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Choosing pots,
trays & modules
POTS
Plastic pots are popular commercially because they are cheap and
light to handle and transport. Clay pots are still used, however,
for their aesthetic and decorative qualities, and some gardeners
prefer the porosity of clay. The majority of plants are equally
happy in either.
Normal plant pots are about as deep
as they are broad, but a variety of differently proportioned pots
are available. Seed pans are shallow pots which can be used for
seed and shallow-rooting plants such as some cacti. Deeper than
usual pots (long Toms) are useful for plants with deep roots that
will remain in their pot for a long time.
Ring culture pots are large bottomless
pots made from whalehide (a kind of bituminised paper), used for
growing tomatoes and certain other plants above gravel beds where
the garden or greenhouse border soil is not suitable.
Whalehide is also used to form sweet
pea tubes, and for other seedlings that produce long root systems
quickly.
Biodegradable peat pots are sometimes
used for plants that will eventually be planted out into the garden,
such as sweetcorn seedlings, but they require careful watering
to maintain the right moisture content. Expandable compressed
peat pots are used for a variety of purposes, but mainly for plants
which will be planted out in the garden later, or to start off
rooted cuttings of house or greenhouse plants that will then be
moved into ordinary pots. As the pots rot down, the young plants
can be transplanted pot and all, without the disturbance of knocking
them out.
SEED TRAYS
Like pots, these come in a variety of sizes. They are almost always
made of plastic, and the quality varies considerably: some will
last only one or two seasons, others last for many years. Trays
with drainage holes are more useful.
MODULAR SYSTEMS
These comprise individual cells (often held in a more rigid outer
seed tray) in which either only a very few seeds are sown, or
a single seedling or cutting inserted. This makes thinning easier
and ensures that each plant receives adequate compost and space.
Root damage is minimised when the seedlings are planted out as
the roots will not have become entangled as they do in a normal
seed tray of shared compost.
Taken from Reader's Digest New Gardening Year - a month-by-month
guide to success in the garden.
Feature: Erica Miller, Homebase
Click
here to see a list of UK suppliers of pots,
trays & modules
