Why is it better to grow seedlings in eco-friendly containers - what are the pros and cons of biodegradable containers I found for myself

  • Jan 26, 2022

To get a good and early harvest, you need not only to grow seedlings, but also to transplant with the least loss. This can be done using decomposable containers. Today I want to talk about my experience with these eco-friendly containers.

Seedling. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com
Seedling. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com
Seedling. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com

Types of containers for seedlings

Containers are of several types. All have their pros and cons.

  1. Disposable - these are peat tablets and cups, eggshells or egg cells, toilet paper sleeves. Eco-friendly, good for capricious seedlings, but expensive.
  2. Reusable - these are boxes made of plastic or wood, containers for flowers. Cheap, but when transplanted, it is easy to damage the plant.

I prefer the one-time option in every sense, except, of course, the high financial costs. The containers are biodegradable, the plant does not need to be injured during planting, but lowered into a hole in the open ground immediately with a glass. This is just a godsend for plants with delicate roots and sensitive to transplantation. Soil bacteria and moisture contained in the ground help break down the cup or tablet into useful components, and also serve as an excellent fertilizer for seedlings. Containers made of paper, cardboard, peat and coconut provide good aeration for the plant. The composition of the pots is completely environmentally friendly and does not harm humans, animals, or insects.

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Containers come in different sizes, so if you wish, you can choose a container for any plant.

Seedlings in an egg container. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com
Seedlings in an egg container. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com

Disadvantages of biodegradable containers

  1. When using disposable cups, I had to moisten the soil more often and make sure that the seedlings did not dry out. The walls of such containers are moisture-permeable, so the water from them evaporates much faster than from plastic containers.
  2. Such materials are much more expensive than reusable ones. If I use the latter for at least three seasons, these naturally "disappear" in the ground every spring. To save money, experienced gardeners plant seedlings in toilet paper rolls, tea bags, shells, or paper chicken egg cartons.

Another option is to make containers from paper sheets and potato starch paste during long winter evenings. Moreover, containers can be made different in volume and size. For example, cucumbers are wide, and tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are deep.

Seedlings in cups. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com
Seedlings in cups. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com

Of course, by choosing biodegradable containers, we spend a little more money than we would by buying reusable seedling boxes. But we get a plus in the form of providing ourselves with environmentally friendly products, and we also save the environment.

Read also: What can not be done when pickling cabbage? We analyze the main mistakes

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