[David WE Roberts[_4_]]

Bought a pack of 4 propagating trays from Lidl (now wondering if I should
have bought more).
You get an outer tray, some plant cells, and a plastic lid.
All very lightweight but functional and cheap.

Now the cells are moulded as if there could be a drainage hole in the bottom
but there isn't.
So the question is - should I leave as is or should I make little holes in
the bottom of the tray?

Logic says that if there should always be holes then they would have been
made that way.

However commercial cells usually have holes in the bottom (presumably for
watering from the bottom).

So under which circumstances should there be a hole, and when should there
be no hole?

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

[Jake]

On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:13:49 +0100, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:

Bought a pack of 4 propagating trays from Lidl (now wondering if I should
have bought more).
You get an outer tray, some plant cells, and a plastic lid.
All very lightweight but functional and cheap.

Now the cells are moulded as if there could be a drainage hole in the bottom
but there isn't.
So the question is - should I leave as is or should I make little holes in
the bottom of the tray?

Logic says that if there should always be holes then they would have been
made that way.

However commercial cells usually have holes in the bottom (presumably for
watering from the bottom).

So under which circumstances should there be a hole, and when should there
be no hole?

Cheers

Dave R

Maybe Lidl's thinking is that people who buy their little sets are
always going to be window-sill propagating when you don't want
leakage. Some argue that having sown the seeds onto moist compost, the
sealed lid keeps the moisture in and you don't re-water until the
seeds germinate and you prick them out.

Outer trays without holes but with some ridge arrangement that keeps
the cell trays off the bottom make sense as they allow the cells to
drain and can be used to water from underneath if needed.

But I wouldn't use cell trays that didn't have drainage holes in them.
And I'd check the outer trays by putting some water in them "outside"
to make sure they don't leak. Often cheaper ones (and some more
expensive ones) will have tiny little holes in them from the molding
process.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the east end of the totally
dry and sunny Swansea Bay.

[Moonraker]

On 27/03/2012 15:59, Jake wrote:
On Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:13:49 +0100, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:

Bought a pack of 4 propagating trays from Lidl (now wondering if I should
have bought more).
You get an outer tray, some plant cells, and a plastic lid.
All very lightweight but functional and cheap.

Now the cells are moulded as if there could be a drainage hole in the bottom
but there isn't.
So the question is - should I leave as is or should I make little holes in
the bottom of the tray?

Logic says that if there should always be holes then they would have been
made that way.

However commercial cells usually have holes in the bottom (presumably for
watering from the bottom).

So under which circumstances should there be a hole, and when should there
be no hole?

Cheers

Dave R

Maybe Lidl's thinking is that people who buy their little sets are
always going to be window-sill propagating when you don't want
leakage. Some argue that having sown the seeds onto moist compost, the
sealed lid keeps the moisture in and you don't re-water until the
seeds germinate and you prick them out.

Outer trays without holes but with some ridge arrangement that keeps
the cell trays off the bottom make sense as they allow the cells to
drain and can be used to water from underneath if needed.

But I wouldn't use cell trays that didn't have drainage holes in them.
And I'd check the outer trays by putting some water in them "outside"
to make sure they don't leak. Often cheaper ones (and some more
expensive ones) will have tiny little holes in them from the molding
process.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the east end of the totally
dry and sunny Swansea Bay.
If these are plastic and you would like holes then the best way is to
make the hole with a hot rod, a soldering iron is good.

--
Residing on low ground in North Staffordshire