Haxnicks Deep Rootrainers | Reusable Deep Root Trainers | Seed Planting | Deep Rooted Plants | The Most Popular Size For Sweet Peas Vegetable Plants Peas Beans | Black, 32 Cells | RT010101

Bought these to try out for both runner beans and sweet peas. They both were great and the plants were well rooted when needing to plant out. They are fairly fragile when out of frame, but are fairly strong when squeezed in and supporting each other. How many uses I'll get...we'll see but so far am very pleased with them. The clear top is very useful when the seeds have just been sown as this gives a micro climate to help them until they have germinated.So, all good...after their first use.

Clever and simple.Initially thought they were a bit pricey.Bought mine cos I'd heard they were great for building nice fibrous root system in transplanted seedlings.Impressed by how well they perform.Straight off I want to say they Are made of quite flimsy plasticy stuff but you quickly adapt to be light on the touch and treat these as fine china rather than an old mug.The way I use them is to fill all eight books with dryish free running compost in one go, firmly tapping the base of each book to settle the compost in and wedge them as a block of 32 cells into the lightweight frame.Then use a dibber to open up a deep well for the incoming seedling transplant. I've also used them for direct sowing and find that the seedlings grow roots straight down the grooves and are easy to separate.The clear lid doubles as a water reservoir to stand the frame in and keeps the cells just raised clear so roots will be drawn out of the base.Just finished using them for the 3rd year running and although a couple of books have begun a small split down the hinge seam, they're still serviceable.I like them.

This year I used this planter to grow sweet peas, and they actually surprised me growing so well in my shed and very easy to plant outside.

Will last a few seasons happy with product. Going to use it for runner beans and sweet peas

Came quickly, my friend had got some last year and said they seem to work. I have an allotment so need them for sweetcorn, beans, peas etc. They seem good for the price as same product dearer in garden centre. I would have scored higher, but they came in a box no padding, and the plastic clear trays are damaged in the corners, which have tiny cracks, so will not hold water, and will deteriorate more quickly. We all know how parcels are treated. Will see how they do this year, if ok will order some more for next year, not sure where from. Think if your careful how you wash them they should be OK for 2/3 uses. Good for the money. Plastic lids have slight damage in the corners small cracksNot sure if they were packed like that or due to rattling sound in a box during transit. So can't use them to hold water. 😕

We always use these for starting off our runner beans. Lots of lovely deep roots and very easy to pop the plants out for planting out in the garden, sturdy enough to reuse over and over again just treat them reasonably gently and they'll keep doing their job for years!

I've just started using, so these are initial impressions. The idea of being able to open up the containers and check the roots/replant easily is a good one - for the meantime, I will have to take on faith that they do anything special to root growth - the only thing I can see being different is the depth of the containers (and maybe the fact that they have ridges lengthways down the sides). It has long annoyed me that containers for growing seeds are very shallow compared to diameter, and I have never understood why this is. In order to get a decent depth, you have to buy containers which are far too large in diameter for a single plant. So, I am glad these have a decent depth, and this might well in itself encourage good root formation, especially with deep-rooted plants. Having said that, these are 3 x the price of normal seed trays with lids and insets, and considering this, the plastic feels very flimsy. Previously, I have bought Nutleys seed trays, for example, and in comparison, the plastic lid is made from very thin plastic. Also, you get a frame, the insets, and a clear lid, but the frame is just that, an open frame, and the insets, when folded together, have a large hole in the bottom - it would have been nice (and for the price really justifiable) for them to supply an additional tray to go underneath. These do stand as they are, but in order to water them, and even to collect the compost, which will inevitably fall out of the hole in the bottom, you really need a closed tray to stand them in, which is not supplied. I have solved the problem of the compost falling out of the hole in the bottom by inserting a small layer of course cocos fibre before filling with compost - the hole is around a square cm, so otherwise, you will get a lot of compost falling through. The system by which the insets are held together when assembled is clever, but, again, strikes me as somewhat flimsy - one of the insets would not close at all right out of the box, and I can see this becoming a problem with multiple use. The insets sit tight within the frame, so are held closed when in the frame, but if you're opening them up to check moisture levels, or root growth, you really need the insets to stay closed on their own. I've not tried it yet, but imagine it will otherwise get tricky reinserting them into the frame. Only time will tell, but overall, these seem overpriced to me, for what you get. I will try these for deep-rooted plants, but considering the price, will probably stay with fibre pots for most seeds - they also allow you pot up without disturbing the roots, and air-prune the roots that grow through the pots. I just wish I could get ones that have a decent depth compared to diameter...

I’ve used root trainers for years , they last well and really do train the roots to produce a good root system for planting on . Well worth the purchase