Sep. 30, 2024
WHAT PROPAGATION TRAY IS BEST FOR YOU?
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The best size cell plug seed trays for you to choose will be dependent on a few factors. We will go over the different options to help you select the best for you. Consider first, what is your intent in seed starting?
What size cell tray should I use?
Quickly review some of these seed starting questions.Are you growing a large number of one variety of plants for transplanting row crops?
Are you planting smaller numbers of a wide variety of plants?
Will you be planting your crops all at once, or will you be using the succession planting method?
What type of seeds will you be planting? Peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, watermelon, etc.?
How large are the seeds?
How long will your seedlings need to stay in the cell trays?
Will you be potting up your plant starts or planting out directly from the plug trays?
How much protected growing space do you have to start seeds in?
Will you use a heat mat or rely on ambient temperatures for germination?
Quickly review some of these seed starting questions.
Check out How to Size and Use Cell Insert Propagation Trays video for a look at how these trays are commonly used.
What size cell seed trays should I use for a Home Garden?
4 Cell Seed Starting Trays
Our brand new larger 4-cell plug inserts are deeper for growing varieties of crops that need a little more room. Eight of these removable inserts fit in a Bootstrap Farmer .
6 Cell Seed Starting Trays
Our 6 cell trays have large 5/8 inch drainage holes on the bottom making it easy to remove your plant starts. They also make use of air pruning technology with long vertical slits on all 4 sides to prevent root circling in your seedlings. For easy color coding and tracking or your starts we are super excited to also offer our 6-cell trays in 5 cheerful colors. These are great for gardeners who will be starting a small amount of lots of different varieties as you can remove each type as it is ready without disturbing all the other starts that are sharing its heavy-duty deep tray bottom watering tray. 12 fit in each tray or 6 to a tray.
Shop Bundles & Kits here.
32 Cell Seed Starting Trays
The 32 cell plug propagation tray inserts are the largest cell seed starting tray size that Bootstrap Farmer carries., measuring 2" x 2". The larger size makes them perfect for canopy development of crops.
These cell seed tray inserts can be used in two ways. Directly plant into these cell inserts with deep drainage holes with Rockwool cubes, soilless media, or soil mediums. The entire tray can be bottom watered using a shallow tray with no holes.
Another way these insert trays are used is as a holder for these seed-starting pots. Seamlessly designed to sit in a shallow tray with no holes, the insert will hold 32 of these 2.5" pots, keeping them from tipping over in a trays and making quick work of transporting them out to the garden space. The individual seed cup style is very popular for school and community projects as these can go from seed to transplant without needing up-potting in between and come in bright colors and now in clear!
Recommended Plants: Tomatoes, Melons, Cucumbers, Pumpkins, Squash, Peppers and other large-seeded crops
50 Cell Seed Starter Trays
These 50 cell propagation trays are a happy medium of saving you space in your seed starting area while still being able to plant a large number of seedlings like lettuce that will be directly transplanted. Because the 50 cell tray has a much larger soil volume than the 72 cell plug trays or 128 cell trays, you will have a bit more wiggle room when you need to transplant for optimal root growth. Plants grown in these trays will be less likely to become root-bound if unsettled Spring weather delays your planting. This size also allows for canopy development of the seedling.
If you know that your seedlings will need to be potted up before they are ready to move outside, you will want to select one of the cell trays listed below or plan on potting up into larger pots like our new 5 inch grow pots with carrier.
Plastic trays of this size are great for planting early greens and brassica crops like broccoli and collard greens for the home garden. Just be sure that if you choose to mix varieties in one cell tray, they all have similar germination times and time to transplant.
Recommended Plants: Lettuce, brassicas, cucumbers, slow-growing flowers, and herbs.
The Best Cell Plug Tray Size for Large Scale Market Gardens
72 Cell Plug Seedling Trays & 72 Cell Air Prune Trays
The 72 Cell trays are the most popular choice amongst market gardeners. They are a good balance between space for growing and seedlings per tray. Each cell is 1.5" square and 2.25" deep, making them an excellent option for a large variety of plants. These plastic trays are also a good choice for vine plants. However, you will want to transplant the vine plants earlier than you would with the 32 Cell trays to prevent root bound seedlings. This cell plug tray is designed to use a heavy-duty deep tray for easy bottom-watering.
For optimal air pruning and extremely happy plants, we recommend our 72 air prune trays. All the benefits of soil blocking without the mess!
Recommended Plants: Sunflowers, Early Season Peppers, Early Season Vine Crops, Early Season Cole Crops (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Kale, Mustard, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, Brussels sprout, Watercress)
128 CELL TRAYS
These 128 Cell Trays are a great choice if you wish to start row crops or many baby greens. This configuration is ideal for starting many seeds but is not meant for crops that need more than a few weeks. Each cell is 1" square and 2.25" deep. You will be able to plant 78% more seedlings with one tray than the more common 72 cell seed starter trays. These 128 seed trays are compatible with the heavy-duty deep tray for bottom watering. You will want to up-pot your seedlings from this size seed tray into a larger pot or grow bag if you do not plan to transplant outdoors for an extended period to prevent seedlings from becoming root-bound.
Recommended Plants: Lettuce, Herbs, Cole Crops (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Kale, Mustard, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, Brussels sprout, Watercress), Celery, Leeks, Flowers.
200 CELL TRAYS
These 200 Cell Trays are excellent trays if you want to be economical about growing cole crops, lettuces, and other small-seeded crops. You will be able to grow ~2.8 times as many plants with one tray as you would with a 72 cell tray. Each cell is 0.75" square and 2.25" deep.
If you are using a 200 cell plastic trays to start seeds, you will need to transplant your seedlings at an earlier stage. Typically once they have one, at most two sets of true leaves. This plastic tray size is most frequently used by larger-scale farmers and those who intend to pot up their seedlings multiple times before moving outside. They can also be used to start plants going into hydroponic systems if you use a soilless media like coco coir or ProMix.
Recommended Plants: Lettuce and Brassica Crops (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Collards, Kale, Mustard, Kohlrabi, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Watercress), Small seeded flowers.
Common Questions About Planting in Cell Trays
Can I plant root crops in plug trays?
While some experienced farmers have successfully planted crops like beets and turnips in cell seed trays, it is not recommended unless your climate does not allow for the direct seeding of root crops. Carrots, parsnips, turnips, and beets rely heavily on their taproot. This long central root is responsible for much of the water uptake of these plants, and if the root is disturbed or damaged during the transplanting process, the plant will not thrive.
Can onions and leeks be planted in seed starting trays?
Yes, unlike other root crops, members of the allium family have congregate root structures. This means that they are much more tolerant of root disturbances during transplanting. It is common for growers to plant multiple small seeds per cell and tease them apart for later transplanting.
What are the advantages to starting seeds in cell trays vs. larger pots?
Starting seeds in cell trays, especially in the larger ones, gives the grower the advantage of being able to start more seedlings in their growing space. This is especially handy for row crops where the grower may want to plant 100 or more of each variety. Growing this many seedling starts in larger seed pots would take up way too much space. The other advantage is that you will waste less growing media starting out your seeds and then up-potting the successfully germinated starts into new pots.
Can you overwater seedlings in cell seed trays?
Yes. It is possible to overwater seedlings growing in cell trays. A common mistake growers make is to leave water in the bottom tray at all times. This will eliminate your seedling&#;s ability to get oxygen. Bottom-watering with a can be properly done by adding just enough water to allow the cell tray to evenly absorb it during the watering and no more. You want to discard the excess water as it will become stagnant and invite anaerobic bacteria to wreak havoc on your newly established seedlings.
Related: Easiest Way to Water Seedlings
How long can my plants stay in the cell tray?
Most seedlings can stay in cell trays for at least 4 weeks. The larger the cell volume, the longer a plant can grow before it becomes root-bound. Plants grown in a 200 cell tray will typically need to be potted up or transplanted outside once they have a full set of true leaves. Plants grown in a 32-cell insert pot can be kept in protected conditions for 6-8 weeks. Check out our 3.3" seed starting pots and 5" pots for up-potting starts or shop our seed starting bundles.
Why are my transplants not growing?
If your seedlings have been in the plug tray for too long, they may become root-bound. If this happens, you will see a large number of roots circling the plug when you pull it out of the tray. Plants that have become root bound do not produce new roots easily and will often stay stunted.
Transplant shock can also cause your garden plants to be stunted and remain small throughout the growing season. For more on how to avoid transplant shock, check out our Seed Starting 101 Guide for advice on how to harden off your transplants.
Can I fix a root-bound seedling or plant?
If your seedlings become root bound before you have time to plant them, you can improve their chances with a bit of extra work at planting time. Once you have the plug removed from the cell tray, gently tap the bottom of the roots to loosen the soil and use your fingers to tease them apart. It is ok and even desirable to tear a few of the roots when you do this. Separating and tearing the roots will encourage the transplant to produce new side roots and prevent further root circling.
Be sure to share your seed starting successes with us on Instagram and tag us with questions you have about the process.
I have a confession: I&#;m a dollar store junkie. I especially love going to the dollar store to get my car camping fix.
If you&#;ve ever wandered the aisles of your local 99¢ Only (or in some states, there&#;s the absolutely fantastic Japanese 100-yen store called Daiso&#;which, silly as it sounds, is actually the $1.50 store once you convert the currency), you might be overwhelmed by all the cheap and practical car camping goods you can buy, especially for cooking in camp.
For more cheap seed starting traysinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
I always stock up on dish rags, scrubby sponges, plastic tablecloths, aluminum pans, aluminum foil, food containers, and zip-top bags on my dollar store sprees. I also replace utensils (especially grilling utensils) that get lost or left behind at campgrounds and cabins.
You know what else the dollar store is good for?
Cheap seed starting supplies.
While I always encourage repurposing and reusing containers you already have around the house, sometimes you need to buy a few things to round out your collection, and the dollar store is a great way to get started with minimal expense.
Anyone who says seed starting is an expensive endeavor should look beyond the traditional garden centers and nurseries, and even beyond the gardening aisle of their local dollar store.
Strange as it sounds, the best seed starting supplies are actually found in the non-gardening aisles, and they can save you a lot of money, especially if you just want to try things out.
But before I go into what you should buy, I&#;ll explain what you should never buy from the dollar store, no matter how tempting the deal may be.
Disclosure: If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive commissions on some of the products I recommend.
First, never buy seeds or soil&#;those are two things worth splurging for from a reputable seed catalog or supplier.
You never truly know the origin of the seeds and soil you find at the dollar store, whether they&#;re actually organic or even contaminated, how the seeds have been stored and what kind of germination rate to expect. (Sometimes it&#;s zero, and by the time you realize your seeds won&#;t sprout, you&#;ve already lost a couple of weeks.)
Seeds and soil are the foundation of your whole garden, so it pays to know your sources.
Second, don&#;t bother buying gardening gloves from the dollar store. I&#;ve worn through countless pairs of cheap gloves, sometimes several a season, and in the end it just makes more sense to invest in a good, sturdy pair that will last a long time.
(I&#;ve been using these same gloves for years and love them. The gauntlet version is also great for really getting into the weeds and prickly bushes. If you want more options, check out my reviews of the best gardening gloves.)
In a pinch the cheapies will work, but think of them as disposables so you won&#;t be disappointed when you blow a hole through the fingers.
I also rarely wear gloves for everyday gardening tasks, and never when I&#;m seed starting.
I like the feeling of soil between my hands&#;not to mention the smell of fresh earth&#;and my gloves only go on for heavy weeding, lifting, picking, or shoveling.
Along the same lines, don&#;t buy pruners, trowels, or other essential gardening tools because they seem like such a good bargain.
They&#;re not as sharp or durable as heftier tools from reliable brands, and you&#;ll end up replacing them sooner than you think.
There is nothing more frustrating than a tool that doesn&#;t perform or breaks in the middle of a job&#;I&#;ve been there.
(Though to be fair, I do have a dollar-store trowel that&#;s been with me for a few years, but only because it&#;s a backup that gets used once a year to stir up soft, fluffy potting soil.)
My recommended tools for getting the job done right:
That said, here are the things you should buy from the dollar store, and with proper care and storage, those cheap seed starting supplies can last several seasons.
This multipurpose tub works well for mixing soil and amendments (especially if you&#;re making your own potting mix), moving compost, bottom-watering small pots, and hauling supplies to and from your potting bench.
Together with a roll of plastic cling wrap (just cover the top and poke a few holes in the plastic), you can make a mini greenhouse for starting seeds in a warm environment without the need for heating mats.
Cookie sheets make inexpensive drip trays for seed starting pots.These things are so versatile. They make great drip trays for starter plugs, seedling flats, planter boxes, or lots of little pots.
When you&#;re ready to harden off your seedlings, cookie sheets make it easy to transport all the containers in and out of the house.
Set up a repotting station with several aluminum pans for holding seedlings and catching runoff soil.Similar to the cookie sheet above, but not really sturdy enough if you plan to move your seedlings around.
On the upside, these aluminum pans are huge and work well as drip trays for lots of different pots.
If I need to repot seedlings, I usually have a row of these lined up on the table like so: two or three aluminum pans for holding all the seedlings, one filled with potting soil, and another for the actual potting task.
You can also poke some holes in the bottom of these pans (for drainage), fill them with seed starting mix, and use them to sprout your seeds.
Rubber-backed mats can spillproof any surface.To protect your indoor surfaces from drips and spills, a thin, rubber-backed mat that you can hose off is a practical solution.
You can also use them as a cheap landing pad for muddy shoes before or after you walk in the door.
Cheap paper pots are a great alternative to DIY newspaper pots when you&#;re short on time.I&#;m a fan of these paper pots when I don&#;t have the time to make newspaper pots at home.
They last just long enough until my seedlings are ready to be transplanted (usually a month or so) and I can plant them right in the ground with my seedlings or simply add the paper pots to the compost pile.
I usually keep a couple of packages around as back-up containers when I run out of reusable plastic pots.
Plastic cups work well as seed starting pots with a few holes poked in the bottom for drainage.Poke some holes in the bottoms of these plastic cups with a nail, and you&#;ve got instant seed starting pots you can reuse for a season or two.
They&#;re also a good choice for potting up excess seedlings, starter plants, cuttings, and divisions you want to gift to friends.
A spray bottle is essential for watering new seedlings.For seed starting, I always use a spray bottle to moisten the soil without unearthing the seeds.
They might seem flimsy at first, but I&#;ve had good luck with my dollar-store spray bottles. I think they&#;re able to last a few seasons because they&#;re only used for a short time and then stored away.
You can also use them for mixing up a small batch of DIY insecticidal soap.
Stash a few watering cans around the yard to top off containers as needed.When your seedlings have moved into larger pots, you can start watering them with a regular watering can.
I like to keep a few of these around the yard so I never have to go searching for one if I need to top off a container. Dollar stores are also good places to find smaller watering cans if you have kids that like to help in the garden.
Here&#;s a neat trick: Plastic knives can be used as plant markers.A cheap and easy way to label a whole season&#;s worth of plants. I like to write on the blades of plastic knives (which typically have a wider surface) and then stick them in the soil.
(One thing I&#;ll mention, as I get a lot of questions about this, is you should avoid using plastic forks as a cat deterrent. There are many other ways to keep cats out of your garden that aren&#;t such an eyesore.)
If you can find them, wooden craft sticks are also handy for marking seedlings in the short term, but they&#;ll eventually mold or rot.
Clip a clothespin to the edge of your seed starting pot and use it as a plant marker.Write the name of your plant on a clothespin (plenty of permanent markers can be found in the school supplies aisle) and clip it to the edge of your pot. Instant plant marker!
These plastic ones will last the longest, but wooden clothespins will do in a pinch.
Use the coffee filter method to test older seeds or germinate seeds that like to take their sweet time.If you plan to start your seeds using the coffee filter (baggie) method, both of your supplies can be found in the same aisle.
Cheap zip-top bags are also handy for storing seeds that you&#;ve saved, among a hundred other uses around the house.
Plastic bins are the ultimate seed storage containers, especially if you categorize seed packets by bin.This is a great score from the dollar store. You can keep all your seed packets organized in this covered container, and store your plant markers, clips and ties, extra bags and coffee filters, and other supplies in a second one.
If you&#;re a seed hoarder like I am, you can take it one step further and categorize your seeds by bin.
For example, all your nightshades in the first bin, legumes in the second bin, squash and melons in the third, herbs and flowers in the fourth (and so on). Or if your seed collection is smaller, you can store all warm-season seeds in one bin and cool-season seeds in another bin.
When it&#;s time to start seeds, all you have to do is grab a bin and go. (I talk more about good seed storage techniques in this article.)
Label the bins with a Sharpie and stack them on a shelf for quick, convenient access to all your seeds when it&#;s planting time.
I&#;m a fan of this method because the transparent bins make it easy to check at a glance what you may be running low on at the beginning of the season.
Organize hand tools, gloves, clips, twine, and other supplies in storage caddies.I&#;ve found all kinds of caddies in the organization and kitchen aisles; these are the same baskets you might use to store toiletries.
But for seed starting, they&#;re an excellent way to keep all your supplies organized in the closet, shed, or potting bench.
Think: hand tools in one caddy, plant markers and spray bottles in the next caddy, and gloves and twine in another.
Stock up on cheap dish towels and use them as garden-only cleaning rags.I stock up on dollar-store towels to use as cleaning rags. You really can&#;t go wrong with them for the price.
Related: DIY Tool Cleaning Station: The Fastest Way to Clean Garden Tools
If you know you&#;re going to be spending the whole day on your knees, digging in the dirt, fold up a few towels and place them under your knees for some cushion.
Harvest root vegetables in a plastic hamper and hose them off before bringing them in the house.I assume this tiny hamper is intended for tiny loads of laundry (a few of my jeans would fill it to the top!), but it&#;s perfect for keeping all your gardening supplies together and tidy.
When your plants start producing, it&#;ll make an excellent harvest basket. You can also gather all your root vegetables in the basket and hose them off before bringing them inside the house.
You can cover seedlings and frost-sensitive plants with buckets when a freeze is expected overnight.Store your soil, vermiculite, perlite, compost, and fertilizer in multiple buckets to mix and match as needed for your perfect potting mix.
You&#;ll find endless other uses for a bucket in the garden, like carrying bulbs, seed packets, small stakes, compost tea, mulch, and water from place to place.
In a pinch, you can also use buckets to cover seedlings and frost-sensitive plants if a cold snap is expected overnight. (Just remember to uncover them in the morning.)
Buy cheap brushes for scrubbing root veggies and cheap sponges for wiping your tools.I usually just shake out or hose off my pots between uses, but if you notice a lot of your seedlings dying from damping off or growing fungus on the soil, it&#;s a good idea to give your pots a more thorough cleaning with soap and hot water.
Read next: Why I Don&#;t Wash My Plant Pots (and You Don&#;t Need To Either)
Scrubbers and sponges are abundant at the dollar store, so you can keep a set especially for your garden to wipe off tools, clean your potting bench or utility sink, or scrub the dirt off root vegetables before you bring them inside.
This post updated from an article that originally appeared on February 19, .
View the Web Story on best gardening supplies from the dollar store.
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