As requested, here's some info on soil blocking...
http://www.pottingblocks.com/index.html
This is a very informative site.
I haven't gotten a good recipe for my blocks yet, so I wanted folks to see what proper soil blocks look like, rather than the soil lumps I'm making.
Soil Blocks
Thanks for sharing this.
I've been researching, trying to figure out what went wrong, and maybe it's because my mix wasn't wet enough... I certainly couldn't have squeezed water out of it. Here's a nice blog entry, which shows and describes just how wet the mix should be...
http://www.inthegardenonline.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/272-Making-Soil-Blocks.html
Dang, I wish I'd research things a bit BEFORE I try them. LOL
Here's the best pictorial explanation of soil blocking...
http://www.pottingblocks.com/soil_block_for_beginners.html
If you search on youtube, there's some great little videos, too.
Sure makes it look simple. Imagine it is, once you get the hang of it.
Several years ago I stopped using the soil block maker and went back to making newspaper pots. My problem was that when placing the blocks in a container I placed them close together for support. Then as the seedlings grew they sent their roots into adjoining blocks. When setting the plants out the ends of those roots got broken off. The plants went on to maturity, but might have been stronger without the added stress.
Oh yeah, I've wondered about that, but I came across one site that mentions a space between each block is needed... you wouldn't happen to have a 4" blocker you want to part with cheap? I haven't given up yet... =0)
No, I gave my blocker away some time ago. I found that if I didn't place the blocks close together they tended to crumble. However I think if I were doing it now I would try cutting strips of plastic to place between the rows. Might thwart the plants' tendency to send roots out instead of down, but at least the ends wouldn't be lost.
I'm still working on my recipe for the soil blocks... but I think I'm close. And one of those videos mentions dunking the blocker in a bucket of water between each loading.
I planted 3 of my pea soil blocks yesterday... I want to see if my theory that the mice won't eat them once they're sprouted is correct... I haven't been out to check them yet, so I don't know if they made it through the night intact.
Do you use one of those wooden things they sell for making the newspaper pots or some other way? I've wondered about those... how do newspaper pots compare to peat pots?
This time it worked better... I got the mix a lot wetter, and I dipped the blocker in water between loadings. Here you see 46 peas all ready to be covered up with a pinch of blocking mix...
I do have one of the wooden tools designed for making the paper pots, but I've also used jars of various sizes such as a 12 oz. jelly jar for small seeds and a pint jar for larger seeds such as curcubits. There are also instructions for folding square pots that fit snugly together in the holding pan. I make my pots 3 inches tall after the base is folded under. Paper disintegrates much faster than peat IMO. It is important when setting the seedlings out to tear back the top part of the pot so that no paper is above ground to wick away moisture.
Your seedling tray looks great and should perform well.
Thanks! It sure looks better than my first soil blobs. LOL
These blocks are oblong rather than square but look easy to do -
http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2009/02/newspaper-seedling-packs.html
Cool... as soon as I stop messing around on the computer, I'm going to go give this a try! So, you use masking tape on all your paper containers?
Yes I do. Just a little piece to keep the side closed and another to secure the tucked bottom. It will biodegrade quickly.
This message was edited Mar 24, 2010 5:11 PM
I've already made a whole flat full of 'em for up potting my tomatoes when ready... I'm particularly glad to hear they decompose faster than the peat pots, which do have a tendency to bind the roots a bit.