Molded Pulp Seedling Transport Trays: Roots That Travel Well

Nursery seedlings ship in plastic cell trays that customers must remove and discard, stressing roots at transplant time. Molded pulp trays hold each seedling in a cell that can be planted directly.

The Scenario: A nursery that stopped handling roots twice

A specialty nursery was shipping herb seedlings in plastic six-cell trays wrapped in plastic film. Every transplant required pulling each plant out of its cell, and root disturbance was causing a 12% wilt rate.

Pain Points

• Plastic cells trapped water and promoted damping-off;
• Transplanting required pulling roots free, stressing young plants;
• Plastic trays became nursery waste that customers had to dispose of.

The Solution: A cell that plants itself

The nursery moved to molded pulp trays with six deep cells per tray. The tray bottom breaks away with a simple push, letting the entire root ball and cell go into the soil together:

1. Push-out cell bottom The tray's scored bottom lets each cell separate cleanly for direct planting.

2. Breathable pulp walls Pulp walls wick moisture and allow air exchange, reducing damping-off.

3. Compostable at end of life The tray degrades in soil and compost, leaving no nursery plastic behind.

The Result: Wilt dropped, waste disappeared

The wilt rate fell from 12% to under 3% in the first season. Customers mentioned the plantable tray in reviews, and the nursery eliminated two skids of plastic trays per month.