Paper seedling pots? Does anyone have a pattern or instructions?

[NurseNettie]

I've seen those expensive pot makers in catalogs, but was hoping someone could describe or show me how to make seedling starters out of newspapers. I'd like to NOT have to buy any pots/ etc this year. I've got all the trays from last year, and will have to buy seed starter, but want to save and recycle where I can.

Thanks!

 

[gettinaclue]

I make my own out of newspaper. I came across this on a blog .. I think he was from Japan and I swear by these things.

Most people just use a plastic cup, roll the newspaper around it and tuck it to make a bottom. I don't particularly care for these since the bottoms are very thick presenting a potential problem for the roots after they've been moved.

Get a SQUARE piece of newspaper - no color.

1. Fold from left to right

2. Fold from bottom to top

3. Fold from left to right again

4. Looking at the bottom right, you should have 2 points or corners. Take one corner and fold in on itself so the corner meets the spine (opening it). Then flip it over like a pancake and do the same on the other side.

5. Open it up and it should sort of look like an airplane. There should be no open gap.

6. Take the top wing (there will be two on each side) and fold the edge of the wing to the crease in the middle, then do the same thing to the top wing on the other side so the edges of the two wings should meet over the crease in the middle.

7. Flip it over and do the same on the other side.

8. You can now open the pot.

You will have little wings on 2 sides of pot. These are great for tucking one wing into a neighboring pot and setting up a row. They seem pretty flimsy at first but do very well once they've been filled with soil. I prefer to tuck the wings in their own pots, it makes transplanting easier.

I'm sorry I don't have the link. Let me know if it all looks like greek to you. LOL

I like to open a pot and slip some other pots in them for storage. Easy to make a few in the evenings when you're winding down.

I sent my SIL some of these pots and she has been tickled with them. The lucky duck already has things growing in the ground. I have them in my windowsill LOL

 

[patandchickens]

Here is what I did in grad school (note that I was not sufficiently thrilled with how the paper pots performed to use them for more than a few years).

Find a small can or jar the size of the pot you want to make. If I were doing it right now I'd use my husband's Robertson brand marmalade jars; you want something roughly 2" in diameter. Just eyeball it and see if it seems reasonable seedling-starting size.

Then take your newspapers -- just the b/w pages, leave them all stacked together the way they originally came -- and cut strips that are about 4" wide and long enough to go 3-ish times around your can or jar.

Take one of the newspaper strips and wrap it around the jar so that not quite half of it is sticking off the bottom (thus unsupported by jar). Once it is all wrapped, hold it that way with one hand while folding/crushing the unsupported part against the bottom of the jar, sort of as if you were doing a really lousy job of wrapping the end of a present. Flatten it against the jar bottom very firmly, and to finish, use your thumb and forefinger to kind of crimp around the edge so it stays. Then you can remove the jar and you have a pot ready to fill with soil.

My experience was that you wanna really jam-pack them into the seed tray or they dry out too quickly. Even so, I ultimately decided my plants were growing faster in recycled plastic pots than in the paper things so I gave up on them. But if you want to use paper pots, the above gives you about as good a product as the $20 widget they sell in catalogs

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Dolly]

I know this is an old thread but now that it is March, I'm sure many of us will be starting to plant.

This is a fairly simple step by step guide that I will be following tomorrow, hopefully it is as easy as it looks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqB4SI3TCsA

 

[justusnak]

I have been saveing TP rolls....I stuffed a little newspaper in the bottom, and filled with soil. Then placed them in a bowl...and I will start my seeds next week.

 

[ducks4you]

Here is what I did in grad school (note that I was not sufficiently thrilled with how the paper pots performed to use them for more than a few years).

Find a small can or jar the size of the pot you want to make. If I were doing it right now I'd use my husband's Robertson brand marmalade jars; you want something roughly 2" in diameter. Just eyeball it and see if it seems reasonable seedling-starting size.

Then take your newspapers -- just the b/w pages, leave them all stacked together the way they originally came -- and cut strips that are about 4" wide and long enough to go 3-ish times around your can or jar.

Take one of the newspaper strips and wrap it around the jar so that not quite half of it is sticking off the bottom (thus unsupported by jar). Once it is all wrapped, hold it that way with one hand while folding/crushing the unsupported part against the bottom of the jar, sort of as if you were doing a really lousy job of wrapping the end of a present. Flatten it against the jar bottom very firmly, and to finish, use your thumb and forefinger to kind of crimp around the edge so it stays. Then you can remove the jar and you have a pot ready to fill with soil.

My experience was that you wanna really jam-pack them into the seed tray or they dry out too quickly. Even so, I ultimately decided my plants were growing faster in recycled plastic pots than in the paper things so I gave up on them. But if you want to use paper pots, the above gives you about as good a product as the $20 widget they sell in catalogs

Have fun,

Pat

Thanks, Pat!! I was considering paper pots, but I already have a TON of those little plastic pots from buying starter plants over the years. I'm gentle with them, and I didn't have the heart to throw them away.

 

[Janos&Jen]

I love this idea...Just watched the video now I am ready to go get a newspaper and try it!

 

[The YardFarmers]

We did some posts on Newspaper Pots 2-20-2010, you may want to scroll back awhile on the Roll Your Own topics. Mine turned out great. I'm transplanting broccoli and cabbage starts into them tomorrow.

yardFarmer Julie

 

[ORChick]

I made some of these, for the first time, as transplant pots, using the base of a wine bottle to roll the newspaper around. They are working just fine. I think that, for me, the small ones for starting seeds would be just too fiddly, but these larger size ones are working well so far. Sqished tightly together in a flat they keep each other upright, and don't dry out very fast. (Re-reading pat's post I will note that I have a couple of more layers of newspaper as well, so perhaps that is why they stay damp longer)

 

[valmom]

I have also saved so many of those little plastic pots over the years that I use those. But I may have to get out some paper and try the origami pots!