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  • From: Rachel Evans <rachel AT sunshinefarmmarket.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] plug production questions
  • Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:48:56 -0800


Hi all,

I need some basic guidance on producing plugs for transplanting.  We're planting out just 2 acres of market garden this year (up to 4 acres in the past) here in north central Washington, growing all our own transplants.

Up until now, I've used the soil block system, which was what I was taught on the farms where I interned.  I'm thinking of moving to using plug trays and experimented with them last year with not so good results.  I think I'm lacking some basic understanding.

I think our major problem last year was with our potting mix.  The mix needed for blocks must be very different than that used in plugs (esp. smaller sizs eg 128s).  Our soil block mix, which we made ourselves, was about 3 buckets  of worm castings, 3 buckets of peat, 2 buckets of perlite, plus lime and organic fertilizer.  Nice and sticky so the blocks would hold together but I'm thinking I need much less compost in a plug mix--more like half peat and half vermiculite or something?  and no compost?

I think one of the mistakes we made last year was filling the plug flats with moist potting mix.  Again, this may sound basic--but with soil blocks of course you start with the mix nice and wet.  The mix wouldn't get to the bottom of the plugs.  So...if I fill the plug trays with dry potting mix, what's the next step?  Do you irrigate first or seed first?  If you seed, andif you're putting on enough water to soak the peat, doesn't the irrigation water dislodge many of the seeds?  Or do you bottom water?  Bottom watering seems like a good plan, but with more logistical fuss...  do you keep bottom watering or then move to overhead sprinkling?  Do you seed first or bottom water first?

As far as fertilizer, are people able to put enough granular fertilizer in the plug mix to support a transplant for 4 weeks, or is foliar feeding always necessary? (We're talking about organic production here.)

Finally, if you don't mind, these are the size plugs I'm using for various plants.  Does this all look right to you

72s--lettuce, brassicas, greens, etc, (or are people generlaly having success with 128s--they're so small!)
50s--cucurbits
24s--tomatoes (or 3.5" pots), eggplants, peppers
128s--for starting tomatoes before potting up(--or is this weird?)

I see the advantages of plugs as being:  less time and labor compared with making blocks, less space used on the greenhouse bench, possibly easier transplanting (we've played with the hatfield from Johnny's).  But there's no advantage to them if I can't figure out how to grow a high quality transplant!

Are there resources or books people can point me to so I can get my remedial education on this?

Thanks,

Rachel


--
Rachel Evans
The Sunshine Farm
37 Highway 97A
Chelan, WA 98816

509-670-8958




On Jan 21, 2009, at 2:10 PM, Wyatt Jones wrote:

Sometimes these are called propagation mats as well.  The commercial mats I use plug into a controller that can run up to 6 22"x60"  mats.  The controller has a thermocouple that one plugs into the soil that you are trying to heat so it controls the soil temp pretty well and will work with other mats.  The mats are very durable, pretty thick and rubber clad, but they weren't cheap.   I paid about 100 each for the mats but it looks like they have gone up.  I need to get some more but think I'll look around for a cheaper price as I don't make an Engineers salary anymore LOL.  I think I got them from the Greenhouse Megastore, the ones they have look like what I have anyway .  Might not be what people are looking for because of the price but here is a link if anyone wants to take a look
 


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