Reply To: Use of Soil Blocks for propagation

[Peter Maughan]

I’m using soil blocks this year. I already had excellent germination of tomato seeds in small blocks made with Ladbrooke’s Micro-20 block maker and have transplanted them all into 2 inch square blocks made with the Mini-4 (the one that Monty Don demonstrated). I also have lettuce, beetroot and spinach germinated directly in 2 inch blocks. As Eliot Coleman points out, there is a lot more growing medium in a square block, compared to the upside-down cone shape of a typical plug tray. It seems to me that for most plants the narrowest part of the root is at the top, where it joins on to the stalk of the plant, not the bottom, as provided by an upside-down cone. So, in theory, the square block provides more root space, which should lead to stronger seedlings. I know that Charles recommends that each person should do their own experimenting and observation. This is certainly something worth experimenting with.