Hello all,
This year we opted to start only our wholesale and retail veggies in
plastic and started all our own, and some friends, veggies in soil
blocks made with the 4 block blocker from johnny's.

We sewed everything in the blocks and the plastic at the same time and
have kept them all together in the greenhouse. So basically they are
getting the same sun, the same water and feed. The plants in the blocks
are about 1/5th the size of the plants in the plastic. For instance,
stonehead cabbage is almost three inches tall with three true leaves in
806's and the blocks _may_ be an inch tall with their firt true leaves
coming on now. We are a bit perplexed as to what would cause this.
Everything used the same mix, on the same benches in the greenhouse, and
care is the same. Any ideas?

I was concerned that perhaps we packed the blocks too tight however the
seem about the same as the plastic. I am guessing there is probably a
tad less soil in a block than in an 806 but it would be very minimal. We
were packing 50 blocks to a 1020 web flat so there are two more plants
per flat as compared to an 806.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,
I've never used soil blocks before. Could it be that the outside of
the soil block dries out so fast that it is not useable by the
roots? I know seedlings in plastic will run their roots right out to
the plastic, turn and keep growing. I can't picture that happening
with a soil block. Other than that, I can't think of another
explanation.

Steve

Mark & Shauna wrote:
Hello all,
This year we opted to start only our wholesale and retail veggies in
plastic and started all our own, and some friends, veggies in soil
blocks made with the 4 block blocker from johnny's.

We sewed everything in the blocks and the plastic at the same time and
have kept them all together in the greenhouse. So basically they are
getting the same sun, the same water and feed. The plants in the blocks
are about 1/5th the size of the plants in the plastic. For instance,
stonehead cabbage is almost three inches tall with three true leaves in
806's and the blocks _may_ be an inch tall with their firt true leaves
coming on now. We are a bit perplexed as to what would cause this.
Everything used the same mix, on the same benches in the greenhouse, and
care is the same. Any ideas?

I was concerned that perhaps we packed the blocks too tight however the
seem about the same as the plastic. I am guessing there is probably a
tad less soil in a block than in an 806 but it would be very minimal. We
were packing 50 blocks to a 1020 web flat so there are two more plants
per flat as compared to an 806.

Thanks,
Mark

Mark & Shauna wrote:
Hello all,
This year we opted to start only our wholesale and retail veggies in
plastic and started all our own, and some friends, veggies in soil
blocks made with the 4 block blocker from johnny's.

We sewed everything in the blocks and the plastic at the same time and
have kept them all together in the greenhouse. So basically they are
getting the same sun, the same water and feed. The plants in the blocks
are about 1/5th the size of the plants in the plastic. For instance,
stonehead cabbage is almost three inches tall with three true leaves in
806's and the blocks _may_ be an inch tall with their firt true leaves
coming on now. We are a bit perplexed as to what would cause this.
Everything used the same mix, on the same benches in the greenhouse, and
care is the same. Any ideas?

I was concerned that perhaps we packed the blocks too tight however the
seem about the same as the plastic. I am guessing there is probably a
tad less soil in a block than in an 806 but it would be very minimal. We
were packing 50 blocks to a 1020 web flat so there are two more plants
per flat as compared to an 806.

Thanks,
Mark

I've used soil blocks for years and have never had the problem that
you describe, a five to one ratio is unimaginable. The only thing
that I can think of is that you may be watering from the top and most
of water and fertilizer is just running off. I have never been a fan
of top watering and always have my blocks setting in some sort of tray
so that I can flood it from the bottom and the blocks will wick up the
amount of water that they need. Just today I transplanted a bunch of
tomato plants from small blocks to bigger blocks-----they look great.
The roots will grow out to the edge of the block and then stop but
when you plant them into the ground they start growing again. I think
that this allows the roots to fan out quicker then if they were
circling inside a container. Break one of the blocks apart and see if
moisture is getting all the way to the root or if you've packed the
soil too tight-----the roots need air too.
Bill

Mark & Shauna wrote:
Hello all,
This year we opted to start only our wholesale and retail veggies in
plastic and started all our own, and some friends, veggies in soil
blocks made with the 4 block blocker from johnny's.

We sewed everything in the blocks and the plastic at the same time and
have kept them all together in the greenhouse. So basically they are
getting the same sun, the same water and feed. The plants in the blocks
are about 1/5th the size of the plants in the plastic. For instance,
stonehead cabbage is almost three inches tall with three true leaves in
806's and the blocks _may_ be an inch tall with their firt true leaves
coming on now. We are a bit perplexed as to what would cause this.
Everything used the same mix, on the same benches in the greenhouse, and
care is the same. Any ideas?

I was concerned that perhaps we packed the blocks too tight however the
seem about the same as the plastic. I am guessing there is probably a
tad less soil in a block than in an 806 but it would be very minimal. We
were packing 50 blocks to a 1020 web flat so there are two more plants
per flat as compared to an 806.

Thanks,
Mark

I've used soil blocks for years and have never had the problem that
you describe, a five to one ratio is unimaginable. The only thing
that I can think of is that you may be watering from the top and most
of water and fertilizer is just running off. I have never been a fan
of top watering and always have my blocks setting in some sort of tray
so that I can flood it from the bottom and the blocks will wick up the
amount of water that they need. Just today I transplanted a bunch of
tomato plants from small blocks to bigger blocks-----they look great.
The roots will grow out to the edge of the block and then stop but
when you plant them into the ground they start growing again. I think
that this allows the roots to fan out quicker then if they were
circling inside a container. Break one of the blocks apart and see if
moisture is getting all the way to the root or if you've packed the
soil too tight-----the roots need air too.
Bill

Bill & Steve,
Thanks for the replies. The bottom watering is a tough one for us in the
greenhouse as our only option would be to buy solid 1020 trays for every
flat which would get costly. We considered building a large flooding
table this year for this purpose but it may have to be a summer project.
I will pull another couple blocks apart today and see what they look like.

I think they are getting adequate water/food as with 50 blocks in a flat
they are packed in well. Very little gap between the blocks so they seem
to hold water well and for as much time as the 806's but perhaps its not
getting to the core of the blocks.

Thanks again, I will post back tonight with what I find....
Mark

Bill Bolle wrote:
Mark & Shauna wrote:

Hello all,
This year we opted to start only our wholesale and retail veggies in
plastic and started all our own, and some friends, veggies in soil
blocks made with the 4 block blocker from johnny's.

We sewed everything in the blocks and the plastic at the same time and
have kept them all together in the greenhouse. So basically they are
getting the same sun, the same water and feed. The plants in the
blocks are about 1/5th the size of the plants in the plastic. For
instance, stonehead cabbage is almost three inches tall with three
true leaves in 806's and the blocks _may_ be an inch tall with their
firt true leaves coming on now. We are a bit perplexed as to what
would cause this. Everything used the same mix, on the same benches in
the greenhouse, and care is the same. Any ideas?

I was concerned that perhaps we packed the blocks too tight however
the seem about the same as the plastic. I am guessing there is
probably a tad less soil in a block than in an 806 but it would be
very minimal. We were packing 50 blocks to a 1020 web flat so there
are two more plants per flat as compared to an 806.

Thanks,
Mark

I've used soil blocks for years and have never had the problem that you
describe, a five to one ratio is unimaginable. The only thing that I
can think of is that you may be watering from the top and most of water
and fertilizer is just running off. I have never been a fan of top
watering and always have my blocks setting in some sort of tray so that
I can flood it from the bottom and the blocks will wick up the amount of
water that they need. Just today I transplanted a bunch of tomato
plants from small blocks to bigger blocks-----they look great. The roots
will grow out to the edge of the block and then stop but when you plant
them into the ground they start growing again. I think that this allows
the roots to fan out quicker then if they were circling inside a
container. Break one of the blocks apart and see if moisture is getting
all the way to the root or if you've packed the soil too tight-----the
roots need air too.
Bill