Do you want to increase your seedling collection? Then planting seeds is a great alternative for you. Because they are not very demanding with the place where they will grow – as long as they receive enough heat, humidity and sunlight – it makes it easy to create your own container.
use newspapers, paper towel rolls, small boxes and shredded paperitems that are in your trash, to produce biodegradable pots.
Before you begin, check the labels on the seed packets to help you figure out when to put them in your seed pods. vases. As they germinate, provide as much sunlight as possible or use grow lights.
When the weather warms up, set them up to acclimatize to life outdoors – make this transition slowly by placing the seedlings in a sheltered spot in your backyard for an hour or two. Gradually increase this time until they can be out all day.
In addition to being super practical, you can choose the material with these 4 different designs! Check out:
1. Newspaper pots
Although, nowadays, few people read printed newspapers, there is always someone with an extensive collection of old copies and who did not know very well what to do with them. Use them in this reservoir project for your little seeds. Also look for a small glass container to be the mold – a glass with straight sides will do.
Materials
- small glass bottle
- Newspaper
- Scissors
- shallow pan with water
- planting mix
- seeds
How to make:
- Cut the newspaper into large rectangles, enough to wrap around the entire jar with a small overlap. Then dip newspaper rectangles into a shallow pan of water until moistened.
- Wrap the softened paper around the glass jar. Roll out the bottom edge of the paper to fold and form the bottom of the vase – pinch and press around. Smooth the bottom by forcing it onto a flat surface and let it dry. Carefully slide out the paper.
- Add the planting mix to your new reservoirs and lightly clean the soil. Make a shallow hole in the center of each one with your finger or the tip of a pencil. Place the seed and cover with soil.
- Mist the new seedlings with water – enough to completely moisten the soil.
2. Branch development boxes
Do you like to shop online? Why not use the paper boxes that protect your treats as trays for the seeds to develop? Perfectly sized, they’re sturdy enough to keep sprouts together until they can be moved into your garden.
Materials
- Small paper box, like a tea box
- Scissors
- planting mix
- seeds
How to make:
- With scissors, cut one of the long sides of the box to form a shallow tray. Attach the cut pieces to create dividers as needed.
- Fill each partition with the mixture and lightly clean the soil. Create a shallow hole with your finger or the tip of a pencil in each section. Then add a seed and cover them with soil.
- Water the seedling soil.
3. Paper towel tube containers
You paper towel tubes can be very versatile for DIY projects like these biodegradable seed planters. Just make a few snips, fold at one end and you’re done!
Materials
- paper towel tubes
- Scissors
- planting mix
- seeds
How to make:
- Cut the tube into 7 cm sections. On one end of each, make four evenly spaced cuts approximately 1.9 cm long.
- Fold the flaps to close the bottom of the vase. It’s okay if there’s a little space between them, as this will help with drainage.
- Fill your new pots with the mixture, and in the center of each, poke a shallow hole in the soil with your finger or the point of a pencil. Place a seed in the hole and cover with soil. Water the soil with water.
4. Papier mache vase
A little heat helps make these DIY containers sturdier. The process starts similarly to other handmade paper projects, but you need to mix in some flour and bake after you shape them.
Materials
- Shredded paper, newspaper or paper bags
- Blender
- Water
- Sieve
- big bowl
- small sponge
- Flour
- muffin pan
- Oven
- planting mix
- seeds
How to make:
- Fill your blender with shredded paper and top up with water – let sit for five minutes to soften. Soon after, beat until the paper has a smooth consistency. Start heating the oven to 200 degrees.
- Pour the combination into a strainer over a bowl. Press the paper with a sponge until it looks like wet clay.
- Place the paper in a clean bowl and add about 2 tablespoons of flour. Use your hands to combine everything to an even consistency. Create small balls in muffin tins and press them into the bottom and sides of each section as thin as possible. Repeat until used up.
- Bake in the oven for an hour. The pots won’t be completely dry when you take them out, the oven just speeds up the drying process. Once they cool, peel them off and let them dry overnight.
- Complete your artifacts with planting mix. Make a shallow hole in the center of the soil in each pot with your finger or the point of a pencil. Place a seed and cover with soil.
- Mist the branches with water until the soil is moist.
*Via Better Homes & Gardens