# Float trays



## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

In case anyone's interested in alternative methods for starting plants, I thought I'd post photos of the float trays tobacco plants are started in:










These work equally well for other seed starting. A bed is made of 2X6 or 2X8 lumber, sized to only accomodate the number of trays to be used and lined with 2 layers of 6 mil black poly sheeting. The bed is then filled with water, the styrofoam trays are filled with medium, one seed per cell as per norm, then the trays are floated on the water filled beds. Water soluble starter fertilizer is added as needed. The entire surface is kept covered with trays, even if some aren't seeded yet to retard algae growth while the seed germinate & grow. The beds are easily covered with clear poly over PVC ribs if early in the season warmth and/or frost protection is needed. Trays are reusable after a bleach wash for several years. These are 288's, they are standard for plants set using a transplanter.

Just thought someone might find this useful.


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## Jalopy (Feb 23, 2008)

That is neat and interesting I may have to try that sometime. Thanks for posting.


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## Fla Gal (Jul 14, 2003)

About four years ago I tried to find this type tray, local and online, with no luck. Where can a person find and buy trays like this?


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

I too have been stumped as to finding them online. I'm working on a source for small quantities (less than 100) and will post if it works out. Does anyone else know of a source?


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## Goatsandsheep (Jun 7, 2006)

I found this site. The trays are smaller then the one posted. Shelly
http://www.groworganic.com/item_GP363_Floating_Seed_Starting_Systems_S.html


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

I think I've found a source. I'm going tomorrow & pick up a load. I plan to discuss with them their desire to sell/ship quantities of less than 100. If they're receptive I'll post the contact info here upon my return. It really is a great way to start seeds.


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## RussKy (Aug 21, 2007)

I found some float trays three or four years ago here in Hardin co.
They were larger cells than the ones for tobacco plants. They are better for tomatoes and vegetable plants since they give you a bigger root ball. I bought these from a tobacco plant grower. I think there were 72 cells in them. I don't know if they would ship or if they still have them, but i could find out if anyone is interested.

Russ


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

Russ, I'd be interested. I didn't make it to Hopkinsville today but plan to tomorrow. I've used the 288's for tomatoes but I can see the value of larger cells for tomatoes/peppers a person intended to transplant by hand.


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

I scored 98 of the 288's for free this afternoon:










I still haven't verified my other source but will continue to try.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

For the rest of the folk that might wish to attempt to locate freebies near where they live, would you mind telling what kind of business you got them from, if indeed a business?

I'm thinking hydroponics, aquaponics, etc.

With your transplant methods it is easy to see why you like the smaller cells as you mentioned while those that hand transplant would prefer the larger.

You did great with your score.


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

Glad to share. I spent a most enjoyable several hours at the Newton Tobacco Seed Company in Hopkinsville Ky today. http://www.newtontobaccoseed.com/
Loafed around the office talking tobacco & world affairs, looked at several test plots, looked at some beautiful Hereford cattle, and picked up these trays they no longer needed. The 87 year young owner told me about going through TN, NC, VA, GA and Ky setting up his displays and seed packets at country stores, feed mills, blacksmith shops etc. All in all it was a most excellent way to spend a wet/rainy day.
If there's tobacco grown in your area, there are float trays available. No one grows on plantbeds anymore. Many plant greenhouses are too busy to disinfect & re-use trays so often they're free for the asking. Actually, many producers now burn them after a single use so your asking for the trays relieves them of a chore at this time of the year.
I'll continue to follow up on an alternate source for small quantities, actually Mr. Newton wanted to take me out there this afternoon but we couldn't get them to answer the phone. I'll continue to follow through & post my findings.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Thanks for the interesting post. Old growers are a wealth of information and quite enjoyable to visit with, especially of there is plenty of time to wander from subject to subject.

Source would be limiting for most of us. I have seen tobacco growing, while on vacation one year. I tend to remember it being already cut and staked. Being a Yank from out west of course I had to ask what it was since I'd never see it growing before.
I was also an adult before I saw soybeans growing for the first time and had to ask what they were.


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

My potential source did not pan out. He isn't interested in shipping small (less than 100) quantities and wasn't enthused about shipping at all. He is going to check with his supplier and see if lower cell count (Bigger cell size) trays are available without being a special order. If enough people here post with interest in the trays I might decide to run down & pick up a trailer load to resell. I'm not familiar with shipping prices/services. Obviously there's no weight issue, but several trays would create a bulky box for shipping. At any rate, if anyone's interested, please post here, if there's enough interest I'll continue to pursue sources and shipping options.


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## EDDIE BUCK (Jul 17, 2005)

Around here at least,most of the tobacco farmers no longer tend tobacco.Just a few that tend two to three hundred acres are still growing it.Finding float trays should not be a problem because most of the tobacco farmers that no longer grow tobacco still have a lot of trays left from when they did.Also those that do still grow plants in trays,have a lot that the corners may be broke off,that they would give you if you ask. EB


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

My husband used to make hand-operated tobacco seeders for these trays for 10 or 12 years for the small tobacco farmers. He did several of the smaller ag shows in KY and TN in the late winter/ early spring and usually sold somewhere between 50 and 100 of them during the "busy" years. 

That business pretty much phased out after the tobacco buyout, though he sold several big orders to South Africa, Guatemala and Mexico over the next couple of years and then that was pretty much the end of it.

I'd think if you posted a notice in the feed stores in your local area that you were looking for old float bed seed trays, you could probably find them. As EB said, most of the farmers that had small acreages aren't growing tobacco anymore but a lot of them may still have seed trays in the barn. Farmers rarely throw anything away.


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

Don't suppose he's got any seeders left over for sale? I suggested the same sources til I realized tobacco isn't a universal crop. I found these: http://www.groworganic.com/search.h...xt=speedling&sCategory=catalog&theses=5012829
But that's an absurd price per tray.


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## fordson major (Jul 12, 2003)

SFM in KY said:


> My husband used to make hand-operated tobacco seeders for these trays for 10 or 12 years for the small tobacco farmers. He did several of the smaller ag shows in KY and TN in the late winter/ early spring and usually sold somewhere between 50 and 100 of them during the "busy" years.
> .


do you have any pix of his planters? could they be used for other crops?


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

ford major said:


> do you have any pix of his planters? could they be used for other crops?


I don't know if we still have any pictures of them or not, will have to look up in the office. Might be some flyers still sitting around but I'm not sure they would be clear enough if copied.

I don't think they would work for other seeds as they were made specifically for the pelleted tobacco seeds with a sliding tray that was designed to drop just one seed through a hole in a lexan plate into the center of each tray opening.

I know 2 or 3 greenhouse owners locally talked to him at length about the possibility of redesigning it for other types of seeds but it wasn't practical. The holes have to be drilled in the lexan plate just a fraction of an inch bigger than the seed itself. Otherwise you have more than one seed dropping or more seeds trying to drop through and jamming the opening.

It works for pelleted seeds only and for very specific diameters only.


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