"Sherwin Dubren" wrote in message
...
I have had a perpetual problem in that my vacations always seem to fall
out when I'm in the middle of seed starting from trays. I don't want to
impose on relatives or neighbors to keep them watered. I have seen
these
special trays with reservoirs at the bottom and some kind of wicking
system to keep seedlings from drying out. Does anyone have any
experience
with these trays? Also, how long can one expect one of these trays to
continue moistening the seedlings, as sometimes I go away for several
weeks.
I have tried wicking systems and feeding tubes with a siphoning
effect to water my potted plants, with limited success. I can't use my
bathtub, since there is no way to bring light to the seedlings. Does
anyone have a better idea?

Sherwin D.

Many seed catalogs sell seed starting kits, which include a plastic tray,
cells for planting seeds, and a clear plastic cover that keep seedlings
moist as they sprout, but they can also be found at many of the gardening
sections of stores such as Lowes or WalMart where they are much more
reasonably priced. I use ProMix as a starting medium and have little trouble
with damp off, but I don't put these starting trays in sunlit windows where
the seedlings can fry. Instead I place them under grow lights. I don't like
to leave the trays covered too long after the seeds start growing, but I
have gone as long as three weeks after planting the seeds. Beyond that point
the seedlings need drier air than that under the plastic.

John