Propagation: Propagation: Propagation: part XI based on my own experience, 1 by Pughbear7

Pughbear7 wrote:
Hello everyone:
I have been discussing container sizes alog with flat sizes. I think a quick refresher is a good idea. I am not sure if I did this earlier but here it is from the top of my head.

Planting containers or just plain ole' pots.
I guess we should discuss size first. size does matter. as a rule of thumb we are suposed to transplant with a pot that is 2" bigger than the one holding the plant currently. size specifics. a majority were in 4", 6", 8", 10" and so on. now we also have the difference between nursery containers and greenhouse containers.
Greenhouse containers are generally smaller and have a lip and are either square or round.
Nursery containers were generally called gallons depending on the size or the container. our economic thought introduced us to what are called cheeter gallons and the full size are refered to as true gallon.
Now comes the federal government (rut row). the feds told the industry to step into uniformity. we now can not refer to a plant as a gallon plant. They are now refered to as 6" or 10" and so on, or #1 , #3, #5, #7, #10 and so on. now a 6" is the same as a gallon, a 10" is refered to as a 3 gallon, a 12" is referd to as a 5 gallon (might be 14"). why did they do this. because the weighs and measures of trade must be acurate and a cheeter gallon is not a gallon by volume and this was done to give the consumer an acurate measurement and a level playing field within the industry.
They come in many sizes shapes as well as different materials use to make them. I have found the #7 to be a usuless size as the jump from a #5 to a #10 works just as well in vertually the same time frame and you get more out of #10 than a #7. (just my own opinion)
A little bit of history.
While I was chatting with a nurserymen in south florida, he kept calling then cans. I wondered why so I asked someone else (I do not remember who) in the early days plants were potted in cans, coffee, veggie and any thing in between. with this came some side effects. being made of metal the often corrodeed and also released a few nutrients into the soil which would cause a number of issues toxicity and nutrient binding (withholding) both would tie up certain nutrients making them unavailable to the plant for healthy growth. Most growers worked around it or ignored it and did the best they could.
Along comes plastic, a wonderful product from our friends in the oil fields. most containers were made in injection molds, which produce a stiffer heavier container which would last for years. They came in many sized containers. next we were introduced to vacume molded containers. They were first introduced in the retail market place as 6 packs. 6 packs were the standard for quite a long time until the marke started seeing jumbo 6 packs, 18 packs and so forth.
In the growing end of plants we were introduced to what are called sheet pots. Sheet pots are Vacuum molded and lightly perferated to allow easy removal of a single pot.. I personally like them as the amke it easier to handel as well as the lower cost of the containers. a 3" vacume molded container costs 4 cents each, while the same 3" conainer injection molded runs 17 cents each. This cost is based on by the case and $10 shipping cost.
As well as sheet pots we have what are called propagation flats. (pictured)These are flats with a number of cells in each sheet. They are a thicker more ridged material as well as not being perferated, which makes handeling them a lot easier. I had been known to carry 4 - 6 propagation flats to where we were poting up 6" containers for lining out in the field. The most common sizes are 24, 38, 40, 50,105, 285 and 505 cells per flat.
Hanging baskets: Hanging baskets usually come in 4 basic sizes 6", 8", 10", & 12". The sales people started charging for hangers in an effort to make the cost seem lower. There are a number of specialty plant hanging containers. I have seen 12" and 24" pipe with planting holes evenly spaced on the pipe. there is a new fad called "flower pouch's". they come in 5 hole and 10 hole hanging pouches. I like the look of these but I reserve my final judgement until I use one over a season.
Another hanging basket form is a 3 pc. basket where the bottom piece has several planting holes around it. Once you fill the base with soil and plant you flowers in the apropriate hole you snap on the next section. this secion also has planting holes. Finish the basket by snaping the top ring onto the basket fill with soil and plant the desired plugs in the top. Fasten the hanget on the rim of the basket water well and hang it up for everyone to enjoy.
One question I seem to have in my mind and I am sure some ask the same thing. How many plugs do I plant in one container? Personally I have planted 10" baskets with8 plugs to make a fuller basket faster and in my opinion a nicer planting over all. I have also tried using 3 jumbo plugs (24 cell prop tray) in a #3 container. My question is this... Which is faster mass planting or taking larger plants to transplant into the container? I have found it to be advantagous to use more plugs in the larger container as it is much faster and a better quality plant.
I think I have covered containers 101. anyone with a question or observation, opinion or ather input feel free to post it or email me.
Dave