by InspiredWritingResearch

Created on: April 26, 2009

It is so easy to recycle newspapers into seed starting pots or containers. What is more, it is so cheap, it is almost free!

Firstly, start saving your newspapers. You will need to sort them into piles that are, or are not, suitable for baby seeds to grow in. For example, you might not want to choose the highly glossy photo pages of Sunday supplements or entertainment pages. These might have brightly colored inks which could leak into the plant containers or peat. Plain black and white newsprint is generally fine. Gardeners who are growing vegetable seedlings might want to take extra care over the newsprint they use.

Some seed-starting enthusiasts go 'the whole way' with their recycled newspaper pots by re-incarnating their papier-mache skills from schooldays! In this system, strong, durable pots can be created with the addition of glue or wallpaper paste to the mix. However, it all depends upon how long-lasting you need your pots to be. After all, most seedlings are up and sprouting within two weeks, and soon need to be re-potted or planted out.

Papier-mache pots also need to be given extra time and care, as the incorporated glue makes them more likely to stick to the flower-pot molds. For this reason, seed-starter pot molds of this type need to be lined with some sort of non-stick lining - petroleum jelly or Vaseline is often used.

However, both the glue and the lining will have the effect of making the flower or vegetable containers more waterproof. This is good if you need durable pots, but if you are aiming to plant your recycled newspaper seed-starting pots straight into the earth so that the roots can grow through, then this is a disadvantage.

For these reasons, many gardeners have found that just lining flowerpot molds with plain wet newspaper is perfectly adequate, and in fact, works better for baby seedlings that have roots which are sensitive to disturbance. These seed containers will disintegrate soon after being put into the ground - when they are wet from watering the roots of the baby plants can grow through.

Next, you need to choose suitably-sized plantpot molds for the particular plants you are growing. This is easy because you if you have grown the plants before, you can just use the seed-starter pots you used before as molds. If not, go look in a garden store to see what sized seed-pots they are using, or take advice from the instructions on the packet.

It is always advisable to use an extra layer of newspaper more than you need. Make the first layer

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>