Replanting and Upcycling the Recycling!

Okay, so I have come to the point in my seedling growth where they need to be replanted! I didn't want to go out and buy a bunch of tiny pots so, I did the next best thing, I upcycled the recycling. In other words...I went to the recycling bin and collected bottles to turn into lil' planters!
I collected anything from empty water bottles, to 2-liters, to milk and juice jugs. ( ***DO NOT use any bottles that once held chemicals that will be hazardous to your plants and yourself. Also, I am unsure if you can use a plastic vinegar bottle due to the acidity.***) My family eats those fruit cups that are in the refrigerated produce section and Greek yogurt which are also perfect lil' pot sizes! To cut the bottles I would use a serrated knife to create an initial puncture in the plastics and then used scissors to cut the rest of the way around the bottles. I would make my new planters about 4-inches tall if it is a plastic water bottle and about 6 inches tall if it is a larger container like a milk jug or 2-liter bottle. Once you have cut your recycling down to size you need to puncture a few small holes in the bottle to allow water drainage. I used a box cutter to do this process....***Please be very careful when cutting the bottles and making slits in the bottom of your upcycled recycled planters. While creating holes I slipped and stabbed the box cutter into the palm of my hand and made a bloody mess :-(. These steps are not recommended for children.***

Once you have all your upcycled recycled pots cut down and drainage holes created, it is time to plant your seedlings! I took my 1st tray and its "map" ( diagram of what I planted) outside and replanted the seedlings in their new pots. To do so, I first placed a little potting soil (about an inch depending on the size of the pot) in the bottom of the pot. Then I grabbed my 1st seeding out of the greenhouse tray and opened the bottom of the netting up to expose the roots to the new soil. I placed it in the pot and filled in the remaining area with potting soil, leaving about an inch at the top that was covered in peat moss. Make sure to press down the soil and peat moss or when you water you need to add more soil. I then took a kabob skewer labeled the plant accordingly with a sharpie and took some old ribbon and gently tied the plant up to the stick for support. The reason why I used skewers was I was able to buy a 200pack of bamboo skewers for 97 cents and they are long enough for the plant to grow up. You may have to secure your plants in multiple places if it is falling over. Please note that you do not want to tie the ribbon/string too tight or the plant wont grow properly. I then watered my plant and placed it in the lid of the greenhouse so if water did drip it had a pan to catch it. I repeated this process for most of the plants the "bushy or shorter" plants like basil that don't need support did not get a skewer instead I used a sharpie marker and wrote on the upcycled recycled pot. After all my plants were replanted I brought them back inside and put them under their sunlamps.

I plan on taking them outside once the weather gets nice lately it has been cold and we have been getting a lot of rain and hail. I don't want to traumatize my young seedlings, so grow light light is what they will get until the weather is nicer.

For plants I knew I would be re-planting again like tomatoes, I chose to plant them in a jiffy pot that this about 4" they look similar to these pots posted on their website. I love em because when its time to replant the tomato plants you just rip the bottom open like you did the netting and place them directly into the ground, and they bio-degrade under the soil.

***When planting the seedlings you plant multiple seeds into the netted pouches once they sprout and you are replanting them DO NOT separate the sprouting greenery or they will die.***

Giving your seedlings light

I started out growing my seeds in the basement in the dark to get them started. Since I live in Chicago it was too cold to leave them in an unheated garage in the beginning of March. They started sprouting and since the basement had no windows I installed grow lights in a clamp light from the local hardware store. When using the clamp lights remember to use the correct watt light bulbs or it can cause a fire. I use one 75watt bulb to a tray and then have 2 -60watt bulbs thrown in the center of the table to generate more light. The lights are about 1-2 feet above the plants. If you have the lights higher then that you wont get the most out of the bulb, and any lower you can run the risk of burning the plants.

I set my lights up on a timer to run from 7am-7pm. When growing plants it is important to give your plants equal amount of light and dark. I have all my lights plugged into a grounded power strip and the power strip is then plugged into the timer. I rotate the plants once a week to make them grow straighter vs. them growing towards the light and leaning over.

Remember to check on your plants often once they are under the lamps because their soil will dry out. When watering the plants it is important you don't over water because like animals plants can drown.

Starting Seedlings in a Jiffy Professional Greenhouse

This year I decided to grow my plants from seedlings vs. buying an array of already grown flowers or young veggie plants. I went to the store and purchased a Jiffy Professional Greenhouse that can house up to 72 plants. It comes with a base tray, 72 compressed peat pellets (36mm), and a clear dome. I first purchased 1 tray and was skeptical about growing plants from seeds. Within a week I had greenery sprouting up all over the tray. I now have 5 trays and wish I had more room to grow!

The instructions are very simple to use and there is little to no mess, so easy to use I sowed the seeds in the kitchen. Jiffy has 2 different types of peat pellets, one pellet is encased in a white netting and the second is encased in a clear netting. I have had better luck with the white netting and I am not sure why, but this is the one I recommend. The directions are on the back of the package and very easy to use.

I prepared my pellets by using a 4 cup liquid measuring cup with warm water and pouring it over the pellets until I had measured out 10 1/2 cups of warm water. I then waited about 10 minutes for all the water to be absorbed, peeled back the netting and made small holes in the peat with my pinky finger. From there I planted my seeds into the hole and covered up the seeds with the peat from the pellet. ***Please note: When sowing seeds it is important to look at how long it takes the seeds to germinate. You want to plant the seeds with the like germination time in the same greenhouse. Otherwise if you plant a seed that will sprout in 10 days with a different kind of seed that sprouts in 21 days, the seed that takes longer to grow will most likely not sprout. (Or at least not in my experience.)****

Now if you are planting a bunch of the same plants then you don't have to worry about labeling which plant is which. If you are like me and went crazy buying seeds then you need to "map" out your greenhouse. This specific greenhouse has 6 rows across(the long way) and 12 rows down (the short way) I took a piece of scrap paper and drew out a 6X12 grid. From there I labeled the rows with the different types of greenery I planted. This is easiest to do as you are planting the seeds that way you don't forget! (I did forget to do this step and I have some mystery plants only to be discovered their true identity once they are fully grown.) Also you need to keep in mind if you have more then 1 greenhouse tray you need to be able to identify them as well I numbered my greenhouse trays with those circular yard sale stickers and put that number on the corresponding greenhouse map. SO....if i am looking at the map the number is in the upper right hand corner and the sticker is on the bottom tray on the right hand corner, that way there is no confusion to which way the map goes.

Once your seeds are covered with peat, you've numbered your greenhouses, and mapped them out as well, it is time to cover them with the clear plastic lid. You will notice once the lid is on that the moisture and heat (from the warm water) starts to cloud up the lid....THAT IS GOOD! The seeds need the moisture to germinate. Now it is time to place your green house out of direct sunlight in a relatively warm place. I kept mine in the unfinished part of the basement off of the cement floor.

Check back on your seedlings! You don't want the peat to dry out and you don't want to over water either! Once you see sprouting of green I have found that if you wait till about 90% of the plants have sprouted before you vented the top of the green house you will yield more plants.

Good Luck!