Benefits and Negatives Of Polymer-Bound Seedling Plugs
Since the dawn of time, Gardeners have been trying to find the perfect media to grow seeds in. From stones to poop, they’ve tried everything. The best thing about seeds is that they aren’t fussy!
Seeds aren’t fussy about what they grow in, they only need three things from their chosen media:
- Nice moist environment (not soaked)
- Aeration
- No diseases
(They also need light and warmth but these aren’t connected to media)
When a media has these three things most seeds will be happy and grow, however, this doesn’t mean you’ll be happy. For example, an indoor gardener might not be happy with a certain media as it might provide the seed with the moisture it needs to grow but is also too heavy for the seed to move in. Also the gardener might want to grow sustainably so they may need a reusable media. These types of problems limit the choice of media available and can cause certain gardeners a headache.
One such media which is trying relieve these headaches is the Polymer-Bound Seedling Plug.
PROS: CLEAN
Unlike other plugs on the market today, the Polymer-Bound Seedling Plug is bound together by a polymer that resembles a rubber glue and is excellent at stopping the plug falling apart. This is ideal for hydroponic systems as well as traditional growing methods as it reduces little bits of material either falling off into nutrient solutions or just making a mess in general.
PROS: EASY TO HANDLE
Each Polymer-Bound Seedling Plug is supplied separately meaning users don’t need to cut or tear the plugs apart, reducing the possibility of root damage.
PROS: FASTER GERMINATION
Compared to other types of media, the Polymer-Bound Seedling Plug has been proven to improve germination times. This allows users to fit in another harvest per year compared to other Seedling Plugs.
CONS: NON-RECYCLABLE
In a typical sense, Polymer-Bound Seedling Plugs can not be recycled. Once the seed has grow and is transplanted into the mature system, the plug will be too overgrown and broken up due to root growth for it to be reused. Growers can reuse plugs which seeds did not germinate in but this does increase the chance of media based diseases impacting plant growth.
So Which Seedling Plug Is Best?
Short answer … none. As with most things in life it all depends on preference, however, as the Polymer-Bound Seedling Plug has been proven to speed up germination time commercial growers may find them more appealing as more harvest can be fitted into a calendar year.
