More and more summer residents are abandoning the idea of sowing seedlings in heavy and unwieldy boxes in favor of various cups.
Some people still sow seeds in plastic containers from sour cream or yogurt, while others hunt for peat pots – not the cheapest, but practical.
Let's find out if it's true that plastic containers are worse than peat pots.
Plastic: pros and cons
People have very different attitudes towards plastic. Everyone recognizes this material as not environmentally friendly. But this does not mean that seedlings grow worse in it, and the harvest is less useful. It is desirable that these are containers with 1- or 2-layer walls, and the material is elastic. Such cups can last up to 5 years and easily survive disinfection.
There are few disadvantages to plastic containers - to transplant seedlings, you need to take them out together with the soil lump. If you have experience and skill - no problem. Otherwise, you can damage the roots.
Peat pot: pros and cons
Oddly enough, there are also some downsides here if we are talking about a low-quality product. This applies to cups with thick and dense walls, like cardboard. The material must be loose, otherwise the decomposition process in the soil will take a long time. If the walls are dense, the roots of peppers, eggplants and cucumbers may not cope with them. This problem can be solved if you soak the peat cups in water immediately before transplanting and make several punctures in the walls.
The next disadvantage is the disposable container. In addition, due to the porous material, moisture evaporates intensively, which means that watering should be done more often, along with spraying. Abundant watering will have to be immediately excluded - fraught with problems with the roots.
The undeniable advantage of such containers is that they can be replanted without having to disturb the roots.
