Veseys

I find them tedious to fill with mix - the mix falls into the tray but you have to leave it in place or the mix will fall out the holes. You also have to be sure to pack the moist soil mix firmly in the plant cells or the moisture will not wick. I had great success in starting tiny tiny seeds - nicotiana and lobelia -- as well as deep rooted slow growing onion seeds. It was a complete failure with blue salvia and pansies and somewhat mixed with dahlias, cosmos and zinnias. I admire the quality and sturdiness of the product but it is quite expensive.

Very compact, very cute, and it does work quite well with seedling mix. However, you do have to fill the bottom tray all the way to the top to get the water level high enough for the water to wick up since the bottom of the planting tray sits on top of the pegs in the bottom tray. Then you have to toss the rest of the water because the level is too low to reach the plants. Also the plant cells are very closely spaced, so this propagator works best if you are starting only one kind of seed. If you do a variety, some seeds will germinate first and grow faster, shading out the seedlings in the next row. For me, with a suburban-sized yard, 49 plants of the same variety is too much. The planting holes are also pretty small, so this propagator is only useful for small seeds. The lid is very clever--how it turns 90 deg to create ventilation and how one side will poke planting holes; however, after one year mine has irreparably become brittle and broke. My review is mixed: I think the design is very clever but could use some improvements, and the lid needs to have some UV protection built in.

In watering from the bottom, I find that it does not wick after 48 hours tested on dry mix.
RE:You don't put dry mix in any seed tray to start seeds, you always start with moistened soil.

I love this trainer! I bought my first one as soon as Vesey's got it in several years ago. I loved it so much I ordered another one, and I'm back to order 2 more today in 2011! All of my seeds germinate, they NEVER dry out, and I can add liquid seaweed to the tray water. As long as you have a grow light very close to the top, your seedlings come up strong and healthy! I won't be without it.

My only complaint is the plastic is weak on the corners of the unit, and the corners can crack off. It doesn't affect usage though.