To continue the Eazy Plug vs Rockwool trial, at one week in the Eazy Plug cells have sprouted 8 tomato seedlings. Both the Eazy Plugs and the Rockwool are sprouting seeds faster than would be expected if they were direct seeded outdoors. Trays like these are commonly used to start sprouts indoors during the late winter to prepare for spring planting.
Both the Eazy Plugs and rockwool cubes have their first set of “true leaves” (cotyledons) on the tomato sprouts. Notice that the leaves develop in pairs on opposite sides of the stem. This is an indication that they are dicotyledons (dicots – two seed leaves) as opposed to grasses and other monocotyledons (monocots – single seed leaf). Dicots include most vegetable seeds (other than corn), whereas most grains are monocots.
The rockwool cube tomatoes also have 8 sprouts.
Some algae has started to show on some of the rockwool cubes. The rockwool cubes appear to retain water longer than the Eazy Plugs. Some cubes have more than others. Now that the sprouts are larger, the rockwool could be covered to block the light on the surface by cutting slits in an opaque material to fit around the stems.
Now that the sprouts have developed “true leaves” they will require light, and a mild feeding to thrive.
Starting seeds with either Eazy Plugs or rockwool can be successful, although of the two, the Eazy Plugs seem to be a little more forgiving.
T5HO Mini Greenhouse Kit by SunBlaster
Includes:
- 18 inch SunBlaster T5HO light and reflector
- 6400K T5 Grow Lamp
- Double Thick 1020 Tray
- 7 Inch NanoDome
- Lamp included
