Making seedling pots from Newspaper
Plants such as parsley hate being transplanted, so using a bio-degradable pot made out of newspaper is an ideal solution to help anyone who wishes to start off a seedling indoors for transplantation. These are ideal as the newspaper will rot down and the roots will grow through the newspaper.
I have seen a kit for sale for £12.99 that does exactly the same as this but all you really need is a jar, some newspaper and your usual potting mix. You might want to try this potting mix by our trusty Australian Nev.
First of all fold one sheet of newspaper in the middle fold then fold again so that you have a long narrow piece.
The width of this will be the height of the jar. Then roll up the can or jar in the newspaper as evenly as you can, then take the jar out, leaving the newspaper rolled up.
You can then tuck the newspaper into itself to secure it, I was not sure if anyone would understand what I meant by this so here is a snap of what I am talking about.
To make the base take a half sheet of newspaper then cut or tear it into fourths and stuff it into the rolled up piece dampening it down with the jar, to form a bottom to the pot. You might also want to tie a bit of string around each pot to secure them a bit more or you could pack them tightly together on a tray.
Fill with potting soil and plant seeds as you would with a normal pot. Put the finished pot on a dish as I have done opposite or if you have more put them on a tray as I have mentioned before. This makes them easier to move around and as they are not the most secure of pots it also adds a bit more support. You might worry that watering will break the paper but it is strong enough to hold the water in, obviously the pots wont take a down pour so don't plant anything that needs to be overly watered.
When the seedlings have grown to the height that you want they can simply be planted out. They newspaper will rot away and the root need not be disturbed as it simply grows through the pot. This is especially good for plants such as parsley that can be adversely affected when the root are disturbed.
What do you think?
So have you tried this and failed in the past, or perhaps you always do this? If you have thoughts on this or anything else you see on the website feel free to discuss them on our forum.
