I frickin hate those things...a couple years ago I lost 20 of 24 babies because of them. Not for the same reason as you state but...

I highly recommend NEVER using them.
akornpatch Reviewed by akornpatch on . Why I won't ever use expandable peat pellets again-pics The first pic is of the dried root systems of 2 males I killed that had been growing from seed, 2 months, in nothing but manure and perlite. The second pid is the dried roots of 2 other males that had been growing the same amount of time from seed, but had started in 2 different brands of expandable peat pellets. Notice that there is virtually NO root penetration of the pellet wrapping material, and almost all root mass originates from the STEM. So anyway there you have it. Never again!! Rating: 5