I guess this--my first question posted to the forum--might be fairly easy for someone to answer:

Many seeds I started in peat containers have me worried. The basil is not taking off and if fact is turning gold. The tomatoes I started very late haven't grown much in two weeks.

Should I have taken them out of the peat before planting?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome splinter to our little funny farm here. How big were the peat pots and how long were the tomatoes in them? They may be very root-bound. The peat pots don't break down very fast, further restricting the roots. I stopped using them due to that problem and trying to keep them moist enough while still inside the house. If it were me, I would dig up one of each and inspect the situation. You may be able to carefully cut off the peat pots with a razor knife and replant. Good luck and keep us informed. Somebody here will have more to say.

it's best to cut the bottoms off the peat container before planting them.

quote:

Originally posted by duckfish:
it's best to cut the bottoms off the peat container before planting them.

That's what I do...actually, I just tear the bottom off, rip it into pieces and put the pieces in the bottom of the planting hole, mixed with shovel full of compost.

With peat pots you need to rip off the bottom because roots will not penetrate through until the pot starts to break down. Now with wood fiber pots (which look very similar) you should not rip off the bottoms because you will damage the roots.

Since my garden was put in late this spring, I Thought my only recourse was to get transplants from the garden stores. All the stores I visited had 90% of their veggie plants in small peat pots.

According to the directions on the pot, it said to remove the bottom of the pot when planting. One of the first ones I removed, I noticed the roots were going round and round in the pot. I tore off the pots after that as I planted them and many of them were the same way.

Maybe if I had gotten them a month earlier and immediately put them in the ground with their bottoms off, they would have had time to rot away and allow the roots to grow freely. I'm glad I noticed the rootbound appearance of the plants in the peat pots.

In the future, I will definately steer clear of the peat pots. I like the idea of using newspaper to make pots using strips of paper wrapped around a small can or jar to form the shape. I know I can count on newspaper to break down.

Then there is the eco issue of using non renewable peat that is then manufactured in a plant to make the peat pots. I will feel better using what I already would be sending to the recycle bin.