You’ve just planted out all your plants and it’s time to put your seed tray away again. But what is the best way to clean your seed tray and should you use soap or something similar? Today we are going to look at how best to clean up your seed tray and what the best place is to store them!
It’s November and most gardeners won’t be using (some of) their sturdy seed trays for the rest of this season. Before you throw your seed tray somewhere in the greenhouse or in your shed, it’s smart to clean it out.
Why clean your seed trays?
Do you really need to clean your trays? It’s not necessary but it’s smart to do so non the less. As an example, when you have multiple trays of the same cell size, you want to stack them to save space. So to avoid scratches and stack them easily, you want to remove the dirt. Also, you don’t want to drag all the sand from the trays inside. And what about the ease of use next year when you grab them from your shelf to use again?! Many reasons to clean them
So how do you properly clean a seed tray?
Soaps, special wipes and vinegar? Is that what it takes to clean it properly? No. All you really need to do is rinse your seed tray well to get the sand off. You can use an old rag or a tooth brush to brush well into the holes and that’s all it takes!
What about fungi and bacteria?
I can almost hear it through the screen, a little water won’t get rid of all the diseases and fungi so how can that ever be enough? Generally, plants are not in their seed trays for a seriously long time and you use new compost or seedling soil for your seedlings. So the chances of there being any bad diseases in here are so small that that certainly won’t be a problem.
Can you use a seedling tray like this again without cleaning it?
Should you clean your seed tray at all if there are no diseases on it? To be honest, we have reused many seed trays that have never been washed. We do not notice any difference in the growing success, but for the longevity of the seed tray, it is better to clean it before it is going to be cleaned up for a long time as it is now in November.
Where should you store your seed tray?
The seed tray is clean, now where should you put it? Most importantly, a dark place away from the sun. The trays are made to withstand the sun through UV protection. But, the more sun the tray gets the faster it will degrade (still we are talking about years and years). But, to keep it as good as possible. Store out of the sun!