excellent survival rate. The rapid growth of crops allows you to grow developed, healthy seedlings in the shortest possible time. In addition, cuttings can be rooted in peat tablets, seedlings can be dived and simply used as soil for indoor plants.