I use those bottle-bottoms, 2-3" tall, for beer saucers to drown slugs.

I've been saving the tops to use as flimsy plastic "cloches" or hot caps to start seedlings a few weeks earlier - or rather, to nurse them through the weeks or months of hovering right around freezing that we usually have.

My hope is that such hot caps will also keep rain away from a tiny pinch of slug-bait, so the rain doesn't dissolve it in a day or two.

My experience with early seedlings and slugs, when slugs don't have much else to eat, is that either the slugs are VERY efficient at mowing seedlings off at ground level, or my neighbors pluck them with tweezers every single night.

I like the idea of using plastic bottles for cuttings!
Do you see the roots when they reach the edges?

RickCorey said:

Do you see the roots when they reach the edges?

Yes, that is one of the advantages. Especially when doing cuttings, I can see when it is time to re-pot or transplant.

Cool!

Here are some cuttings rooted in a 2 liter pop bottle. If you look closely you can see the new roots


I use 16 oz. clear plastic cups for wintersown tomatoes


You can see rooting through those, too


For most of my wintersown stuff I use gallon milk jugs.


Karen

all great tips!!

Great Tips!

I use the liters for creating custom painted pots.

you are so good!!!

Have used all of these and like the results. For several reasons, I look for containers with easy-grip and a bit of substance first. Found that 1liter Gatorade bottles are nearly perfect for me.

Are the ridges a problem when you push the root ball out? The sturdiest bottles I find are "Sobe", but they have deep, square-edged grooves that I think would mess up a root ball.

My plan was to put the large bottle cap in the bottom of the bottle, so it would serve as the head of a plunger when I push the root ball out with a pencil or dowel.

Or, the Sobe bottles are so stiff that I could cut a slit down the side with tin snips before adding potting mix. The stiffness would hold it closed.

A bit, but the security of the more sturdy container was better for me.

I understand. I'm thinking that if I do use the Sobe bottles, I had BETTER push them out before they get root bound!

Of maybe being squished and scraped would unravel the circling roots, as a good thing.

I've also thought of putting give-away seedlings into paper coffee cups.

It doesn't help to tell people that they HAVE to transplant seedlings into the ground or into a bigger pot before they become too root bound.

But maybe they will, if I tell them: "You HAVE to transplant out of this PAPER cup before it disintegrates and dumps mud all over your rug!"

Yep, I can see where that rationale would work.