Which Container Size Is Best For Planting Seeds? - Pepper Geek
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- čas přidán 8. 04. 2023
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In this video, we'll talk about which container size we use to plant our pepper seeds. We often get asked, "why not just plant in bigger pots?" So, today I'll explain our reasons, and why you may want to do it another way yourself.
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Products mentioned (affiliate links):
6-cell colored trays:
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2.5" colored pots:
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3.5" black pots:
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5" colored pots:
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#peppers #gardening #spicy - Jak na to + styl
I think another important note for saving space is square pots vs round pots. For example, a 5" square pot holds ~25% more soil than a 5" round pot, and takes up the same amount of space. Also, I like to stick to the sizes that maximize space in a 10x20 tray (like having 8x 5" pots per 10x20 tray).
I've never thought about that before. Once my round pots are to the point of being unusable, I'll have to replace them with square ones! Thanks for the tip!!
I agree 100% I started this a few years ago as well. Maximize the space in the tray so you can have more plants.
I totally agree square pots are more efficient early on and use them exclusively for my indoor pepper and tomato seedlings. But at some point the plants get so large that the pot area is dwarfed by the size of the plants, this is when I really want to have them all outdoors where I have a lot more space to work with -- at that point I get my tomatoes into round gallon pots, pending getting all of my seedlings into the ground.
I was starting in small cell trays before but then I realized I can use the 2,3 inch ones because like you said, I'm not growing THAT many plants and I have the space. Much easier so far
I use the 3.5 inch pots because they have to spend a long time under my grow lights. I have to start hotter peppers in February but can't put them outside until early to mid June when my nighttime lows get warm enough.
I used to start my seeds in grow pucks. Then i discovered that starting them in a small paper bathroom cup works great. Then I up pot them into red solo cups and then they go out into my raised beds. So far so good. Everything is growing nicely.
I love Boot Strap products. I am only doing 6 pepper plants but didn't know I could start in a bigger container. I started them in the 6 seedling trays than transplanted them to 3 in pots. Could have save myself some work. Now I know for next year. Thank you, Bev from Oklahoma
I tried soil blocks this year, so no containers. I got carried away though and planted some peppers wayyyy to early for my climate and situation. None have yet germinated 😅 the herbs and flowers are doing well though.
I still have hope, it's really warming up now. The tomatoes have popped up.
The blocks are about 1½ inch diameter and 3 inch tall. Just made with sieved compost and a homemade soil blocker.
Very interesting video, what interesting that there tons of options between them too. For example, you can often scale up to 4 cell packs in the same space a 6 cell pack would take. Maybe even a 3 or 2 cells. Or as you said a 3 and half inch pots as a good middle size of the 5" pots.
I use 3" round net pots, I get 20 pots in a 10" x 20" tray and they are raised indoors under 5K LED lights until ready to transplant to the garden. I started 4 varieties in addition to some Datyl pepper plants that I overwintered. All are already in the garden and doing well so far. Love your content!
I start mine in 40 cell trays with 2 seeds per cell. Growing 3 trays in total on 3 heat pads under 1 long lighting box. It works perfectly for me on a single shelf.
You are so right. Seeds would sprout anywhere because I’ve seen plants growing out of cracks and just everywhere. I plant my seeds directly into the container where I know it will stay there throughout its growing period instead of me spending the extra expenses of buying all the different size pots. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us here o on u tube.
This video literally came right on time. I have 3 jalapeño peppers in seedling stage and I have 3 gallon grow bags on standby.
I typically start with peat pellets then transfer them to Dixie cups. As they grow taller I fill in the cup with more soil (typically potting soil) unti I reach the top of the container. This has worked well for me with both pepper plants and tomatoes.
I can't stand the plastic net on peat pellets, it just ends up being more trash in my garden or compost, it is also bad for perennials as it causes root constriction after a couple years.
After 15 years I'm still picking up enough trash from the previous property owners every time I turn the soil from bottle caps and beer cans to plant tags to overgrown "weed barrier" and the netting used to hold sod together. There isn't a corner those pigs didn't pollute.
I use 2" soil blocks and then transplant to 3.5" containers. Also Bootstrap makes the best stuff!
I prefer to use 1 liter milk cartons for peppers, tomatoes and many other plants as well.
My wife work in a nursing home so we get a lot of milk and juice cartons to start our seeds in 🙂
They are square so they can ble placed side by side leaving no space unused.
They measure 7x7cm(almost 3 inches) and are 20cm(8 inches) tall, giving the taproot plenty of space to grow before transplanting to the ground or final pot.
We also have 1,75(0.5 gallon) cartons measuring 10x10x20cm.
When transplanting I just cut of the bottom of the carton before placing it in the ground or final pot, and after filling soil to the sides I simply just drag the carton gently up trying not to damage any branches(a scissor is useful to cut the carton on the way up if it have wide branches).
Now the plant have a new home without experiencing much transplant shock if any at all.
I use 300ml paper cups... super cheap, easy to write labels on & enough capacity to grow from seed until planting out or transferring to a final pot.
Yes, those like 2” paper cups I used last year. Very easy to pop a hole in bottom and don’t take a lot of soil.
I start my peppers in solo cups that are about half filled with starter mix. Then, as they grow, I add soil to the cup to create a better root system and sturdier stem.
I was told not to bury the stem
on peppers, only tomatoes. If you can, I have a few pepper plants that could use the support. Advice, please.
So I’ve just skipped the first steps by using rapid rooters and going straight to 5 gallon buckets. I’ve noticed that I get what many would consider stunted growth but in reality my plants were growing giant roots. While the growth curve was shallower, by June my plants are nearly full grown and allows me to get maximum yield.
I start my seeds in 150mL plastic pots in December, pot up to 4L grow bags in January until they move outside into their 25L grow bags by the end of April.
I planted in cells, the to 4" pots, now 1 gal soft sides. All under 2000w full spectrum lights. They are short but lush. I think they got root bound in the 3 and 4 inch pots.
This year I used 2” pots for things that grow fast and didn’t have a lot of. I used a propagation tray for a variety of petunias and geraniums and transplanted to 2” if I had them otherwise used 6 pks with about 1.25” oblong cells.
I purposely waited to start tomatoes and peppers in cell packs so I wouldn’t have a jungle and because I’m growing many varieties. The packs that germinated first I would remove from dome and heat, but still experienced some leggy tomatoes even though they were directly under grow lights and I think that’s just due to warm inside air.
Because of that and the fact that tomato seeds tend to be stuck to each other I will need to up-pot into either solo cups or 3” pots. Trying to get timing right so I can avoid up potting, the expense and the room it takes. I just ordered some 4” and 5” because in repotting geraniums from 2” to solo cups I found solo is just a tad small and difficult to make sure soil is down around roots and stopped as it was not fun. It’s the tapered sides of both vessels that is difficult. Wave petunias and geraniums grow quite fast and getting root bound in 2” easily.
I have a soil blocker and haven’t tried that yet. I do know next year all the soil I use I will bake on outside grill next year. Not having gnats and aphids ever again.
Tried to find the cheapest containers and about $09. is as low as I could find unless they are on sale. I give plants to others and don’t give out the heavy duty pots. So if anyone has a frugal idea I’m listening 😊thanks!
I do 2 inch soil blocks, up potting to either 3.5 inch pots or 4 inch soil blocks depending on how hot it is. I find it allows me to maximise air flow to the roots, better manage water and save space under grow lights.
Good info - thanks
All my peppers, tomatoes, and brassicas get started in Bootstrap 2 1/2" pots. Tomatoes get potted up to 5" Bootstrap pots, peppers to either those or 3 1/2" deep pots, depending on how soon they will be going out. Brassicas go straight to the garden. Generally herbs and flowers get started in the Bootstrap 6 cell.
I kind of do the inverse of what you do. I start both peppers and tomatoes in sixers and then 2.5" pots, then peppers go to 3.25" pots (that fit well 18 to a tray) followed by 5" pots. Tomatoes go from 2.5" to tall 3.5" pots so I can plant them more deeply. Unfortunately I lack a good transitional step up for tomatoes before going to a "gallon round" size -- would prefer a tall half-galllon if I could find it.
@@davidniemi6553 I was going to 3.5" tall pots for tomatoes in the past, which are 5 " deep to the 5" Bootstrap pots this year that are 6" deep. More room all around for good root development. Hopefully the weather cooperates and I don't have to pot up past that.
@@steveegbert7429 Sounds like a good experiment, to see what the tomatoes do with the extra pot area. My reasoning was that tomato roots start out pretty narrow but I need all the pot height I can get for them.
Not as much with peppers, but there are some plants I've noticed seem to grow better/faster when potting up a few sizes in stages vs starting in a larger final container directly.
Bottom line, seed-starting indoors is a special activity quite different from growing a mature plant, and it requires very different growing conditions (high heat and humidity, but little or no light or nutrients). If you are growing a handful of plants, you can start seeds most any way and get by, but if you are growing dozens (or hundreds) of plants the logistics of watering alone can quickly become daunting and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
I go from the same small 6-cell ("sixers", 72 per flat) to 2.5" (32 per flat) to 3.25" (18 per flat) to 5" (8 per flat) square pots for pepper seeds. Additional reasons for not seed-starting in large pots:
1) heat mats and moist seed-starting soil greatly accelerate seed germination speed and success rate. But neither of these is practical for large pots indoors (and if you live in a wet tropical environment it is an entirely different task, as peppers are perennials that can reseed themselves outdoors without your help!)
2) even under good conditions, pepper seed germination is unpredictable -- some peppers can take weeks to germinate or fail altogether, having a large pot empty hoping a pepper plant might germinate is frustrating and inefficient. By starting in smaller containers, managing poor or late germination is much easier, and growing many varieties at once is also a lot more practical.
3) seed starting is best done in fairly sterile nutrient-poor, very fine soil, or you end up growing everything but what you are trying to germinate. But after a couple of weeks you need nutrients for your plant to advance, so you either need to repot them with different soil or add a tremendous number of soil enhancements in a way that can permeate the whole pot. "Potting up" to a larger pot with different soil is simply more efficient.
I'm using redcups to grow out my seeds and I will keep them in there untill I can plant them out half way of June.
Tend to jump the gun and go straight from seed cell container to the final pot (Yep I'm lazy and can't be bothered re-potting). Great Vid BTW...
I have over 200 Guam Boonie (Birds Eye) peppers in 3 1/2 in pots getting ready for the farmers market. I have one in my office that was in. 1 gallon pot last year. I up potted it last week to a 2 1/2 gallon pot last week. It was just starting to get root bound.
I started most of my peppers in 3.5 inch pots and the rest in 2.5 Inch ones. I have just enough space and grow lights for all those pots. I am using the bigger pots because where I live I can't plant out my seedlings until early June but want them to be decent sized.
Question! Are there noticable differences in maturity times between the different pot size when you finally transplant them out into the growing season?
I plant all my seeds in toilet-roll centres. A whole one for, e.g., beans and peas and half a one for tomatoes and peppers etc.
Jiffy peat pellets (using heat mat and dome) to solo cups to 5 gallon pots
I start in a 72-cell tray and pot up as they outgrow the cells. I have limited lighting and space, so the compact tray gives small seedlings the best light and minimizes fuss rotating containers around to try to keep growth even.
I'm juggling starts for peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, and flowers, so space is an issue until I can start tossing plants on the deck outside. Usually I have the peppers and tomatoes outside before I start the squash and cucumbers, which require bigger pots to start (they outgrow a tray cell in less than a week).
after i saw khangstarr use solo cups i’ve been saving iced coffee cups to use for seedlings :)
Interesting! Good option and a great way to upcycle your own cups
I start in my Aerogardens. Some are later transplanted outside like ghost peppers.
I plant indoors I really small plastic drinking cups which are probably 1.5 because they are inexpensive and really works great for transplanting. I also, do the 4 inch square pots and I don’t transfer the plants from them I keep the micro dwarf tomato plants in it and they flower and fruit till it’s time for them when they can’t fruit or continue growing. I like recycling even tho I have many other pots. I recycle empty bottles of the quart and 1 gallon containers instead of using the bigger pots because I can grow a lot more of veggies and have more space. I do these to have more space and more vegetables. I also use small grow bags. I also drill a lot of tiny holes all the way around the containers because it does help improve the plants giving them more aeration. But, all in all I prefer small containers because it saves money on the cost of potting mixes and fertilizers, and compost, and all other plant needs.
Thanks for another great video. Question - if i have 3cm cells, 5-6cm, 10cm, which one would you use if your only growing a small number of plants?. Its always been a quandry to me as seedlings ive grown in 5cm pots never seem to show that much growth or seemingly take a lot longer to grow to sufficient size to transplant into the final 20-25cm i usually use for pepper plants
I pretty much start everything in 3 1/2" pots but I bought cheap 1020 trays from the big A and the pots don't fit into them correctly. You can cram 18 pots into the trays and carry them around but they tip sideways and hang up on the edges which makes uniform bottom watering impossible. If I had a gardening enemy I'd give them all these pots and trays and buy myself all new ones from Bootstrap, lol. Also I could fit a lot more of the 2 1/2" pots under my lights which would be great.
The 2” (2-1/2”) are great. I bought heavy duty trays and the domes are just a hair too small, but work ok. The 2” pots can get tippy if there are high drainage grooves but stay together ok.
I start mine under a humidity dome. My dome fits a 10x20 tray, so I can only plant in 6 packs.
Those 6 packs are equivelent to the 72-cell (per 10x20 tray) in commercial greenhouses. I have some 128, 144, 200, and 288 cell plug trays that I got surplus; but they are fairly specialized both in species and process. Mostly they are meant for cuttings and high value slow growing seeds(one per cell and low germination rates). Especially where the incubation-chamber space is more limiting than grow out space.
The advantage of a plug tray design is a large bottom hole just for pushing the plug out, with matching peg-board tool all 288 cells can be popped loose in about 2 seconds. (some greenhouses produce thousands of plants per day)
I started in 50mm peat pellets. As soon as they sprouted, I pealed the netting off and put them in 32 ounce yogurt containers.. with holes of course and now, with several sets of leaves on them, they're outside, in those same cups and parked in bins that have composting material and some dirt on top in them, covered with tulle to keep the bugs and birds off them. Zone 8
50mm?
I seed in coconut pellets, and then transfer to a hydroponic system with artificial light. Plants that outgrow that system go into their own pot (still mineralic substrate and a wicking system), non-chinense will stay in such a pot, chinense will go into 20L sacks because they like it bigger ;)
I do mine in both 6 cells and in 4 inch pots.
This is my first growing season and I used the double beer plastic cup method but what I found is that the plants do really well being seeded and growing in them but after transplanting they never seemed to grow after that and stay stunted even after I put them into larger containers like 5-6 inch pots, 7 gallon grow bags. I used the compressed bagged pro mix and used a organic 4-6-3 fertilizer. After 3 weeks I sacrificed one of my pepper plants and took it out of its 7 gal grow bag and saw that the roots were still in the exact shape of the plastic beer cup, they were healthy and white but didnt seem to have tried growing further than they already were. I just potted it back up and its still alive and the same size as his brothers 2 weeks later. Also its the California Wonder
The fertilizer could have shocked them as they say not to fertilize nightshades right away, but just amend soil for first week or so. Or if they were root bound I would make a couple slices down the sides or bottom to free the roots from shape.
I started my seedlings in a 72 cell flat, and will move to 3 inch pots, then, probably to 2 or 3 gallon pots, which is what I have the peppers that I overwintered in.
I use a heat mat to get my peppers germinating. Smaller cells work better for that too.
Thanks peeper geek started in small cells transplanted in cups an moved to the greenhouse.
I start mine in small 12 cell trays, then pot up to 6 inch pots. At that point I decide what's getting planted where, which plants won't make it, and which plants are giveaways. Then they go where determined.
I have been using 72 cell trays for the last 3 years. I can fit 6 of them on my grow table under my 3 LED lights. After they get some root structure going, I then transfer them to red solo cups. Its indeed insane how larger pots can take up indoor grow space fast. I had 3 overwintered plants from last season, that i trimmed way down, and let grow back over the winter under the lights. Its causing a problem for my seedling trays now though as i can't really fit them on my table.
I also do the 72 cell to solo cup method, seems to work pretty great and low cost as well.👍
I prefer to start around 3 seeds in like cup-size containers, then leave the best one and move it into bigger pots as soon as roots appear from the bottom.
Give every seed a chance 😢
I followed your advice and planted in the small seed cells while using a humidity dome. I think I'll stick with that method because I think higher germination rates of pepper seeds are worth the hassle of transplanting.
Why not put the 3.5" under a dome??
Hello! it would be great if you would answer this but which size is great for a capsicum chinense habanero?
I use those coco tabs they are about the size of a large shot glass and after that they go into 1L milk boxes
I bough this year 20 x 1L pots which u can remove the bottom and bury them an inch deep into the final pot so u get taller root system and avoid transplanting stress, seems good in theory, still waiting for the results, I started quite late this year..
If you were only growing peppers it might be ok to plant in bigger pots but like me I have literally dozens of different plants I start from seed it would be a nightmare trying to find space for all of those plants and also I’d have to buy more grow lights. Growing in cells works for me.
When planting in pots, when do you put sticks or supports in the pot and how did you secure plant to them? Do you need to put a support in all plants or certain ones?
It’s a case by case situation. If the plant is leaning or seems weak, then we use bamboo skewers and secure them with either string or plant velcro
I know this is off subject but do you have any videos or experience growing chiltepin peppers?
If I’m growing completely indoors from start to finish, is there a type of material you recommend for the pot the plant is in? Mine are in plastic pots and I’m having troubles with accidentally overwatering the plant, and it take wayyy too long for the soil to dry up
Just started soil blocking this year- don’t think I’m going back!
I plant in 32 cell trays that are 4 inches deep. When I pot to something larger it’s red solo cups. My peppers then go in 3 gallon pots outside for the summer.
What 32 cell tray is that deep? Never seen anything like that
@@PepperGeek I’m in Canada and bought at Lee Valley.
go small in the 6 cells trays, then, select the best 3 and transplant them to a container 4 times bigger than the cells, then transplant them in ground on something bigger for the third time before lastly going inti 5 gallon container. im no expert but this is working out for me
3 inch square containers, although I double up and plant two seeds in each container in case one doesn't come up.
I’ve been starting my paper seeds in 3/4” soil blocks on a heat mat. Once they germinate I either put into 6 cell trays from bootstrap farmer like you showed, or put them into 2” soil blocks.
When do you typically pot up peppers from the 6 cell tray to a larger pot? When you see a certain number of true leaves?
I personally get most of my peppers out of sixers into 2.5" pots within 2 weeks of starting, even if they are not all germinated yet (for tomatoes, about 95% of the ones that are going to germinate are within 2 weeks, but peppers more like 50% - 75% depending on species and age of seeds).
Isn't there also the factor that the plant doesn't really start growing all that much until the roots "touch the wall" as well? Like if you'd plant in a massive pot it would just grow roots and not that much foliage? I usually start my seeds in a container similar to that 6-pack you showed and then I move them up to 3.5" pots, which I usually leave them in until it is time for them to go outside. then I usually go for 1 or 3 litre pots depending on what my end goal is with the plant, like will it be a big plant or a tiny plant.
I would have to agree about some plants like to be a bit root bound. Maybe that’s why some vegetables do well paired together like beets.
Where do y’all buy your pepper seeds?
About the size pot for seeds, I was under the impression that if the pot is even a few inches too big in the begining, the plant will struggle and be weak.
Are those 6 cell pretty sturdy? Can you say they will last a life time? Compared to the Epic 6 cell do you think they are the same?
The Bootstrap Farmer and Epic sixers look extremely similar aside from some minor cosmetic differences. I only have Bootstrap Farmer so far (so I haven't seen them side by side with Epic yet), but like all their pots they are very sturdy and durable enough for many years of use.
Hey Pepper Geek i have a question I am truly curious about. I've recently planted my first batch of chili seeds and will reschool them tomorrow. However for their last and final home i intended to buy grow bags. Should i get 5 gallons or 10 gallons bags? Scotch bonnet, biquinho, cayenne long slim, chiluacle negro and padron are the species i got.
It is up to you! 5 gallons should be enough soil for a decent harvest. We’ve found that the larger grow bags have a wider bottom and don’t fall over as much
@@PepperGeek Ok, ty for the answer :D I'm settling for 5 gallon bags then :D
I am looking for pepper geek store to buy merch!
I start all my peppers in seed trays them pot them up.
I start small.
Wouldn't it be harder to maintain the appropriate germinating temp in the larger pots?
It our experience, the temperature under a humidity dome comes up quite easily. However, if they can’t be contained by a dome then yes that might slow down germination
Bootstrap is good quality but would like a coupon or discount once in a while....
1 gal pots
My cheapass starts seeds in a plastic cup 😅
Any interruption of the growing process caused by repotting the plants is a major disturbance and should be avoided.
Small cells like you, then pot up once before going outside
what's that variegated pepper plant?
SHU variegated X calico F3
@@PepperGeek thanks