MicroMats vs Paper Towels | Which Grow Medium is Better for Microgreens?

Paper towels vs micro mats for microgreens: we grew purple top white globe turnips on both, and the paper towels cost about 18 cents a tray. Both paper towels and micro mats are made from trees, but that is where the similarities end. We went through the pros and cons of each, then seeded two trays of each and followed them from germination through day 6. How we set it up: ✔ Four 1020 trays, 25 grams of purple top white globe turnip seed per tray ✔ Paper towels: Brawny, two layers of two ply, about 18 cents to fill a 1020 tray ✔ Micro mats: a wood fiber mat, about $1.45 per tray in a 50 pack ✔ We randomized the stacking order (micro mat, paper towel, micro mat, paper towel) so the weight was spread differently, then used two 7 pound pavers on top ✔ Watered to saturated, but not so much that water sits and turns stagnant Paper towel pros and cons: ✔ Pros: sold almost everywhere, very low cost, and you can mix and match layers to make your own medium ✔ Cons: water retention varies a lot by brand, roots can struggle to penetrate, they are not made to be a grow medium, they bunch up on the sides, and they can lift up at harvest in slotted trays (a sharp knife and patience helps) Micro mat pros and cons: ✔ Pros: decent water retention, pre-cut for 1020 trays, and made from sustainably harvested trees ✔ Cons: they warp when first watered and tear easily, roots struggle because the mat has no perforation, the cost per tray is high, and they can lift at harvest in slotted trays What happened: ✔ Day 1: good germination on all four trays ✔ Day 2: on the micro mat trays, most seedlings stuck to the tray above instead of rooting down. The paper towel trays had only a small section stuck ✔ Day 3 to 4: the paper towel trays germinated well and were about 90 percent seed hull free. The micro mat trays were behind and shorter, with big pockets where seedlings had not rooted, and mold started to appear ✔ Day 5: after 24 hours of blackout, the micro mats had big patches of mold, so we used an anti-fungal spray and moved all trays into the light with bottom watering ✔ Day 6: we ended the micro mat trays because of the mold. The paper towel trays looked really solid, with one small dead spot where sprouts had stuck to the top tray and fallen back ✔ We took the paper towel trays to harvest but did not show it A food safety note: paper towels were not made to be a grow medium. Some brands use bleach or chlorine, and recycled paper towels may have absorbed oil or chemicals. We have not confirmed that any brand is food safe, so research your brand before you try this. This is our own first-hand testing in our specific growing space, with two trays per medium and one crop. It is not definitive, and your results will vary with your brand, seed and conditions. Logging mediums, seed grams and daily germination notes makes it easy to compare grows. Our Microgreen Tracker app is a web app that installs to your home screen. Start My Free 7-Day Trial: https://www.microgreentracker.com/ (nothing charged for 7 days) 🔗 LINKS Hydroponic Grow Mediums for Microgreens: https://onthegrow.net/blogs/microgreens/hydroponic-grow-mediums-for-growing-microgreens Seeds (True Leaf Market, affiliate): https://www.pjtra.com/t/8-11415-203835-153185?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.trueleafmarket.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DMicrogreen%2BSeeds ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00 Paper towels vs micro mats, what are we testing? 0:25 What are the pros and cons of paper towels? 3:22 What are the pros and cons of micro mats? 6:52 How did we seed the four trays? 9:29 Why randomize the stack and add weight? 10:47 Day 1: how is germination looking? 13:09 Day 2: why are micro mat seeds sticking to the tray? 15:11 Day 3: which medium germinates better? 19:34 Day 4: where is the mold showing up? 23:16 Day 5: what does 24 hours of blackout show? 26:28 Day 6: why did we end the micro mat trays? 29:10 Are paper towels safe to grow microgreens on? 📚 MORE FROM ON THE GROW Shop: https://onthegrow.net/ Blog: https://onthegrow.net/blogs/microgreens Free Microgreen PDFs: https://onthegrow.net/collections/free-microgreen-pdfs Masterclass: https://onthegrow.net/products/microgreen-masterclass Book: https://onthegrow.net/products/becoming-a-microgreen-master-physical-book Microgreen Tracker (7-day free trial): https://www.microgreentracker.com/ Sprouting Tracker (7-day free trial): https://www.sproutingtracker.com 📲 CONNECT WITH US Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthegrowfarms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onthegrowfarms All Our Links: https://linktr.ee/Onthegrow DISCLAIMER: Some links are affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you, including as an Amazon Associate. More info: https://onthegrow.net/pages/disclaimer #PaperTowelMicrogreens #MicroMats #GrowMediumComparison #Microgreens