Burpee 72 Cell Self Watering Greenhouse Kit

I didn’t open the package until June when I started seeding the late summer crops. 1/3 of the trays were distorted, which would make it very difficult to remove seedings later. They looked like they were melted. Our temperature is still between 60-70 in late June. I seriously don’t know how this happened. This problem was the same for the two kits I ordered. The product is flimsy made of very cheap plastic. You get what you pay for couldnt hit any harder. With the money spend, I can still get two heavy duty smaller kits without the pads and supports that aren’t really necessary to begin with. If the quality is better, it would be a great product. I m just hoping it will survive least the remaining year.

Terrible design. All components don’t fit correctly, the lid doesn’t stay on it just pops off. No ventilation holes either. Now I have to go all the way back to the store and return it. Waste of time.

Instructions on packaging were pretty useless so I had to go to the website to get better information. The watering mat and how to use it wasn't well explained nor was the amount of water needed to put in the watering tray. Adding water to the pucks didn't suggest how much to use and how wet the pucks should or shouldn't be. Planted one tray of seeds doubt the self-watering promise will hold up. Hope I'm surprised.

I have been using this self watering seed starter kit every year for over a decade now and I love it! It's the best setup I've used so far. The water wicking mat is genius. I use this with grow lights and have great results. Highly recommend!

The roots of the seeds are far too long after three weeks to safely remove them from the plastic cells rendering the whole thing rather a waste.

This growing system is absolutely fantastic! I was a little skeptical at first, but the self watering works like a charm!! Some of my plants came up in just two day. By one week every plant was growing really well! The self watering feature is amazing. Be sure to fill out your map so you can track you plant growth. Will definitely buy this again. (I paired this with the Burpee Adjustable Grow Light (purchased separately))

I had great luck germinating seeds with this system, but found that it did not keep plants watered evenly, even with an inch of water in the tray. Some plants were moist and others completely dry. I did love the coir pods and so did my seeds.

I have used this system for five years with great success. The self watering system allows me to water from the bottom without overwatering. I use a heat mat and grow lights and start a couple hundred vegetable and flowering plants. I’m now extending to another 72.

I bought 6 of these trays to start early vegetables. I love the self watering and they are very easy to set up and get seeds in the dirt. However, once the planting is done, it is almost impossible to keep the clear lids on top to hold in the moisture. My trays are all inside, their is no wind, but they will not stay in place which means they fall on the tiny plants!

Super easy to use and my plants sprouted in 2 days!

Title says it all. The wicking mat actually repels water when you pour water on it. It doesn't wick up from underneath at all when the water tray is full. I love the idea of a 72 cell self watering set up, but the wicking mat ruins this one. I'll keep the tray and dome, but I'll have to order a wicking mat that actually works from somewhere else.

Great starter but have gotten 3 n all of them had missing pellets

It served the purppse I bought it for and self watering worked great. Seeds grew fine.

The secret to the success of these kits is the watering mat. I know some people say you can't take out larger seedlings and keep the rest under the dome, but just cut the seed trays into the size you need! Works great and your seedlings continue to germinate after you remove the larger faster seedlings. My prefference is to put the pellets into my tub of potting soil and then use different soil or seed starting mix. It may be because I live in a dessert, but the watering mat and the dome are essential for my success.

Ever since I started using these trays and a 50w LED light my seedlings are on par with the nursery. The trick is to make sure all the pellets are round side up. If they are not, they will get stuck and won't expand. Use very warm water and soak the tray with pellets first. If pouring water over the pellets go slowly and gently or the pellets will flip. Once they are soaked, rough them up and settle the coir in each cell. I use a fork. Ready to plant! Then setup the watering system after you've planted. For best results follow seed packets and use a very bright light (shop light with daylight lights is okay). The light should be close to touching the dome lid. You can reuse them many times. I've also refilled with potting mix and they work great like that too.

Issues- #1 pellets do not fluff up - crush with fork and your fingers-do not fill cup messy easier buying potting soil and fill same mess- esp when different seeds need different depths #2 seeds germinate and grow at different rates- -3 inch tall cucumber and slower growing flower seed-the whole system is thrown off because you have to pull the cover #3 one piece tray for 36- cannot remove faster growing plants as a separate tray if 12 6 cup trays- hard to take the 3 inch cucumber out and leave the slower shorter flower-Should be 12- 6 cup trays instead of 2 36 cup trays seedlings fall apart wet or dry because hard to pinch out (I have tiny fingers); if you dig out well developed roots get stuck or broken #4 self watering ? does not work well #5 if there were a black hole rating = dead star I would give 2 black holes- not easy trying to rescue my precious seedlings. I bought 2 units and so far only used one I hope they will take the unopened one for a refund #2

Love these trays. Keeps seedlings moist. Makes starting seeds very easy. I'm never going back to the old style. I like the trays are not sitting in water.

I bought this back in January to use with seed starting in late February-March. Some other reviews said the coirs did not expand properly, so I poured boiling water on them and that seemed to help more than using just warm water. I did have to do that twice though, and had to use some seed starting mix to supplement the ones that didn’t expand fully. I’ve had good success so far getting my seeds to germinate, and I believe some of that success is due to the water reservoir and lid. With the reservoir I don’t have to worry about watering every day and even though the lid doesn’t snap on and just sits on the top, it does a good job of keeping the moisture in. So far the seedlings I’ve planted seem happy so I’m happy too.

I have used these Burpee systems for 10 years now, and am about to purchase a new set. I plant about 300 flower annuals and perennials from seed every year, which is cheaper and gives me much more flexibility in what I plant. Plus, I get to keep gardening during the winter! With these trays, germination time is greatly reduced and far more reliable, for me. Sometimes, my zinnia and marigold seedlings come up in 2-3 days. I do make one major adjustment to the seed starting medium. I take all the coir disks out of the tray, put 1/3 to 1/2 of them in a giant steel mixing bowl, add the right amount of water proportionately, and expand them that way. If some are hard, I break them up with my fingers. Then I add proportionately 2/3 to 1/2 other seed starting soil that has less coir. I have used several different brands over the years, depending on what I can find. For me, this mixture produces stronger seedlings and less molding. I love the self-watering system, because I have a tendency to forget to check them frequently enough. Though, I do a tiny bit of top watering or misting in the cells that aren't wicking early on (they always wick fine, once the seedlings have enough roots). I use these trays in a 3-tier grow light stand, and use heat mats for seeds that need extra heat for germination. I also remove the humidity dome the second the seedlings appear (another way to prevent mold or damping off).

i bought 2 and i will never use a regular tray again. i love the self watering feature it’s so much easier to know when your seedlings need water and it last for more than a week