SOIL Rapid Rooters for starting seeds

[AccidentalGardener]

I've been all over GWE and the Google for an answer. No joy. Maybe I'm not framing the question correctly.

GWE says these are the best things- right at the top of the list of great information about seed germination.
Rapid Rooters. I bought a flat of individual plugs in a large tray some time back, in anticipation of this moment. I planned, baby! They were out of bags, so I bought the flat with the tray and rack, which I plan to cut into pieces. that hold 4 or 6.
I separated the plugs from the tray and refrigerated them in a ziplock bag.
GWE cons, "if you only germinate one or 2 seeds at a time, you have to throw away plugs", but wouldn't they be okay in the fridge indefinitely? They are sold in bags in the hydro store on a wall-peg, so why would they need to be thrown away? Unless I'm missing something?

I haven't used a single one yet and now I don't want to if they have been compromised being in the fridge for 2 months. My only superpower besides momming hard is a very sensitive nose. I can smell stuff only German shepherds can smell, lol. I gave them a good sniff (the rapid rooters, not my boys) and there is zero bacteria going on in that bag. They may have even been frozen a time or two - I noticed my celery has been a little peaky on more than one occasion. That's what happens when you put a whole pizza box in the fridge with one slice left in it
Yes, I love my grown children, but man..they are one of the many reasons I smoke pot.

Anyhow, can I use these things or do I need new ones?
Cuz I'd like to get in on the Great Late Autoflower Grow n Show 2020

[Xena]

I’d be interested in hearing about this too. The reason I didn’t get them was reading you have to throw out unused ones and I knew that I wouldn’t be using many at once.
BTW....What’s wrong with a pizza box in the fridge? You sound like my wife!

[AccidentalGardener]

LOL Xena Your wife has a point. I like her already Nothing, as long as the celery doesn't freeze. Or the Rapid Rooters. Or Clonex. Or their beer. The list is long.

[AccidentalGardener]

Xena we can go halfsies on the next bag. I saw it happen on Guys Grocery Games with peanut butter, so it's gotta be legit, right?

[SoOrbudgal]

I've never used them just some light fluffy soil once they germinate. Also i'm doing a " once i see alittle tiny tail i'm going straight into the folgers container." Not going to do a 2x transplant which i usually do whatever i grow. But this time i'm doing 1x germ. to final pot.

[Gingerbeard]

Could it maybe, perchance, possibly be you throw away plugs that are wet?

[AccidentalGardener]

they are all moist when you buy them. I'll throw them on a cookie tray and let them dry out. Should be ready by Christmas, lol.

[AccidentalGardener]

Coulda just put the whole package in the garbage without opening it, LOL.

[Canuck147]

I'm with budgal - straight into their final pot. Never used a peat plug and don't intend to.

[growell]

are they the round thin ones put them in water and exspand 4x the size i use them i just keep mine in a bag there 6months old used them about 60 days ago they were fine mate

[SoOrbudgal]

growell these are already formed cubes called " rapid rooters"

[Driller]

I couldnt get them in here in UK the ones I got are called root it cubes same thing really but I wont be using them again as soon as it sprouted the tap root was an inch out of the bottom happened within a day im going straight to final pot next time

[Covid420]

I bought a bag and they were moist when I got them. Opened the bag and let them dry out. Had them in a ziploc bag after they dried out for couple weeks. Rehydrated with microbial mass infused water. Used them to plant germinated seeds. I had no issues 🤷♂️

Gonna rehydrate same ones for next grow. That will be a good 5 months they were dry. I'll let you know LOL

[bboyfromwayback]

I don’t store them in the fridge, just a bag that’s not even sealed so they don’t mold. When I need one I soak it in ph’d water overnight and it’s ready to go into a humidity dome. I only use them for clones, prefer to start seeds in a cup of soil so I’ve probably had my current bag close to 2yrs and they’re fine.

[NickyChicks]

I purchased a bag of 50 in November. I used a dozen and then separated the rest into bags of 4 or 5. I put all those bags into one large freezer bag and put them in the freezer. When I needed some for my current grow, I just thawed however many i needed under running water. I haven't seen any ill effects.

[AccidentalGardener]

Thank you all for the input. This is why noobs ask seemingly dumb questions when the answers are on GWE in black and white.
Most of you have ways to do it that work for you, where you are growing. I'm gonna go with the answers from pros who have nearly the same growing conditions as I - PNW growers are all fighting the same weather-this year it's pretty disgusting - which affects how everything works. Started 3 seeds, they'll go into 1-gal pots today. two final containers, one smaller 4" because it's gonna be awhile before that one goes for flowering. Even if weather is generally outdoors, up in these parts we don't have a lot of environmental controls indoors to keep things cool. When things get steamy, thems is the breaks, as my dad likes to say.

Stuff has not been drying out here this year and a rapid rooter with a tendency to stay wet in the middle wouldn't be a good choice at this time.

I'll hang onto them for clones, though. At least to see if I can make them work for that, but my garbage can is filling up with stuff because a lot of the special stuff mentioned on GWE isn't necessary.
I enjoy McGyvering things to work with what I have on hand or can recycle from the rest of our lives, so that's what I'm doing from now on.

I'll just ask the dumb questions here and take the backlash. Done lighting piles of money on fire. I want to light weed on fire, not cash, lol.

[AccidentalGardener]

I'm doing an experiment.to see how long they take to dry up under the conditions I'd use them in... because science

[bboyfromwayback]

There you go! Only way I can imagine them going bad is by molding. Or getting so old they fall apart. I usually buy the 50 plug bag and it’ll last a couple years

[AccidentalGardener]

bboyfromwayback I like your confidence. So far *nothing* that has happened this year was imaginable - and I'm only talking trying to outside garden a few containers, some tomatoes and a couple beds of unsuspicious deer-resistant stuff. Holy. Only thing that didn't show up this year was Godzilla, lol.

[Bengfan]

I have had a bag for probably a year now. Still in original package and stored in a cardboard box on my closet. They stay moist, never mold, never had a single problem with them and my germination rate using the same R/R is just under 100% (out of dozens of seeds had one seed that did not pop).

[Covid420]

I would imagine you could tell by smell if something was wrong anyway