Origami Newspaper Pots

Source: Home Made Simple

Here is an interesting idea for reusing newspaper and saving on buying pots.

What happens when you water

i like it cheaper than using little starter cubes and easier then transplanting.

i assume they will become moist when watering but wont fall apart. if you have trouble with it structurally you could use two sheets. same effect but a little stronger.

Excellent idea.the beauty is that you can plant them in the ground and the paper will rot.
I have added it on to my project of saving all those brown toilet paper cores and bundling them up with wire, filled with soil and placed on an old water heater tray bottom. My neighbor laughs every time she walks by.

I do the TP pots too. They are great for larger seed like squash. I write on the side of the roll with a magic marker. Fill it with soil (slightly packed in) leaving about a half inch lip on the top end.. Stand it up in a cat litter tray and plant a seed in each tube. When it's ready to plant I use a bulb planter to make the hole and drop in the tube. No transplant shock. It's free and the lip of the tube protects against cutworms.... I love it!

here is another version of a paper pot maker:
http://simplyflagstaff.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/3-newpaper-pot-maker/

similar to the name brand, but ~1/5 of the price.
it took a few tries to get the process figured out, but once you get it, its smooth sailin'

original:


$3 home depot version:

Hi!
I've used both newspaper and tp pots, and just a note: make sure to either leave the bottom open (sitting them in a tray until the roots are good and strong) or remove or unfold the bottom before planting, and in some cases I even slice the side. They do break down in the soil, but generally not fast enough to get out of the way of the roots that grow. Also, make sure to plant ALL of the paper. If any of it sticks above the surface of the soil, it is wicking moisture away from the roots.
They do get rather soggy and some do fall apart. But certainly no more so than soil blocking, and I love(d) my soil blocker!
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-455-soil-block-makers.aspx
I had the 4-block sort. I made the mistake of loaning it out last year. I have done my seed starting without it this year and I miss it! I might just buy a new one, or try some of the diy versions I've seen online.
They need a rather specific sort of mixture to work well, but once you've got your "recipe" down, it's awesome how my seedlings come though with no pot at all.

-K

It's that time of year again.

The epic fight for newspaper in our home.  Save some for making pots to start the veg or use it all to light the fire for warmth.  

r ranson wrote:It's that time of year again.

The epic fight for newspaper in our home.  Save some for making pots to start the veg or use it all to light the fire for warmth.  

I prefer the toilet paper tubes (left open on the bottom) and I have to fight the kids over them because when I bring out a big bag of cardboard tubes, they want to steal all of them to do crafts! 😆

newspaper.. yes I think I remember that stuff, not had any in over 10 years.  I have tried those pots and toilet roll pots, I find they go horribly soggy and mouldy before they get planted out, not a fan at all.