Understanding Seed Trays: My Favorite Seed Starting ...

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I think we can all agree that having options is great; however, having too many choices can leave us feeling overwhelmed. This was precisely my experience when I first started growing flowers and was faced with the decision of which seed starting trays to buy.

We all want to make wise investments, and nobody enjoys spending money only to realize later that they chose the wrong trays, right?

In this blog post, I aim to clear up some of your doubts. We will discuss both the pros and cons of various seed trays available on the market. Additionally, I'll share my top choices and some factors to consider when you're selecting your own trays.

If you're eager to dive in, let’s get started!

(Psst.. If you're looking for my top recommendation straight away, it's the tray I use most frequently on my small flower farm.)

Understanding Seed Trays:

Seed trays essentially serve the same primary function—they hold soil to facilitate healthy transplants for your flower garden.

By planting in a single tray, you make it easier to care for your seedlings as they all reside in the same container. You can water the entire tray at once and move your plants as a single unit, simplifying the whole process.

Generally, all seed trays have a similar length and width, fitting into standard bottom watering trays seamlessly.

The most significant difference among trays tends to be the number of cells they come with.

The Importance of Cell Size in Seed Starting Trays:

Cell counts can range significantly across trays, with options including 32-cells, 50, 72, and up to 128, 288, and beyond.

More cells in a tray mean that each cell will be smaller. For example, a 50-cell tray will have larger cells compared to a 72-cell tray.

Your choice of cell count should reflect your needs, preferences, and available space for seeding. Additionally, the cell size impacts the seedlings' growth potential.

Smaller cells restrict growth, limiting the space seedlings have to establish roots and develop top growth before they are transferred into a garden.

Seedlings that lack ample space often become root-bound. In such cases, their roots may be so twisted that they struggle to absorb nutrients.

Though some seedlings can recover from being root-bound, it’s far better to avoid it altogether, as it can lead to stunted growth and delayed flowering, or in extreme cases, death.

Ultimately, the objective of seed starting is to cultivate strong plants. Therefore, providing sufficient room for seedlings is essential.

Many of us who grow seedlings on a larger scale have to navigate the trade-off between optimizing space and promoting healthy growth.

For my part, I utilize several wire shelves for my plants. Each shelf is 4 feet wide, allowing me to fit four trays on one shelf.

With 32-cell trays, I can grow 128 seedlings in that space (4 trays x 32 cells).

Switching to 72-cell trays enables me to accommodate 288 seedlings, more than double the previous count in the same area.

Balancing space efficiency while ensuring the health of seedlings is indeed a delicate act.

Best Seed Tray Recommendation for Flower Farmers:

In my experience, the 72-cell tray (with a few exceptions) strikes a good balance between these two considerations. I frequently recommend this to beginner growers, as it offers sufficient space for many flower varieties without necessitating early repotting.

To specify, my favorite seed tray is the 72-cell seed tray from Bootstrap Farmer. Over five flower-growing seasons, I can honestly say that there’s no tray that compares to its strength and quality.

Even when filled with soil, the Bootstrap Farmer trays are sturdy. I find it worthwhile to spend a little extra, as they last much longer.

Seed Starting Trays for Specific Circumstances:

128-Cell (and smaller) Seed Starting Tray

If you’re facing germination issues with certain seeds, tools like heat mats and humidity domes can help establish ideal germination conditions.

While I see my equipment as a necessary business investment, sometimes budgets can be tight, meaning not every tray can have its dedicated heat mat and humidity dome.

A solution could be to start with a smaller-cell tray. A 128-cell tray is beneficial because you can start numerous seeds in a compact space and fit the entire tray conveniently on a heat mat.

In my experience, it’s essential to keep an eye on these 128-cell and smaller trays to ensure your seedlings have room to grow until they are ready for transplanting. You may need to transfer seedlings to larger trays as they grow.

50-Cell Seed Starting Tray

If there’s one flower variety that deserves ample space, it’s sweet peas. These plants have expansive root systems, so I always use a 50-cell tray for my sweet pea seeds.

In recent years, I’ve even opted for these extra deep 50-cell trays for sweet peas as they promote root development.

Furthermore, we have started using these deep 50-cell trays for various crops—one even houses my ranunculus and anemone corms!

These plant varieties thrive with more root space.

However, a word of caution: these trays can present a challenge when regulating moisture. I find that they don’t equally wick moisture from the drainage holes like shallower trays do, leading me to periodically water from above instead of below. It’s harder to assess moisture levels at the bottom of these cells, making moisture management trickier.

Overall, I prefer the consistency of moisture found in standard trays that are just 2 to 3 inches deep.

20 Row Channel Tray

The next tray I want to highlight is the unique 20-row channel tray. It's perfect if you find sowing tiny seeds challenging.

We all know the frustration of sowing diminutive seeds like snapdragons or herbs like oregano. The seeds are so minuscule that distinguishing them from dirt can be a struggle. Some seasons, I find the patience to use a moist toothpick for planting individual seeds into each cell.

But during busier seasons, the channel trays come to my rescue!

With this tray, you fill each channel with soil and create small indentations for seeds. Unlike cell trays where one seed goes into each cell, you pour seeds into the length of each channel. Generally, a single packet of 100 seeds suffices for one channel, saving a lot of time.

I treat my channel trays like other seed trays—placing them on heat mats with humidity domes. Once the seeds germinate and show some growth, I shift them into my preferred 72-cell trays, where they flourish until planted in the garden.

Many find it easier to handle these seedlings than to deal with the eye strain of sorting tiny seeds into individual cells.

A channel tray involves two steps instead of one, so some trial-and-error may be necessary to determine the best fit for you. Still, it’s a great workaround for anyone struggling with small seed planting.

Using a channel tray also benefits flower varieties with unpredictable germination rates; by saturating a single channel with seeds, I can selectively pot up only those that germinate, reducing empty spaces in trays from non-germinated seeds.

Seed Trays We're Trialing this Year:

The last tray I want to showcase is a new variant I'm testing this season, which I’m quite excited about.

Up to this point, I’ve shared various trays that I currently utilize for seed starting. However, there’s a different technique that negates the need for any trays altogether.

It’s called soil-blocking, a method where seeds are planted into cubes of soil instead of in trays.

The benefits of soil blocking are notable; primarily, it keeps seedlings from becoming root-bound.

In cell trays, when roots reach the edges, they end up spiraling downwards. If left in the tray for too long, this can lead to root encirclement.

In contrast, soil blocking prevents this issue. Roots reach the outer edge of the block, encountering air, which leads to a process called air-pruning. This prompts the roots to dry out, ceasing outward growth and encouraging the development of secondary roots within the block, creating healthier seedlings overall.

Despite these benefits, I lack the patience for this finicky process, favoring the convenience of seed trays.

Air prune trays represent a hybrid approach that lets seedlings air-prune while retaining the ease of using trays.

I’m curious to see if seedlings grown in these trays will indeed be healthier than those in my standard trays. For this season, I'm only trying a few air-pruned trays to assess their effectiveness.

I plan to use them for sensitive flower varieties that typically suffer from root disturbance at transplanting. My hypothesis is that cultivating a more robust root system leads to smoother transplanting and minimizes shock, but time will tell.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Leak-Proof Seedling Trays.

Admittedly, these trays require a bit of investment upfront. Still, their exceptional construction gives me confidence that I’ll be able to use them for several seasons, justifying the cost.

I'll keep you posted on how they perform as the season progresses.

Conclusion:

That wraps up my overview of the various seed trays I utilize throughout the season. I hope this blog post offers helpful insights as you decide which trays best suit your flower growing endeavors.

Don’t hesitate to share your choices in the comments below; I always enjoy learning what approaches other growers are taking!

P.S. If you’re interested in seeing these trays in action, check out this YouTube video where I showcase my favorite seed starting trays!

If you want to explore the options of cheap seed starting trays, feel free to reach out to our knowledgeable sales team for guidance.