FlexiGerm. is the unpowered option in the Seed Starter range — a six-pod silicone germination tray that needs no heater, no cable and no power point. It runs on whatever warmth you already have: ambient room temperature, a sunny windowsill, or a standard propagation heat mat underneath. If you want to germinate a batch of seeds at once rather than one at a time, or you'd rather not buy into a powered system, this is the one to look at. 6 pods batch germination in one tray No power runs on ambient heat or a mat 57 mm fits standard 2.25″ cotton pads AU/NZ stock official distributor, local warranty Six pods, no electronics Each of the six oversized pods takes a standard 57 mm (2.25″) cotton pad — the cheap, universally available kind — with enough depth to sit a seed between two moistened pads without crushing the taproot as it emerges. Six at once means you can run a full batch of one variety, or six different varieties side by side, and compare. The EU-certified food-grade silicone does the same insulating job it does in Sprout., holding warmth around the seeds rather than letting it dissipate. Passive airflow channels moulded into the tray keep the air exchanging instead of going stagnant, which is where plastic-bag and sealed-container methods fall down: they hold humidity but suffocate the seed and invite mould. Magnets set into both the lid and the base pull the two together and hold the lid firmly closed, while still letting you lift it off in one motion. No tugging at a warped plastic dome, no tearing open a bag and losing the microclimate every time you want to look. Reusable, not disposable The whole point of a silicone tray is that it isn't a single-use plastic bag or a brittle propagation dome that cracks after two seasons. FlexiGerm. holds its shape, cleans properly, and goes back in the cupboard for next year. It's also dishwasher-safe, which matters for the same reason it matters on the rest of the range: damping-off pathogens carry over on unwashed equipment, and a tray you can actually sanitise breaks that cycle. Trays line up alongside each other if you want to scale a germination run beyond six, so adding capacity is a matter of adding trays rather than rethinking the setup. Six pods, no cable — and a good classroom tool Because FlexiGerm. needs no power at all, it's the easiest thing in this range to put in front of a group. Nothing to plug in, nothing warm, no cable across a bench — just a silicone tray on a shelf. Six pods means six separate germinations running side by side — and each pod takes more than one seed, so a class of twenty can still have one each and compare results. The seed sits between two cotton pads rather than under soil, so the taproot is visible from the first day and the lid lifts off in one motion for a look. With a suitable seed and enough warmth, a taproot often appears within a day or two — against the usual cup-of-soil approach, where nothing shows for a week and several never come up at all. Useful for classrooms, community gardens, aged-care and therapy programmes, and teaching propagation to beginners generally. On heat: FlexiGerm. is designed to run without a Heat Pack. It relies on ambient warmth or a heat source you supply. If your room sits reliably in germination range, that's all you need. If it doesn't — and through an Australian winter most don't — sit the tray on a standard propagation heat mat; the AC Infinity seedling mats we stock pair well with it. Never place it on an unregulated or high-output heat source. FAQ FlexiGerm. or the Sprout. + Heat Pack. Kit — which should I get? It comes down to batch size and how much control you want. FlexiGerm. runs six pods at once and needs no power, but its temperature is whatever you give it. The Sprout. + Heat Pack. Kit is a single pod, but holds an exact temperature you set between 20°C and 35°C regardless of the room. Batch germination of easy-to-sprout varieties: FlexiGerm. Difficult, expensive or heat-loving seed where precision pays: the kit. Plenty of growers end up with both. Does it work with the Heat Pack.? No — FlexiGerm. isn't a Heat Pack. skin. It's a standalone tray designed for a broad, gentle heat source underneath, such as a propagation mat, or for ambient warmth alone. The Heat Pack. is built to sit under single-chamber skins like Sprout. Do I need a heat mat, or will room temperature do? Depends on your room and your seed. Most vegetable and herb seed germinates acceptably in a warm indoor room through spring and summer. Through winter, in an unheated space, or with heat-loving varieties like chillies and peppers, a mat will make a marked difference to both speed and consistency. Is it suitable for a classroom? It's the best fit in the range for one. No power, no cable, no heat source required, and six pods so several people can each run a seed. Consumables are ordinary cotton pads, so running it repeatedly costs almost nothing. For classroom sets or bulk quantities, get in touch. What goes in the pods? Standard 57 mm (2.25″) cotton pads — the ordinary cosmetic kind from any supermarket. Moisten a pad, place the seed, cover with a second moistened pad, close the lid. The pods are sized around that method deliberately, so consumables cost almost nothing. Can I run several trays at once? Yes. The trays line up alongside each other, so scaling a germination run is a matter of adding trays — and with no power requirement, there's no limit imposed by outlets or heaters. How do I clean it? Warm water and mild detergent, or the dishwasher. Air dry before storing. Worth doing between every run rather than at the end of the season.
