Self-Watering Seed Starting System – 72 Cell

I absolutely love this seed tray. I actually bought one at a store and then bought a second one online. I will definitely get this again!

I bought this in January to start some tomatoes and herb seeds. The directions were clear on how to set it up and use it. The peat pods got stuck in the cells and were a little bit of trouble to break up but the fact that every cell grew something for this new gardener, I was really pleased. I destroyed the cells getting the seedlings out. Because each tray had 36 cells, it was a bit of a challenge to get out the seedlings. I didn’t consider that I wouldn’t be able to dump each seedling out one by one. I’m a rookie. I’ll purchase more cells next year and use the rest of this station since it’s still in good condition.

Like others, my pellets took some (ok, A LOT of) softening with warm water before they fluffed for planting; I wasn't too annoyed, but the pellets certainly could've been fresher. The kit itself was very easy to use - I planted, labeled, watered, and was ready to go. The tray is hard to move around once you've got water in - as the trays are VERY thin and the water makes it all very heavy. I am frustrated that it doesn't seem as reusable as it should - everything feels very flimsy and the watering pad that sucks up the water is separating. I doubt it'll make it through this season let alone another one. Lastly, I am SUPER annoyed about the lid - it's constantly slipping down off of the tray edges which are thin/small, and it crushes some of the seedlings which are near the edge. Looking at it (I swear) causes it to fall, let alone trying to actually tend to the plants. I am not at all satisfied with this crappy/flimsy/ill-fitting lid which just rests on the trays. It actually need to lock in somehow - or have a larger resting space so it's not always falling off. I will likely be looking for a different set up next year - and not such a large tray. 72 cells seemed like a good idea to get everything in one place, but it's just too unwieldy and too difficult to maintain.

Seems to be good quality from a legacy American company. I started my Marigolds in Houston Texas in January and got them put in the garden in February. The plastic is thick enough that it can be used over and over again and not thrown away. Would purchase again

I had great success with this. I scattered a package of black eyed susan seeds on the right side, and purple coneflower seeds on the left. Then I realized that black eyed susan are supposed to be cold-stratified, so I removed all of the seeds I could see, put them in the fridge, and put yarrow seeds in the cells instead. Much to my surprise, 50+ black eyed susan seeds sprouted even without the cold stratification! The purple coneflower were slower, but I ended up with ~10 of those and ~13 yarrow. The only con I encountered was that it is quite difficult to get the seedlings out of the cells when transplanting. They don’t “pop” out as described, and the starting mix crumbles everywhere. My finger often got stuck in the little holes trying to remove seedlings which hurt.

Good idea but definitely needs improvement. Comes with a 2 inch plastic humidity dome which is totally inadequate for growing seedlings. My squash seedlings based their heads on the top of the dome 1 day after coming up. Definitely get a system with at least a 7 1/2 inch humidity dome. I also bought 2 inch peat pots to put in each cell so that once growing there would not be a big issue with damaging the roots when transplanted. Squash does not like their roots disturbed.

Followed directions and planted tomato seeds right before flying out of town this spring. Left lots of water, heat mat, lights on a timer. When I came back 6 days later most cells were watered and seedlings were up! Works best if you make sure to mix the potting mix or pellets really thoroughly with the water so completely rehydrated before st this whole thing up. Works better/longer for seedlings as intended, but with a big bucket of water you could keep larger seedlings alive. Overpriced for what it is, but I had zero time to fiddle with DIYing it. Clearly you could improvise this yourself.

Not impressed at all with this seed tray. The water in the bottom with the liner does not stay wet enough to keep the plants moist. I had to water them from the sink. Also the soil tablets did not say to make sure they are flat on the bottom before adding water. If turned sideways they expand side to side and you can’t get them turned. Lastly forget trying to get them out as one solid plant with soil attached. Wish I could send back but I don’t think they would accept it used but how are you supposed to know if you don’t use it?

I am so happy with this tray! It has made things so easy for me. There was one batch of seeds I wanted to get started when things were all still frozen up where I live. So not having to get my own soil and fill the cells was so handy. The "wicking" pad has kept all the cells moist and all my seeds have sprouted and are doing well. The other reviews that say their seeds didn't sprout....come on, you can't blame this product on that. Either you've got bunk seeds or you did something wrong. And as for the people having trouble getting the soil pellets to expand, if you follow the directions they work perfectly! Just keep adding more very warm water and "assist" apart as needed. I wouldn't use this for the rest of my seeds, as I don't mind doing the work myself when the weather warms up. But for when you need the convenience of something like this, it is entirely helpful! I highly recommend this tray. It is easy to use, sturdy, and effective.

An excelent product.

Nice size, easy to use. Read the instructions on how to properly assemble and place the mat and it works very well. The dome is meant to rest on top, not snap into place, but if you’re not expecting it or don’t bother with instructions, you might be annoyed. The only issue I’ve had is that because the trays are so large (36 cells in each) transplanting was very tricky. Easily remedied by snipping into smaller sections of cells. Durable enough to reuse for at least a couple of seasons. Really love the mat feature, keeps things moist for days.