A different kind of tray

All our trays for seed starting this year were bought as clearance at the end of last year. As a result, I had a "take what you get" thought process (especially when they are on clearance for $2 a set). This also meant we had to branch out a bit from our usual trays and try new ones. One of the new ones was the Burpee Self watering XL Cell seed starting system.

 

A new kind of seed starter to try

The directions were okay, but it took a bit more prep then "rehydrate pellets and plant." First you have to put the "stand" in the bottom tray, then wet and place this mat over it, making sure the ends of the mat reach the water you place in the bottom.

Stand and Mat

 Then you place the seed starter cells on top of the mat. I will admit at this point I was getting a tad concerned that the whole set up would be a bit top heavy and would be an issue when a Pooka is looking at it. She is a gentle creature, but she gets excited.

Cell trays put on top

After the top is put in, then you rehydrate the pellets which expand to fill the entire cell. This is nice since you have a bit more room then a pellet, but it is also hard for a Pooka to keep her fingers out of. She loves getting dirty. We planted our peppers in the 2 sets of cells as well as the celery and some scallions.

Cells rehydrated

 The kits did come with this nice guide, but I didn't see the markings on the tray until after I used a sharpie to mark the letters.

Planting guide

We planted these cells about 18 days ago and I will say I have not had much "sprout" in them yet. The scallions started recently and the celery made an appearance yesterday. I started seeing roots come out of the pepper seeds yesterday as well.

This may be partially since Pooka loves to plant things on top of the dirt so she can watch the roots come out, but the "greenhouse lid" doesn't fit very tight either. As of this point, I am not sure I would buy these again. We have had less of an issue with white mold in them, but I think my complete decision on them will have to wait a bit longer to see what happens here.