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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Re: Winstrips and speedlings
  • Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 19:10:17 -0500


On Mar 26, 2005, at 12:54 PM, pam AT twinoaks.org wrote:

On 25 Mar 2005 at 12:01, Marlin Burkholder wrote:

I know Pam Dawling has been using styrofoam Speedling trays for years.
They look like they could hang on to bacterial or fungal pathogens a
lot easier than do the Winstrips and I can't imagine how they could
survive a hot steam bath. How do you clean them between uses, Pam?

Is there anyone out there using Winstrip trays and having good luck
with them? Has anyone else had similar rotten luck like I am having?
This thing has gotten me spittin mad!

Confession time. I don't clean my Speedlings or my Winstrips, or
pots or anything, between uses! I empty them, and let them dry
thoroughly, then store them. Not to say none of my plants die, just
that the problems I get are aphids, too much or too little water, mice
or human accident. Not much in the way of diseased seedlings.
Maybe it's the organic homemade compost I use, that deals with the
pathogens. Maybe it's sheer luck.


I have an entirely untested theory: that you can either use a sterilized mix and sterilize everything, or you can use a good compost-based mix and not sterilize anything. I just wash the flats out well between uses (I use the plastic six-pack type inserts, and usually McEnroe potting soil) and have not had problems. I think the beneficial organisms in the compost mixes will (at least usually) keep out the disease organisms; but the sterile mixes may be wide open to anything that comes along.

I may be entirely wrong about this and just getting along, as Pam says, on sheer luck; but would be interested to know the opinions of others. Have other people had problems using compost-based mixes without sterilizing?

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale





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