Solo Cups

I am running out of Solo cups. I use the 1 oz for mini leaves and 3 oz for bigger ones. Where do you all get yours? I may have to buy in bulk. : )

I get mine at Wal-Mart or Cash and Karry grocery store.. I was buying them in a case of 2500 but after shipping they were more not less.
The Dixie cups 3 oz. come I think 150 a bag. When my husband picks them up he gets me half a dozen bags.

What's the best way to poke holes in the bottom? I have not really found a great method. Ice Pick is what I have been doing.

i have to pick some up....will report back on prices i find

I used a cordless drill with a small bit to make the holes.I did ten a time.Was pretty easy.I love power tools:)

That's a good idea. I will give it a try. (I never use power tools, but I do have two guys in my family that could assist.) : )

I use a metal shish kebab skewer... I heat the tip by placing in on my stove burner, and then I can pop a hole through a whole stack of plastic cups (or a nested stack of the salad containers that I like for winter sowing & seed starting). Somebody on another forum posted that they use a cheap soldering iron the same way. Melting the hole rather than trying to just cut or poke your way through may be better because the plastic won't crack... I'm sure drilling works fine, too!

Wow, we are an industrious group. : ) Thanks!!!!

such ingenuity....om gosh...he he

Well, it's much cheaper to skewer holes through a whole stack of 1 oz. plastic cups than to buy a case of "official" thumbprint pots, LOL! I wish I could find the 1 oz and 3 oz sizes around here... I got mine at a "Chef's Mart" in NC... Solo cups at the grocery store & at Sam's Club are all paper!

Actually, the paper ones work fine for tomato & pepper seedlings (they fit 32 to a flat), but they do start breaking down after 5 or 6 weeks... The first year I tried this, I wrote pepper names on the cups with a Sharpie, which was fine until the outside of the cups molded... Fortunately, I used different cups for my sweet & hot peppers, so at least I could keep that much straight!

I just use tip of sharp scissors . very easy . One bag of 150 3oz less than 2.00 dollars/
I buy thumb print pot for mini plants for 4 cents each . 2 inch for 7 cents sturdy round.
I use solo cups for all leaves ,
i love growing in thumb print pots ~

I use the soldering iron method. Mine was pretty cheap, I think you can pick on up pretty cheap at Harbor Freight or even walmart. Here's a photo from my seed starting tutorial that I haven't finished because my seeds haven't come up yet. Not solo cups, but the same Idea.

Careful if you do use this method, fumes are yucky and shold be done in a well ventilated area and 2) cups can stick together if you do too many at once. The skewer method sounds a bit more efficient for lots of cups at a time.

Uh oh..... when I put my leaves down using the solo cups, I didn't do any holes.... Allison!! Guess I'd better do that, huh??

And just to let you know, everybody seems to be doing fine - no babies from your leaves, but they haven't been down too long. I did get some babies from a noid leaf I put down awhile ago ~ I talk to it about a million times a day! :o)

So, I'll go do some holes.

Sanna

There's some fumes with the hot skewer method too, but since I'm by the stove anyway, I just turn on the exhaust fan.

I can poke through a stack of at least 20 cups at a go.... One hole for the 1 oz cups, 2 for larger cups, holes every couple of inches when I'm adding ventilation to a dome or drainage to a seed starting tray.

Sanna, yes, drainage is important... once your leaves root & start producing plantlets, you'll want to be able to water them thoroughly without leaving them sitting in water.

I get my solo cups at Walmart. To begin with I was using an apple corer to poke holes. It worked pretty well, but was slow-going doing them one at a time. Then I tried a cordless drill, but I had to use three different bits to get the hole up to the size I wanted, it was messy, and I crushed several cups. Then, I asked my husband to help out and he got his propane torch and a piece of wrought iron stock (just a straight round piece). He heated that with a propane torch and it melted right through them. It took him less than 5 minutes to do 100 of them. That's my new method - letting my husband do it! LOL

great way Amy !

Much easier for me! LOL And he doesn't mind. I can see that I'm slowly turning him to the gardening side...

Thumbprint pots are pan pots correct? If so where do you buy them? I have only seen them 5' or larger which is way to big for a mini.

Raingazer, I think your idea wins.......let hubby do it. Perfect. ; ) ( Oops, Bob, pretend you didn't see this) ha ha

No thumb Print pots are the little pots that are one inch to 1 1/3/4 inch.
Pan Pots ( or sometimes called Bulb Pans)
Are made shallow as African violets, trailers, and Gessies have shallow roots.
I use them for trailers, Streps, Espcias, my 20 inch across Chirita is in a 5" pan pot. I've never had to use larger. But the can be bought.
I buy mine along with 2 inch and 3 and 4 inch from Secret gardens. Link is in Sticky also !
http://www.secretgardenrareplants.com/catalog.cfm?category_id=16

Cat. No: 491 PLASTIC POTS
1 3/4 inch round, black

$.04 each $3.75 per 100 $17.50 per 500 $29.95 per 1000
Cat. No: 492 PLASTIC POTS
2 inch round, white, sturdy, made to last.

$.07 each $6.75 per 100 $33.00 per 500 $64.00 per 1000

Cat. No: 507 BULB PANS
5 inch, white or green

$.35 each $3.25 per 10 $15.95 per 50 $30.95 per 100
Cat. No: 508 BULB PANS
6 inch, white

$.55 each, $5.25 per 10 $25.95 per 50 $50.95 per 100
Cat. No: 817 BULB PANS
8 inch, terra-cotta

$.65 each $6.25 per 10 $29.95 per 50 $58.95 per 100
Cat. No: 509 BULB PANS
8 inch, white or green

$.85 each $8.25 per 10 $39.95 per 50 78.95 per 100
Cat. No: 510 BULB PANS
10 inch, green

$1.95 each $19.00 per 10 $94.00 per 50

Right...but the smallest bulb paan I have found is about 4'

Well Bulb Pan ( Pan Pots) are used for larger plants that have shallow roots. That's why I use them for trailers, Epscias, Streps,
my Chirita ...
I use other pots for other size plants.
I sent Bob some plants in Pan Pots.
I have this Chirtia is growing in a 5 inch pan pot .
Oh know what's so cool. See this one bloom :)) From the same stalk and bloom has opened and now there's a half a dozen right with it :)) I need to take a new picture ! Last time it bloomed I had so many flowers bloom sltaks going all around the plant. More are coming up this time they just take a long time to form .
Oh Lorry what were you planning on using the Pan Pots for ?

This is same plant around October end/Nov. 2005
I just love this plant :))

A plant is on the way to you Lorry :)) Mom plant Blessed me with a bunch of great babies !