Our EasyGrow Seed Starting Kit under a shop light, just waiting for seedlings to germinate. Photo by J&J
Have you ever had your seed starting soil grow algae or moss? I have, and I hope this will be the solution.
You’re familiar with seed-starting trays, no doubt. You have a big plastic bin that holds water and you have a tray of planting cells. You place the planting cells into the reservoir and fill it with water.
Or, if you aren’t too concerned with disturbing the seeds you might even water them from the top, allowing the reservoir to simply catch the excess that weeps through the soil.
Either way one inevitable outcome happens to nearly everyone who doesn’t keep an immensely watchful eye on the moisture of the soil: The soil stays too wet and algae or moss begins to grow on the surface of the soil.
And that is exactly how this seed starting kit, the GrowEase from Gardeners.com, is different. The soil sits above the water and the water is wicked up to the soil. If the soil is moist enough then the capillary action will not take place and the water will stay down in the reservoir.
How does that work? Well, there is a special capillary mat that does the wicking. The system goes together like this: The is still a reservoir for the water, but there is also a platform that sits in the water. The capillary mat sits on top of it and one edge dips down into the water. This mat wicks the water up and keeps the mat moist.
Then on top of the mat are the planting cells, sufficiently packed with soil, soak up the moisture in the capillary mat. This keeps the soil moist, but not drenched like more poorly designed seed starting kits.
Then, if you choose, there is still a clear dome that can go on top and help germinate the seeds more quickly.
6 days after planting some seedlings are germinating! Photo by J&J
There is one more benefit behind this kit, the quality of the craftsmanship. It is durable. It is made with much thicker plastic that is even dishwasher safe. The capillary mat is also thick and sturdy and appears to be up for many seasons of use.
Our seedlings are already sprouting and there isn’t even a hint of algae or moss. So far I am extremely satisfied with this tray and recommend you give the GrowEase Seed Starting Kit a try as well!
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We used the GrowEase tray this year with amazing results! I’m emailing you a picture because I can’t add it here but all our seeds sprouted quickly and it was easy to acclimate them to the weather & protect them from a late snowfall but bringing them inside for the night. I would definitely use it again. One hint: make sure the dirt “pods” are positioned up/down not sideways because once they expand they’re hard to adjust.
Glad to hear they are working for you! I must confess, I’m not sure sure I understood your tip. Is there another way to put it?
Sure. The growing kit comes with compressed dirt “pods” that expand when they come in contact with water. When setting up the GrowEase you’re supposed to put one pod in every pot. The pods tend to fall over & if they’re not “upright” when you wet them they expand sideways, not up/down, and then get stuck in the pot. The dirt is so compacted in the pods that had fallen over, I needed a screwdriver to break the dirt apart. I hope that’s clearer.