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seed tray

seed tray

1 2.8
A shallow container for planting seeds and growing young plants
  • noun
  • /siːd treɪ/
: bandeja de semillas
  • After sowing the seeds in the seed tray, water them gently to keep the soil moist.

And I had the seed trays under humidity domes.

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Examples

  • Mix moist grit and peat in a seed tray, and then place the cutting on top.

    Blog text (21)
  • I started them in seed trays

    Blog text (1)
  • Another reason I do like these girl like systems is that they do house one of my favorite seed trays perfectly.

  • And I had the seed trays under humidity domes.

  • Fill the seed tray with potting soil before planting your seeds.

  • She used a seed tray to start her vegetable garden indoors.

Synonyms

tray
vsseed tray
239 1.0

A flat, shallow container used to carry or hold food and dishes

is specialised for sowing and nurturing young plants rather than general holding
flat
vsseed tray
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A shallow tray used to start young plants in a greenhouse

is used more widely outside greenhouses for sowing and raising young plants
seed sprouter
vsseed tray
1 2.9

A container used to grow edible shoots from seeds like bean sprouts

is aimed at sowing and raising plants rather than quick edible sprout growth
seedbox
vsseed tray
4.0

A small box used to plant and grow young seeds

focuses on sowing plus growing seedlings and cuttings rather than just storing seeds

How Big

rose bed
1 1.0
planter
12 1.8
flowerpot
6 1.0
window box
4 2.9
seed tray
1 2.8

Surface Forms

seed tray singular
seed trays plural

Morphology

seed + tray

The meaning 'a shallow container for sowing seeds' is directly and predictably formed from 'seed' (what goes in it) + 'tray' (a flat container), so the referent is immediately inferable. This noun-noun compounding is a common, cross-linguistic composition pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Seed tray comes from the simple image of a shallow tray holding many seeds where they start to grow. Gardeners put seeds in a seed tray to give them warmth, water and space to grow before moving them, so the name means 'a low container for sowing and raising young plants'.