1. The choice of seedling tray

Vegetable growers can choose plugs according to the seedling characteristics of different vegetables. For melons such as pumpkin, watermelon, wax gourd, and melon, use 50-hole seedlings; for tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers, 72-hole or 128-hole seedlings are used; for chili, 128-hole or 200-hole seedlings; rape, lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli seedlings 200 holes or 288 holes should be used; 288 holes or 392 holes are mostly used for celery seedlings.

Plug selection:

Due to different materials, the plug trays are divided into PS blister trays, PE blister trays and PS foam trays, with 50, 72, 128, 200, 288, 392 holes and other specifications. The growth of seedlings is greatly affected by the volume of the plug. The large hole grid of the plug tray is beneficial to the growth of seedlings, but the production cost is correspondingly higher; the small hole grid of the plug tray, the production cost is low, but it cannot provide sufficient nutrient area for the seedlings, which is not conducive to the growth of seedlings. The growth of seedlings has little to do with the shape of the plug. In production, both production efficiency and seedling quality should be considered, and appropriate plugs should be selected according to the required seedling types, seedling standards, and production season. Seedlings that grow slowly and have a long seedling period should use larger plugs, otherwise, small plugs should be used. At present, 72, 128, 200 and 288 hole plugs are often used in domestic vegetable plug seedlings. Eggplant and tomato seedlings are produced in winter and spring. The seedling standard is 72-hole plugs with 6-7 leaves, and the seedling standard is 128-hole plugs with 4-5 leaves. For the production of sweet (spicy) pepper in winter, 128-hole plugs are used to produce seedlings with 8-10 leaves. Cucumber, watermelon, and muskmelon have a large leaf area. In order to ensure the quality of seedlings, 72-hole plugs are generally used in production.

2. Five points for attention when choosing a seedling tray

(1) The hole size of the plug tray. The number of holes in the seedling tray varies from 18 to 800 due to the different hole diameters. For breeding medium and small seedlings, plugs with 128-288 holes are more economical. For raising seedlings of potted flowers such as begonias and impatiens, plug trays with larger hole diameters should be selected; while for deep-rooted delphiniums and some vegetable crops, plug trays with deeper holes should be selected. Gerbera, cyclamen, etc. can first germinate in the small hole seedling tray, and then transplanted to the large hole seedling tray to grow strong seedlings.

(2) The shape of the hole. There are mainly square and round holes. The matrix in the square holes is generally about 30% more than that in the round holes. The water distribution is also more uniform, and the root system of the seedlings is more fully developed.

(3) The manufacturing materials of the plug tray. Mainly polystyrene polystyrene foam film. Ornamental plant seedlings generally use polystyrene trays, and vegetable seedlings can use polystyrene foam trays.

(4) The color of the plug tray. The color of the plug will affect the temperature of the roots of the seedlings. The white polystyrene foam membrane plate has better light reflection and is mostly used for early seedling cultivation in summer and autumn to reflect light and reduce the heat accumulation in the roots of the seedlings. In winter and spring, black seedling trays are chosen because of their good light absorption, which is beneficial to the development of seedling roots.

(5) Repeated use of plug trays. The plug tray should be thoroughly cleaned before reuse, and treated with special disinfectant such as tetravalent ammonium salt to prevent the growth of root rot bacteria. For high-density polystyrene foam film trays that are not easy to melt at high temperatures, steam sterilization can be considered, but they must be thoroughly dried before they can be used. For plugs with thin texture, the number of repeated use should not exceed 3 times to prevent damage and leakage of water and substrate. In addition, the used plugs may be infected with residual pathogenic bacteria and eggs, so they must be cleaned and disinfected. The method is to first remove the residual substrate in the seedling tray, rinse with water (brush clean the more stubborn attachments), dry, and soak with carbendazim 500 times solution for 12 hours or 1000 times potassium permanganate solution It can be disinfected in 30 minutes, and it can also be disinfected with formaldehyde solution and bleach solution. The sterilized plug tray must be thoroughly washed and dried before use.

Taizhou Tianhua Plastics Machinery Co., Ltd. specializes in the production of large-caliber plastic flat-bottomed seedling trays, seedling trays, large-aperture seedling trays, seedling trays, tree seedling trays, tree seedling trays, forest plug trays, seedling tray covers, and a wide range of seedling tray covers It is used in the production of sprouts, the cultivation and breeding of flowers and tree seedlings, etc. It is an indispensable product for cultivation trays and planting trays for agronomy, forestry and planting. Used in scientific research and research institutes, agricultural colleges of agricultural universities, forestry universities, and grass cultivation in Inner Mongolia pastures. The large-aperture seedling tray can also be used for the seedlings and seedlings of vegetables, fruits, tobacco, corn, cotton, eggplant, etc. Using PS material, non-toxic and environmentally friendly, good air permeability, greatly extending the service life.