Here are some of the small stackapot vertical sysems, NJ stackers. Im using these for mass production propagation of all kinds of flower seeds. I usually plant numerous seeds in each plant site and all the same type of seeds in all three sites of one pot. That way, only one lable tells me what is in that pot. When those seeds germinate and are ready for potting on or transplanting, I lift the pot from the stack and carry it to wherever Im doing the transplanting, either a potting table or the actual flower bed.
The NJ's stackers have a self watering feature so there is a continuous supply of water to the coir mix in the pots. This is an ideal arrangement for seed germination as the seedbed is less likely to dry out in case you are a little tardy with your watering schedule. You can drape or someway finagle a greenhouse type cover over the stackers to get a more desirable heat level for seed germination. It is also easy to rig up a cover of some type for frost protection. As you can see, all this can be done at a comfortable table height also.
With proper protection over one of these little stackers, that make an ideal system for propagating cuttings also. These little units can serve many uses in your garden besides growing flowers, which is what most people use them for. Medium to smaller plants work better in these smaller units but last year I started quite a few sweet william and calundula (pot marigold) seed in them. After pricking out most of the seedlings I left some plants in the pots to grow to maturity.
The pot marigold plant was listed as being 18 to 24 inches tall. It almost reached 18 inches and started blooming and blooming and blooming. You couldn't see the pot for the flowers. As long as I watered and fertilized it and dead headed it, it just kept pumping out flowers. One windy Texas hill country morning I stepped out into the yard and the big marigold plant was laying in one corner of the yard and the pot was laying in another. I picked up the marigold and all its roots had a firm grip on the peat based pro mix stuff I had planted them in. The grow mix was perfectly shaped to the shape of the little stackapot. I poked the plant plus gro mix back in the pot, watered it and it kept pumping out flowers on through the winter, even on the windy days when I had to go chase it down. I could have easily staked the pots down where they would not have blown over but I got a kick out of seeing that marigold blow around the yard on windy days and still survive.
I had not thinned out the sweet william plants like I should have and still had 6 to 7 plants in each plant site, growing merrily along, happily entertwined and firmly locked together in a death hug. When I finally got around to transplanting them, I had to pry and cut them apart to get to seperate plants. Planted them in larger pots and they are doing fine.
There are some larger versions of the NJ stackers but the smaller versions are a fun and productive growing system with many uses. And this smaller version dont take no back seat to its big brothers either.
