Learning about propagators for cheap or free plants
Growing plants from seeds and cuttings can range from child’s play to difficult for the professional. My advice – start simple and work your way up the difficulty scale step by step.
It’s incredibly rewarding, from mustard and cress on kitchen paper (or microgreens if you’re trendy), to exotics in a state-of-the-art propagator. It’s the cheapest way of acquiring new plants, too. Read about which seeds to sow in February.
Propagators: for every need, size and skill level
If you’re getting into growing seriously, you’re going to need an electric propagator. They’re worth their weight in gold and pay for themselves quickly. In descending order, these are the propagators I use – a varied lot:
Seeds and cuttings – Thermostatically-controlled heat mat
The newest (2016) is a large Biogreen thermostatically-controlled heated mat (about £80 – a birthday present). It’s approximately 40cm x 120cm and is used mainly to overwinter tender plants like my bananas and chillies, but also comes in handy for propagation. You can set the temperature at whatever your seeds or cuttings need, pop the probe into the soil, and it will come off and on as needed – very cheap to run.
Jumbo propagator
Then there’s ‘Snow White’s glass coffin’ – the BioGreen Jumbo Propagator that was my 2013 birthday present. It’s thermostatically controlled as well and has a large domed cover, so it accommodates a lot of trays and plants. You set it at the optimum temperature for seeds to germinate or plants to overwinter. It cost £110, but it is in constant use from January to May. Read about the Vitopod heated propagator with lights.
Seeds and cuttings – Super value starter heated propagators
Before my other half bought me the big propagators, I used the much-loved Garland Super 7 and still do. Retail prices vary wildly – shop around, you should be able to get one for under £25, which includes the seed trays and covers. Before that, I used a Stewart sealed unit propagator that I was bought for my 14th birthday, still going strong – that’s 40 years! Its lid is cracked, and the plastic is very yellowed, but it still does the job.
Neither of these is thermostatically controlled – the base units are heated, raising the ambient temperature of the compost by about 8°C. That’s good enough to grow most things – I used them to grow tomatoes for years.
Unheated propagators
At the cheapest end of the spectrum lie the unheated propagators, basically plastic seed trays with lids. They are fine if you just want to raise the temperature a couple of degrees or keep in moisture. An even cheaper solution is using a transparent plastic bag held with an elastic band over a tray/pot.
Seeds and cuttings – After germination…
Above all, the most important thing to do once seeds have germinated is to move them to a cooler, light place, especially if you’ve started them off early in the year. If you don’t, you’ll get weak, leggy seedlings that can fall victim to damping-off disease. In that case, you’re better off waiting until March, when there’s more daylight.
Finally, they will still need a constant temperature, just not as high as being in a propagator. Swings between freezing and a superheated greenhouse will spell the end for seedlings.
