How to choose a suitable plastic seedling tray？

When choosing the right number of holes in a plastic tray to grow plants, you need to consider the following factors:

1. Plant species: Different plants have different requirements for the number of holes in the seedling tray. For example, melons and eggplants are suitable for 50-hole discs, while beans, eggplants, Brussels sprouts, winter and spring tomatoes are suitable for 72-hole discs.
2. Seedling size: Older plants need more space and substrate to support root development, so they may need seedling trays with fewer holes. Conversely, plants with smaller seedling ages can use seedling trays with a higher number of holes.
3. Seedling season: The seedling requirements are different in winter, spring and summer and autumn. Winter and spring seedlings generally require a longer seedling age, larger seedlings, and can be harvested as soon as possible after planting; Summer and autumn seedlings need relatively young seedlings, with high root vigor, which is conducive to slowing down seedlings after planting.
4. Seedling raising methods: Different seedling raising methods, such as hole tray seedling, floating seedling, tidal seedling, etc., have different hole selection for hole trays. For example, polystyrene foam trays can be used for floating seedlings, while polystyrene trays are mostly used for hole tray rearing.
5. Substrate selection: The substrate should have the characteristics of loose texture, good water and fertilizer retention, and rich organic matter. Common substrates such as peaty soil and vermiculite are formulated in a ratio of 2:1, or peat, vermiculite and perlite are formulated in a ratio of 3:1:1.
6. Seedling tray material and size: The material of seedling tray is usually polystyrene foam, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene. The size of the standard cavity disc is 540mm×280mm, and the number of holes is between 18 and 512. The shape of the hole of the seedling tray is mainly round and square, and the substrate contained in the square hole is generally about 30% more than the round hole, and the water distribution is more uniform, and the seedling root system is more fully developed.
7. Economic cost and production efficiency: Under the premise of not affecting the quality of seedlings, we should try to choose a hole tray with more holes to improve the output rate per unit area.
Considering the above factors, choosing a plastic seedling tray with the right number of holes can ensure the healthy growth of plants and improve the efficiency and quality of seedlings.