question about jiffy peat pots

[Luther Heggs]

tomorrow I'm transferring my seedlings from pellets into jiffy peat pots. The bottom of the pots look like they had a hole punched through them, but they still have material in the hole, possibly blocking drainage. Should I clear the hole, or will the water clear the material eventually?

 

[Durgan]

Peat jiffy pots are useless IMO. The moisture migrates to the walls and dehydrate the plant. You can use them if the pot is buried in soil to prevent dehydration. I use plastic cups and burn drain holes in the bottom and up a bit on the sides Use a simple soldering iron for burning the holes.

 

[Chuck]

And peat do not decompose very fast. I still dig up pieces of peat pots and the peat that was in them years later. All they are good for is ease of transplant. You just stick the entire thing, pot, peat and plant in the hole. If I were to use a pot for ease of planting I would get the pots made out of manure. At least they have nutritional value, peat does not. Cups are much better IMO.

 

[GneissPlace]

I'd say clear the hole... if the hole is a reasonably small sized hole. I got some peat pots im about to use and they dont have holes in them at all. I will probably poke a couple in there. As Durgan says they will probably soak up water so we will just have to keep an eye out to make sure soil stays moist.. like a wet sponge.

 

[GneissPlace]

I worry that the peat pots will interfere with natural growth of the roots too once we transplant them out. I will likely try and carefully take the peat pots off of the plant when I transplant them out. I don't feel like throwing mine out.... but yeah I will never buy them again.

 

[Pepperhead]

Same here. Pulled my peppers out of the raised beds after the frost got them, and a lot of the peat pots were intact with few roots that broke through. Never using those again.