While peat pots are relatively inexpensive, the size and magnitude of early spring seed cultivation may require a large number of seed pots for starting the first seasonal plants. For do-it-yourself garden enthusiasts, making biodegradable pots is easy, using a simple paper mache recipe and earth-friendly paper strips.
Gardeners without access to green materials may use biodegradable choices like newspaper strips or notebook paper to create pots that gradually disintegrate in the soil. Gardeners should avoid using heavy papers with excessive chemical dyes or pesticide residue.
Prepping the Materials
Tear the paper into small strips or squares for assembling the pots. The goal is to create pots that will break down quickly in the garden soil, allowing the plant's roots to penetrate the walls and anchor themselves in the soil for nutrients. The smaller the piece and thinner the paper, the more biodegradable the pots will be once the seedlings are placed in the garden.
Make a thin paste from flour and water to adhere the paper strips together and form the mini pots. A liquid mixture will hold the paper together long enough to allow the seeds to sprout, yet still be thin enough to disintegrate quickly once buried in damp soil.
Making the Seed Pots
The pots need a mold to form them into miniature cups. The plastic halves of Easter eggs work well for shaping the paper and paste into miniature pots; egg shell cartons can also be used to mold them, since the strips can be wrapped around the cardboard or Styrofoam cups. Smear the mold's surface with a light layer of Vaseline to prevent the mini pots from sticking to the surface permanently.
Immerse the pieces of paper one at a time in the liquid paste, then shape around the mold. Allow them overlap slightly, but don't create a double-layered pot with thick paper, since a thicker shell will need more time to break down and release the plant's roots. For extremely thin paper, two layers are usually sufficient.
Starting the Seeds
Once the pots have dried, peel them slowly from the mold and place in a seed tray or in an old baking pan. Fill each one with moist potting soil or humus, varying the dampness according the specific seed requirements. The damper the soil, the less likely the seedlings will need to be watered before transplant, minimizing the early deterioration of the biodegradable pots.
Place the tray in a greenhouse environment or cover with a sturdy plastic tarp tent which can be cleaned and reused next season. Once the seeds have sprouted, mist or soak the paper pots with water briefly before placing them into the garden plant holes. The additional dampness and the moist garden earth should cause the pots to biodegrade quickly into the soil.
Sarah Briggs - For the last two years, I have designed primitive dolls and folk art sculptures (such as Edwin Drood and the Ghost of Marley) for Cordwood ...
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