Any tips growing with Jiffy Pots

I apologize if someone already created a thread for this but I can not find one.  I would say that I am an average gardener.  Been doing it for as long as I can remember.  This year, I wanted to master the art of growing from seed.  There are a few things that I have grown from seed before, but I consider these easy seeds, you know. . . cucumbers, squash, beans, peas.  These things sprout if someone sneezes on them!  lol.  I have trouble doing the other things that you are supposed to start indoors and transplant.  I have no issues with the hardening process, although it Was a grand lesson in patience.  My problem is the plants never seem to grow outside of the little Jiffy pellet netting. 

My process:  After being hardened, I prep my area, at this point after many years of amending, my garden soil is loamy.  I gently loosen the bottom of the jiffy pot so it is opened up and allows the roots to grow freely.  I plant the item like I would a regular garden plant from the nursery and lo...3 weeks later they still look the same size. 

This year I experimented a bit on seed starting 1.  Jiffy pellet indoors, grew until they were mini plants and planted and no further growth.
2.  Put the seeds in the Jiffy pellets then planted the pellet from day one outside....hey don't judge I didn't have to deal with hardening.  They grew into mini plants at a slightly slower rate than the indoor Jiffy group.  It seems their growth is also stunted.

3.  Started Jiffy pellets but once the plants were big enough just removed the netting and planted the pot. They are growing just fine. 

I know this sounds like common sense and just remove the netting and I will in the future.  But I have a group of friends that just pop the whole darn thing in the ground with no problem, most don't even bother to open the bottom for the roots.  Anyone else have this situation or am I just pampering the crud out of my plants?

Hi!

I have had bad luck with Jiffy pots, and I have had good luck too.  I use the 3 or 4” peat post instead.  Or the 72 starter cells.  With the clear cover.  

I only use the peat pots for stuff that transplants hard:  melons, squashes, cukes.  Everything else is in the starter cells!

@krsbing wrote:I have a group of friends that just pop the whole darn thing in the ground with no problem, most don't even bother to open the bottom for the roots.  Anyone else have this situation or am I just pampering the crud out of my plants?

That's me. I love my Jiffy Pellets and I hate normal transplanting. I even re-use my Jiffy Pellets when they survive their first season.

Hi KRSBing.

I use them. But like your #3, I remove the netting & pop them in the ground once they start growing.

Keep in mind that they really don't have any nutrients in them. It's just peat moss. So I want to get them in the ground as quickly as possible.

I do like the idea of putting them outside from day one. That should speed up the hardening process, lol!

Another reason to get them planted out ASAP is that the roots can spread in such close quarters, making it difficult to separate the plants if they stay in the pellets too long.

It seems we all have our ways and methods with the Jiffy's and what works best for us.  At least I know I am not alone in removing the netting.

The last time I used them I took the netting off as soon as the pellet was fully hydrated and expanded.  They are pretty sturdy things and don't dissolve with bottom watering.  I also have found that I need to water with a dilute liquid fertilizer from as soon as the plants sprout.  I prefer soil blocks, but for a couple plants a Jiffy pellet works.