Bootstrap Farmer Extra Strength 32 Cell Seedling Starter Trays w/Inserts, 2 Pack, for Seed Germination, Plant Propagation, Growing Trays, Planting Starter

I've ordered several products by Bootstrap Farmer over the last couple of years, and I have to say I love this company."Buy once, cry once." - Are these trays more expensive compared to other options? Yep. Are you going to have to replace them next year because they are cheap crap that will break after a single use? Not a chance. Will you be saving a lot of money in the long run by buying these one time, instead of rebuying the cheap crap year after year? Most certainly. These things are awesome so far, and I don't foresee any issues with them lasting long into the future.The inserts are about an 8.5 / 10 for me. They are just slightly oversize for the trays, so they bow up in the middle a bit. It's not as noticeable when the pots are all filled with moistened soil or coco, the weight will force the center down. I also wish they sat a bit more flush with the bottom of a 10x20 tray to make bottom watering easier, but honestly that is just nit-picking. I love that the insert holds each pot individually. I've been doing the 32 2.5" square pots in a 10x20 tray for a few years now (with cheaper pots that need replacing frequently) . One of the main issues with that was stability when moving the trays around, taller pots like to tip over. Replacing my trays with Bootstrap Farmer's heavy duty ones helped, since they aren't nearly as flimsy as my old trays. These inserts solve the problem completely though. Each pot is secured individually in the tray. I love it!As for the pots themselves, they are perfect for starting seeds that you don't want to worry about needing to transplant for up to a couple months. Yes, you can fit 72 plants in a standard 10x20 tray, but they will only stay in those tiny cells for a week or two before you need to move them to a bigger container (like these 2.5" pots). Far more efficient to just start them out in these larger pots.I do need to note that the pots I received are not the ones shown in the pictures on the product listing. The ones I got match the pictures posted by a couple other reviewers, with the increased height/width, and the expanded 'lip' on the upper edge of the pot. When in the cells the pot edges touch each other without the half inch gap between them. This has an impact if using the plastic domes with your trays, as the domes will not slide over the outer edges of a full tray of pots as neatly. Pushing the dome down until it was a bit under an inch from touching the tray worked 'well enough', and felt like it might deform or damage the dome if I went further. While that still worked decently at keeping humidity up, it's not as good of a seal as you would get with the smaller pots shown in the product description pics. I kind-of prefer the larger pots though, to be honest. Did they switch versions or manufacturers at some point? Is there still a chance of receiving the smaller pots? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? The world may never know...A couple reviewers have mentioned the smell as a negative aspect, but personally it's not an issue for me. Yes, there is a strong 'new plastic' smell when you first open the box. It's probably because they are shipping these things out as fast as they can make them, they aren't sitting in a warehouse for a year or more to give the odor time to dissipate. I just rinsed everything well under water in case there were any chemicals from the manufacturing process remaining, and a couple weeks later the smell is barely detectable. First world problems, honestly. :)

First off, made here in the United States of America with premium, non-toxic materials, unlike other manufactures that use recycled and questionable plastics!I’m suitably impressed by the rigidity. Excellent moving up from 72 cells. I would very much like to see Bootstrap offer these with a large center hole to make removing the seedling and plug easier. I will likely use a heated circle punch to open these up.Be advised that these will not fit into a 1020 tray. You can precariously balance on one top while watering of a 1020, but you’re better off just watering where the drainage won’t matter. Likewise humidity domes just fit over the tops of the containers. I have not had any issue related to that. I have peppers, herbs, papayas, dragonfruit, and various flowering plants that have been covered with a dome and no problems. You just have to remember that you have to check soil moisture more frequently.Pro Tip: if you’re starting seeds way early, consider using these instead of 72 cell for your starts. You will get better results.Overall, excellent containers and trays for both amateur and semi-pro growers.

Like everything this company makes. Always use for plants. I discovered it also works great as an incubator. Plant heating mat with thermostat and aspen wood chips. Used Gelatin or pudding cups with water keeps moisture regulated. Usually use there humidity dome but put a sterilized layer of pea gravel in bottom as a heat storage to hold and regulate heat if power goes out or gets too cold for heat mat. Once I have correct temp I will likely put the humidity dome on. I don’t want any sudden temperature changes. You can also plug a power strip into the thermostat and lay another plant heat mat on or across the top. Don’t worry it won’t burn them. The thermostat kicks off and on to regulate temperature. I already had all the supplies from them so gave it a try and this works well. First time I candled an egg and saw the heart beating it was amazing. Then later a baby chick kicking it’s legs. This is an alternate use. Important. The eggs need to be pointed pointy side down. Turned and rotated a few times daily and the individual cells really work perfectly for holding them in that position. I think this is cool. I really do.

Great quality

I have a collection of other seed starting trays yet this 1020 system is the best one I own. Just add a 10"x20" heat mat and you will have seedlings in no time. After watering the newly planted seeds I first set the 72 Cell Seedling Starter tray directly on my heat mat instead of using the Flat Tray. This allowed for better heat transfer from the heat mat to expedite germination. The humidity dome helps the seed starting media retain moisture and heat. My tomato seeds sprouted within 5-7 days and my pepper seeds sprouted in 10 days. My heat mat keeps the seed cells between 74-82 degrees with an ambient temperature inside the house between 67-70 degrees. After the seeds sprout the Seedling Starter Tray can be put back in the Flat Tray for ease of watering. I bought both the 32 cell and 72 cell starting sets. Seeing the quality of these sets I bought the Extra Strength 32 Cell Seedling Starter Trays w/Inserts, 5 Pack, for Seed Germination. These are good quality products which should serve me well for many years.

love these things... extremely durable and made in America

These are really good quality and I like that the tray stabilizes all of the individual pots. However, be aware that the bottom trays are perforated rather than solid, so water will run out of them. It's almost impossible to tell that this is the case, from the information here.

Must have for all gardeners