Wholesale TC guides / Flask vs plug
Tissue Culture vs Rooted Plugs
A flask and a rooted plug tray are not the same product. Flasks hold small plantlets in sterile gel. Plugs are rooted starters already growing in tray cells. Order the wrong one and your bench plan falls apart.
Need flasks? Import TC is a $500 mix-and-match cart, about 2 weeks. U.S. stock is a different list at $250 on a purchase order.
Need rooted trays? Plugs are U.S. grown liners. Quote the trays. That path is not TC in agar.
This is a flask, not a tray
Young plantlets sit in agar inside a sealed vessel. You still have to deflask and wean humidity.
Flask photo vs tray photo
Google and buyer chats mix these up. One is lab stock in gel. The other is a rooted cell you can pot up.
Simple words for flask, plantlet, agar, plug, and liner
For a full definition of TC, see What are tissue culture plants.
Who should buy flasks vs who should buy plugs
Buy flasks if you can grow them out
- You have humidity domes and can deflask on arrival.
- You want mix-and-match variety from the import catalog.
- You can wait about 2 weeks for import TC, or use U.S. stock when you need the faster list.
- You will wean humidity before you push growth or list plants for sale.
Buy plugs if you want to pot and grow
- You run a plant shop or nursery and want rooted trays, not gel cups.
- You do not want a flask workflow on the bench.
- You need U.S. grown starters you can pot up.
- You want a shorter path to a plant you can finish and sell.
Time to sale
Flasks are the slow start with the widest catalog. Day one is deflasking. Then you wean humidity for about 1 to 3 weeks. After that you still grow the plant out to a size you can sell.
Use deflasking step by step on arrival, then how to acclimate tissue culture plants.
Plugs skip the flask. The plant is already rooted in a cell. You pot it, finish it, and sell it on your normal turn. That is why shops that do not run a TC lab usually want trays.
Shipping
Rare Root Labs ships inside the United States only, from Easley, South Carolina. We do not ship flasks or trays outside the U.S.
- Import TC (flasks): cart on the full wholesale TC list. Mix and match. Minimum $500. Lead time about 2 weeks.
- U.S. stock TC (flasks): a different list. $250 purchase order on U.S. TC stock. Faster when items are in stock.
- Plugs (trays): U.S. grown. Request a quote on wholesale plugs and liners. Most confirmed orders ship the same week, or the next week at the latest.
Acclimate vs pot and grow
Flasks need a two-step handoff. First you deflask: open the vessel, rinse agar, and pot at culture depth. Then you acclimate: keep high humidity for several days and vent in steps. Do not set a fresh flask on an open bench and walk away.
Plugs are already out of gel. There is no agar to rinse. Pot the rooted cell into your mix and grow it under normal finishing light and water. Treat them as starters, not as finished retail plants, but skip the flask wean.
If you bought flasks by mistake and need the wean, start with the acclimation guide.
Side-by-side: flask vs plug
| Point | Tissue culture flask | Rooted plug / liner |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Plantlets in a sealed cup or jar, sitting in agar | Rooted plant in a tray cell, already out of gel |
| Day-one work | Deflask, rinse gel, pot, start a humidity dome | Pot up and grow. No flask to open |
| Time to sale | Wean about 1 to 3 weeks, then grow out | Shorter. Finish the rooted starter on your normal turn |
| How to order here | Import cart $500 mix and match (about 2 weeks), or U.S. stock $250 PO | Quote form on the plugs page. U.S. grown trays |
| Ship from | Easley, SC. United States only | Easley, SC. United States only |
What rooted trays look like on the benches
This walkthrough is the plug format, not flasks. Same rooted trays U.S. shops receive when they order liners.
How to order from Rare Root Labs
Pick the list that matches the photo you want to receive. Flasks and trays are not interchangeable stock.
FAQ
Are tissue culture plants the same as plugs?
No. Tissue culture plantlets ship in flasks or bags with agar. Plugs and liners are rooted trays already out of gel. Shop flasks on the TC lists. Shop rooted trays on the plugs page.
What is a flask vs a plug?
A flask is a sealed cup or jar of plantlets in agar. A plug is one rooted plant in a tray cell. A liner is the same idea: a starter already growing in media, not in gel.
What is agar?
Agar is the firm sterile gel inside a flask. It feeds plantlets in culture. You rinse it off the roots when you deflask. Rooted plugs do not come in agar.
Who should buy flasks vs plugs?
Buy flasks if you can deflask and acclimate and you want mix-and-match TC. Buy plugs if you want to pot up rooted U.S. grown trays without a flask workflow.
How do I order each from Rare Root Labs?
Import TC flasks: $500 mix-and-match cart, about 2 weeks, on the full TC list. U.S. stock flasks: $250 purchase order on the U.S. stock page. Plugs: quote form on the plugs page. We ship inside the United States only from Easley, South Carolina.
How long until I can sell them?
Flasks need deflasking plus a humidity wean of about 1 to 3 weeks, then grow-out. Plugs are already rooted, so you pot and finish on a shorter turn. Exact days depend on genus and your room.
Do you ship flasks or plugs outside the United States?
No. Rare Root Labs ships wholesale TC and plugs within the United States only from Easley, South Carolina.
Contact
Shipping from Easley, SC
