Build your own seed propagator
Using one will speed up germination and increase germination success.
Full step-by-step illustrated instructions for building your own propagator are below, as well as info on buying one if you prefer a commercial one, instructions on using it and tips to improve your success rate and deal with common problems.
Covering seeds with a seedling propagator presents a warm, humid and protected environment for your plants to flourish in.
Commercial propagators tend not to be cheap, however the good news is that it is really not difficult to build a very simple and effective seed propagator from what a grower will have in their house already.
The topics in this HOWTO include:
- How to build your own seed incubator from household objects - the cheap and simple way.
- How to buy a seed incubator
- How to use a seed incubator
This can be used to incubate many seeds that do not require wintering. It is small, so only 10/20 seeds or fewer should be planted in it. Once set up, it is mostly self watering. The seeds will eventually need to be planted out. I recommend small fibre pots, or cardboard tube based pots once the time for that comes.
Contents
- If you would prefer to buy one..
- Plants Suitable For The Propagator
- Is a propagator really necessary?
- Materials
- Method
- Using the propagator
- Preventing Fungus Buildup
- Keeping the Rig Stable
- Warming the seeds
- Potential variations and improvements
- When to grow them
- Further information on propagators
- Other Plant Lenses
- Love This Lens?
- Bookmark This Lens
- What people are saying about Building the Seed propagator
- Reader Feedback
- Further information on gardening and growing
- About Danny Staple
- Read other Top Lenses
The home made seed propagator being used to sprout tomatoes
If you would prefer to buy one..
Although this is a fairly simple build ideal for the frugal gardener, buying a commercial propagator will save a little time, and may have features not present in a home built one.
Here is a selection of propagators available for those who prefer this.
Complete Propagation Kit
Amazon Price: $56.97 (as of 11/16/2009) 
List Price:
Used Price:
Stage 3 Seed Starter Kit with Mat and Watering Tray
Amazon Price: (as of 11/16/2009)
List Price:
Used Price:
The Propagator
Amazon Price: (as of 11/16/2009)
List Price:
Used Price:
Tall Propagation Dome for Seed Germination
Amazon Price: $11.50 (as of 11/16/2009)
List Price:
Used Price:
Jiffy Products Jiffy Self-Watering Greenhouse 5262
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 11/16/2009)
List Price: $19.69
Used Price:
Plants Suitable For The Propagator
Those that do best are those that do not require wintering. Some seeds, for example apple, need a cold snap before they will germinate.
The propagator is small, so it is recommended that only 10/20 seeds or fewer should be planted in it. Try to keep them about 1cm apart, scaling this for larger seeds like cucumber.
Tomatoes, aubergines and herbs thrive. Tomatoes are fairly hardy anyway, but this will give them an extra push.
Is a propagator really necessary?
Not all plant growers think one is needed. After all - in a natural setting, in the wild, no plants would be germinated in this way. True - some climates are warmer and moister, and this can be emulated by the germinator - keeping it in moist warm conditions.
It is protected from some pests - but being indoors it may be anyway. However, this also means predators are not there to keep any possible pests in check, which may multiply hugely in the environment. Fungi is a repeated problem with these set ups.
With the right soil, it is still an organic method, no chemicals or pesticides need to be used.
So tell me, do you think a propagator should be used for some plants (those which take well to them) or not?
(HTML allowed, comments moderated. A Guestbook for general comments is below)
Should a propagator be used with plants?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes - it gives seeds a great start.
Stazjia says:
I have found a propagator very useful for germinating some seeds.
Posted July 06, 2009
dannystaple says:
Well I would say that. but really - many more seeds come up with a propagator than not.
Posted June 27, 2009
No - better to go all natural.
Materials
Stuff you require to build this
- A small plastic saucer/drip tray
- A larger plastic saucer/drip tray
- A transparent bottle - with a wide neck and quite tall
- potting compound or compost
- A little water
- A small gardening trowel
- A well lit shelf
- Some willing seeds
A Small 90 mm/ 4 inch saucer / planter tray
Terra Tray - T.C. 4"
Amazon Price: (as of 11/16/2009)
I always prefer the terracotta look for my plant accessories. In fact, I am not sure transparent ones are a good idea for this - roots should probably be in a dark area.
This is a bulk pack, to get you started on building a few of these modules and leave you some for the normal intended use of putting them under pots.
A larger 5 - 6 Inch (or 140 mm) Saucer
Terra Tray -T.C. 6"
Amazon Price: (as of 11/16/2009)
If you are planting many plants, or building one of these modules, you will need plenty of saucers. This is a small bulk pack of 10 to get you started.
Find a large plastic transparent bottle to recycle into the propagator
I use the bottles that Veetee Basmati rice comes in. Rice can be bought like this in Tesco in the UK.
Any large transparent plastic bottle with a neck between the diameter of the small planter and the large planter will do. The dimensions here need only be roughly followed. The height is more than needed, anything over 150mm (6 inches) high will do.
A standard 2 ltr plastic soft drink bottle, sliced after the neck should also suffice. Also, the transparent cases for recordable CD spindles should do. I suggest the 100's as the 50s are a bit too short.
- Height: ~300mm (1 foot) - anything over about 200mm should be suitable.
- Neck Diameter: ~120mm (4 - 5 inches)
- Side widths: ~150mm (6 inches) - less important
You will need some potting compound or compost
Eko Organic Original Soil Mix - 8 Quart Bag of Potting Soil
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 11/16/2009)
I recommend getting good organic compost or potting soil, as this can really help out when growing things indoor or out.
Or aternatively hack your own potting soil
You probably could hack this by sterilising (with boiling water) some garden soil and mixing drainage pellets like this vermiculite, or some perlite. I prefer vermiculite myself as it tends to remain in the soil longer, and I even use it to mix with commercial composts to fix water and hold nutrients so they are not washed out. If you are hacking your own soil, make sure the water is properly boiling, you need to ensure there are no living fungi and other pests that are normally found lurking in garden soil - in an indoor window box environment, the usual checks and balances are not present to control them!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
A little water
This system retains moisture, so you should not need to top it up during the propagation. If there is enough sunlight, you will see condensation on the bottle. Check of course if the soil has dried, and only add a few more drops if that is the case.
Window sill or shelf
And some willing seeds of course
Gardener's Delight Tomato 130 Seeds
Amazon Price: $1.49 (as of 11/16/2009)
Gardeners Delight is a small sweet cherry tomato. The fruits are bright red and being indeterminate can keep on yielding all through the year if grown indoors.
Method
How to actually build the propagator
Building this is really very, very simple:- Place a small amount of soil in the smaller planter tray, about 1/4 of the way up.
- Put the seeds on here. Try to give them about 10mm from each other at least so they do not overwhelm each other before being transferred.
- Cover with soil to about 3/4 of the tray depth.
- Add a little water - not too much - just enough to make the soil consistently moist to the touch.
- Place the small tray into the larger one.
Wash and strip all labels off the rice bottle.
Ensure the rice bottle is clean. You do not have any worms or creatures to digest rice dust, and just letting it fall onto the soil may just encourage pests later.- Place the rice bottle so the rim of its neck sits in the gap between the two trays.
- Make sure the whole lot is in the well lit sill or shelf.
- After a day or so, the water may condense in the bottle and run down - this is fine. You should not need to add much water as long as the bottle still appears moist.
- Wait a week or so, and the seedlings will sprout.
Using the propagator
How to use it once built
As mentioned before, only a few seeds should be used, too many and they will overwhelm each other.
Only a little water is required. The fact that it condenses, and keeps water in means that it is not lost to evaporation.
If there is any sign of fungi in the bottle, clean the bottle, add a little water. If there is fungi on the soil you will need to transfer the plants, dispose of the soil and clean the whole rig. Read below for more info on fungi.
One the seedlings reach out and have sprouted proper leaves (not just the cotyledons) then that is usually time to plant them out. I generally plant out into fibre pots, filling them with soil, dibbing, then placing each seedlings root ball in the dibbed hole. If the seedling is too leggy, make the hole deeper, and fill around part of the stem. For some plants, like tomatoes, this will encourage more root growth.
To re-use, simple remove the soil, clean, refill, plant seeds, add a little water and it is ready to propagate again.
The lighting needs to be fairly regular, but no too intense - you want to give good light but not scorch the tender new seedlings.
Try not plant the seedlings too close, if they are right on top of each other, their roots may begin to tangle up and they will be very difficult to separate.
Preventing Fungus Buildup
The main thing about this is to make sure it is cleaned well between uses, and that you take action at the first sign of a fungal infection. A good propagator for seeds may become an equally good propagator for fungi.
Here steps that can be taken to prevent this:
- Ensure the compost is sterile - reusing old compost from other pots, or garden compost or even some commercial ones may mean you are introducing fungi that way. Pour boiling water through it, and allow it to drain and cool before putting it into the rig.
- Ensure the rig is sterile - Similarly, although neither the planter drip trays, nor the bottle will tolerate boiling water, washing them well and hosing them down shoudl reduce the risk of them carring in a fungal infection.
- Occasionally lift the bottle off - just allowing occasional fresh air to circulate, and reducing the damp sometimes will reduce the risk or growth of fungi a lot.
- Getting more light on it may help - Plants like light a lot more than fungi.
- Do not overwater it. Fungi likes soggy soil, plant seeds do not.
If fungi is seen on the bottle, remove it, clean it, then replace it. If fungi is seen on the seedlings, you may chose to use a fungicide spray. I avoid those as my garden is both organic and edible. Beware that some fungi will render a herb or veg inedible - they may be toxic.
Keeping the Rig Stable
To prevent this, the based can be secured with a little bluetac to the surface it is on- only a thin amount is needed - big blobs may make the rig less stable.
Try to place it out of the way - on a window sill is good, but not right in front of the handle to open the window.
Finally, some kind of stand could be built. So far I have not needed this, but coathanger wire bent to hold the bottle in place with some legs may help here.
Warming the seeds
A heat mat for lizards or commercial propagators may be used. These are not particularly cheap, but will do the trick.
Having the rig near a heater/radiator is good, but do not put it directly on the heater as that would be too much.
Putting the rig in direct sunlight will get it nice and warm, but to avoid the plants being scorched, make sure that there is enough water. You may see condensation forming on the inside of the bottle.
If you have an older refrigerator there may be a warm spot above it, but many recent energy efficient ones do not put out heat like old ones used to.
Simmer Mat Defuser
Amazon Price: $17.26 (as of 11/16/2009)
Hydrofarm MT10006 Seedling Heat Mat, 10 By 20 Inches
Amazon Price: $29.91 (as of 11/16/2009)
Potential variations and improvements
My other ideas for making this more handy
A larger set up.
Cutting the bottle halfway, vertically, and somehow binding the two necks would give a shorter (in height) incubator, but with a greater base area, and it is the base area that gives growing room.
To do this, a larger growing base might need to be used. A rectangular drip tray would probably take the place of the large saucer, and it could be used with either multiple smaller saucers, or tiny seed planter pots. It would be good to use breakaway fibre planters for that, although that could be a little expensive.
- Could the inside of the bottle be given a quick coat of something that resists fungi? Keeping it suitable for edible plants, maybe lemon juice or strong tea, which both have antiseptic properties? Would this otherwise affect the seedlings or be too harsh for them?
When to grow them
The answer depends on the seeds in question, and many seed packets will display a date. For indoor plants, the time of year will not matter, although you may need to use artificial light to augment the sunlight if there are not many hours of this.
Generally speaking - the months of march through to may are the best time to start seeds, the weather is warm, the year is ahead for development before winter, the days are getting longer, and if they are fruiting, then this is likely to occur in the harvest season.
Further information on propagators
Hydrofarm CK64050 Germination Station with Heat Mat
Amazon Price: $30.10 (as of 11/16/2009)
The Plant Propagator's Bible (Readers Digest)
Amazon Price: $32.95 (as of 11/16/2009)
Propagator (Original Mix)
Amazon Price: $0.89 (as of 11/16/2009)
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What people are saying about Building the Seed propagator
- Talk about the seed propagator on MyBlogLog
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- People talking about this on Twitter:
It is march, time to start planting seeds. What are you going to be planting? http://bit.ly/GUJeK
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What others are saying...
Reader Feedback
Ideas? Uses? Improvements
Please let me know what you think.
- What have you used it for?
- What did you grow?
- Did you modify it slightly?
- Have you found other suitable materials?
- Were there any flaws you have discovered, and do you know a way around them?
- Reply
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Reply
- gardenlady gardenlady Apr 20, 2009 @ 3:11 pm
- Very nice ideas. My garden is already well established, but I'll keep this in mind for next year. My empty sugar jugs will work nicely.
Thanks for the lens.
-
Reply
- Swisstoons Swisstoons Apr 19, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
- Excellent, well-put-together lens. Rolling to my Best Buds lens.
- Reply
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About Danny Staple
Lensmaster dannystaple, aka Danny Staple, has been a member since July 5 2008, has rated 416 lenses, favorited 128, and has created 37 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "OpenTTD vs Simutrans | The Linux Transport Simulation Showdown". See all my lenses
My Bio
I build stuff, grow stuff, read stuff and like to write about it. I like to philosophise, research and learn, and then go the next step and apply, do and build. I love reading How-to's and will experiment with things to see what else I can learn. Read more about me and my lenses here.
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