Propagation trays
- Thread starter Bofig
- Start date
FruitBrute
Well-known member
Where did you get your trays at? Those look nice. Not using them currently but would like to try them out.
Greenhouse megastore had a tray sale a while back, think they were 10 bucks each. I’m sure they are more suited to tomatoes or other plants but figured I’m not out much trying it. Just need to be careful up potting.
RediRoot Air Pruning Propagation Tray
RediRoot Air Pruning Propagation Trays encourage vigorous root development and minimize pruning prior to planting. Their design reduces circling roots and provides an ideal environment for air root pruning to occur. Air root pruning is a process where a plant's roots are pruned as they grow...
www.greenhousemegastore.com
FruitBrute
Well-known member
I was thinking more for garden starts than figs, but could try a few figs in it as well.
For sure once these cuttings are done I plan to use them for veggie starts at least for some fall crops or maybe flowers
BNaula1
Well-known member
When they creep through the holes, it exposes the roots going outside of the pot
to air which then they dry out and die. It’ll signal the plant to send more roots in another area, which causes a dense root system and no circling / girdling roots
pretty neat how it works haha
ktrain
Moderator
Yea I figured they would air prune, but the ones toward the inside wouldn't, (or at least have a better chance) and possibly could slither into another ones pot. lolWhen they creep through the holes, it exposes the roots going outside of the pot
to air which then they dry out and die. It’ll signal the plant to send more roots in another area, which causes a dense root system and no circling / girdling roots
If it works well that could be a game changer.
I did have one pop out and then went back in a bit over. A day later it dried up and fell off so it does prevent circling outside which was a concern I had also.Yea I figured they would air prune, but the ones toward the inside wouldn't, (or at least have a better chance) and possibly could slither into another ones pot. lol
If it works well that could be a game changer.
Well so far it looks like only one cutting has dried up leaves and lost the battle out of 72. It’s a bit of a pain watering daily as they dry quickly. Almost all the cells have roots poking out through the holes and are air pruning nicely. I mixed in some captain jacks dead bug and Gnatrol the last couple times of watering because the gnats swarmed all the surface area these have. Since spraying down the outsides and tops with dead bug the gnats are nonexistent now. Feeling confident these trays can root them well but I did try to move one out for testing and it will be a struggle to release them.
TorontoJoe
Administrator
@Bofig have you considered draping some thin plastic sheet over them to hold in the humidity? This sort of thing
It's lightweight, cheap and clear so might do the trick. if you just drape it you should still get enough fresh air in there. I think it'll also allow you to keep them in there longer so the roots can get stronger and reduce damage on pot up.
HDX 9 ft. x 12 ft. Clear Plastic Drop Cloth DCHD-2 - The Home Depot
Protect your work sites, material, equipment from moisture, rain and snow by using this Max Katz Clear Reinforced Poly Film.
www.homedepot.com
It's lightweight, cheap and clear so might do the trick. if you just drape it you should still get enough fresh air in there. I think it'll also allow you to keep them in there longer so the roots can get stronger and reduce damage on pot up.
I definitely could but it’s the bottoms of the cells drying out first from the heat mat. I’m going to try it this way start to finish and see how the odds stack up. If it’s good I won’t change anything not broken lol. If there is issues in the future I’m definitely going to change a few things up and maybe one can be that plastics.
Beabchasingizz
Well-known member
I have the 6 cell and 4 cell trays from epic gardening. They have 4 slits in the corner for root air pruning. They also have a hole at the bottom that you use to push the rootball out. The rootball crumbles sometimes but it's usually fine with the most garden seeds. They don't really seem stressed.
I feel this circular design with tons of slits will rip the roots when taking out it. All those to tiny roots barely sticking out might get stuck.
From my experience, the bigger the cell, the more you need to push the bottom to get it out. The the soil gets compacted and could lead to your damage.
You should try a few to try but if it doesn't come out easily, I think you might have to cut them out.
I feel this circular design with tons of slits will rip the roots when taking out it. All those to tiny roots barely sticking out might get stuck.
From my experience, the bigger the cell, the more you need to push the bottom to get it out. The the soil gets compacted and could lead to your damage.
You should try a few to try but if it doesn't come out easily, I think you might have to cut them out.
I for sure won’t be cutting anything to get them out, I just bought these trays. They so far don’t seem to stick to the sides at all. If you let the cells dry a little it usually releases them better. These will be grown to a decent size like this so the roots harden up well before trying to move into another pot. In the end it’s an experiment with cuttings off my own trees so I’m not out much
Beabchasingizz
Well-known member
I see. I was going to mention that letting them dry is usually easier to get out but the root ball tends to break easier too.
Did you experiment with hormone vs. no hormone and scrape vs. no scrape? That would be a good experiment since the cuttings are the same variety and form the same tree.
Maybe 25 varieties in the 72 cells lol. No experimenting just dip n gro on all.
