Plug Plant Trainer

Hi,

Has anyone brought one or used one of this before? or is a seed
tray with a propagator lid just as good....this are on sale on
Ebay for between £14 - £18 plus the postage.

 

I expect it would do a decent job - but that's seems an awful lot of money for a bit of plastic.

These would do a similar job, no cheaper but you get double. No irrigation reservoir, however.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Pack-of-Deep-Root-Trainers-Propagation-kits-for-super-strong-roots-rootrainers-/360604483176?pt=UK_Home_Garden_GardenEquipment_HandTools_SM&hash=item53f5b3be68

 

I brought 2 off those deep root trainers late last year and they were selling them
off cheap (got them for £3.00 each) but even these are not very good anyway, when
you snap them shut, they seem to open up as your filling them with compost.....guess that's why they were selling them off cheap!

 

I struggled with root trainers as well , although I know some on here swear by them. I have not seen the plug trainer before . Looks like nice deep pots in a 7 x 7 matrix . I think I prefer my modular cells and plant pots , they do give you more flexability . When you are pricking out , You can have 12 of these plugs and 24 of those etc.

 

Me too, I would pot on plugs into 3" or 9cm pots, and then plant out when they were a decent size. If the plants were vigorous I would probably then pot-on from 3" to 1Litre and then subsequently plant out - and I'd have a nicely advanced plant by planting out time, which then bulked up well

With pots you can move them apart when the tops bush up, so that they aren't touching. Modules, and that Plug Plant Trainer, means that the plants are at a unchangeable spacing throughout - which is fine if you can plant them at just the right time ... I prefer pots (and in particular 9cm as it is quite a bit bigger than a 3" pot) as it gives me quite a lot of leeway at planting out time if the weather is foul at the weekend (when I have time available) or if I am busy with other things for a week or two

 

Are you sure you used them correctly? I find that once they are in their 'cage' and subsequently filled, there's no way they will spring open.

 

I have never used root trainers. I started with seed trays, but now use small square pots inside a propagator. The pots usually grow enough seedlings for my needs - but there is nothing stopping you from having two or three of the same. Their depth allows the roots to grow downwards, and their volume means they don't dry out too quickly.

 

Only if you use all the pots at the same time in the trays, trust me even at 3 quid for a set, I think I have been mugged

 

Sounds familiar

I think the commercial growers of Cell Grown Trees have a better system, than root trainers, but I don't see it offered on small hobbyist scale. The "cells" are like tall tubes and they slot into holes in a tray, which has legs. Easy enough to take a few individual "cell" tubes out, or to space them by leaving gaps.

But for things that want a tall root run and minimal disturbance at planting out (concepts that the root trainers tout, although they also have groves to "train" the roots) I use pots I make from newspaper. They are 4" tall and about 2.5" diameter.

Roots will grow "between" newspaper pots a bit, if plants are left too long, and they start to fall to bits if used for a long period (Autumn sown sweet peas for example), but more newspaper can be used to make them thicker / more robust. Can be a bit unstable in the tray they are stood in (particularly the ones around the outside, and when carrying a tray) but given that they are free I put up with those foibles!

 

That's how they are intended/designed to be used, by loading up once they are in the cage. But, there's nothing to stop you putting them all in, and just filling up the number of cells you want. I think at £3, you got a bargain

 

On a more general note; looking back I realise I spent and wasted a lot of money buying all sorts of things when I started gardening. Its amazing how you can get the same results much cheaper by improvising.