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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] Peat Pots for Transplanting
  • Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 14:33:18 -0500

From: roadsendfarm AT linkny.com
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Peat Pots for Transplanting
Date: January 2, 2006 1:50:06 PM EST
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org


On Jan 2, 2006, at 12:24 PM, Willie McKemie wrote:

I'm surprised to hear so much negative comment on peat pots. Are ya'll
talking about hollow peat shells filled with potting mix? One of the
biggest and best transplant growers (Peterson Bro) in this area sells
transplants in 2" peat pots; six of them in a single cell plastic box
and 16 sets of 6 in a large plastic tray. All types of plants readily
put roots through the always moist peat. We do have peat pots and
fragments surviving a year or maybe two after the production season.


Is that "austinfarm" as in Austin, Texas? I think I've heard that peat pots work much better in the South. This may be a climate difference; they don't seem to work for a lot of people around here.

In my judgment, the 2" peat pots are the highest quality transplants
available in this area. The large soil mix mass allows the transplants
to be held, with only daily watering, for a long while before
transplanting. I've held tomatoes something like two months, though
2-4 weeks is more typical. After being held several weeks, the roots
within a six pack are heavily entangled.

By a sixpack, do you mean a single pack with six plants in it, or a pack with six individual cells? The latter type plastic pack are made with all size cells, some of them 2" or bigger. If you think you'll have to hold the plants longer, you start with or pot on to a larger cell size.
To those who dislike peat pots: Are you allowing the outside surface
to dry? That will certainly inhibit root penetration.

I don't think so, but it's been so long since I tried to use these that my memory might be wrong. The pots would have been buried entirely into the soil at transplant so I don't see how they would have dried out entirely before the roots got a chance to penetrate, as new transplants generally get watered well if the weather's dry. I gave up on peat pots many years ago when I found out how much better the others worked for me. But again, I think I have heard that they work well for some people in the South.

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



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