[Thick Plastic] 3-Set Strong Seed Starter Trays with 5″ Humidity Domes for Seed Starting, Germination, Seedling Propagation & Plant Growing, Holds 144 Cells in Total

After many years of seed starting I have come to the conclusion that this is my favorite size tray and dome. I don’t have leaking issues but seed starting is not something you do directly on fine furniture. One thing to keep in mind is that as soon as the sprouts emerge, THE LID COMES OFF. A fan is also needed to circulate the air around the seedlings and to prevent damping off. The pics that show plants under the dome is misleading and may work for a few tropical plants but generally, you don’t have green seedlings under the dome. The purpose of the dome is to keep the seeds moist during germination. Once they pop through, remove the dome and water the seedlings from the bottom of the tray. I do use a spray bottle to spray the soil surface (before germination) daily, until you see sprouts. Unless you are growing many plants of the same variety, a 1020 tray is a LOT of seeds of one variety. It is best to start seeds in one tray that have similar rates of germination so that the cover can be removed when the sprouts appear. Ideally you have extra trays (without the dome) for the seedlings that have emerged, that are ready to continue growing, under a fan. That has been my challenge in having a high return on seed investment. Ideally the whole tray is one type of seed so that all of the seedlings move to a grow light and fan. DO NOT place the tray and dome in a warm window, directly in the sunshine as you will cook the seeds. Some light is ok, depending on the seeds, but in direct sun through a window, it gets too warm inside the dome for germination. I have cooked many seeds placing a domed tray in a south facing window. The nice thing about this tray being a little larger than a 1010 is that the extra space can be used to pour water onto the tray for bottom watering the seedlings once the dome has come off. Otherwise you have to pick up the little six pack to get water under it so that the seedlings can take up water from the bottom, which encourages root growth downward and prevents damping off disease. Once the seedlings have started to grow, it is best for the soil surface to dry out slightly. I think I have killed most of my seeds by keeping the soil too wet or having the seed tray with dome in direct sunlight in a window. Both the tray and dome are sturdy and should last for many years. I like this size better than the 1020 because it is easier to wash as well. 1020 trays are very long and hard to wash in a standard sink. You do need to wash (with soap) your seed starting equipment between uses. This set is working great for me and I plan to order another set. [...]