Post by Jay Blair on Mar 4, 2007 19:05:53 GMT -5
I found that the slick paper sales fliers make good seedling cups.
I use a juice glass or large medicine bottle as a form ( I prefer a medicne bottle as the lip acts as a slide stop ).
I fold the 11 by 17 inch flier in half to make a double walled sheet 5 1/2 by 17.
I then roll this around the form with the folded edge at the bottle neck or top of the glass.
After rolling around the form I then fold the inside single tthickness of rolled paper down to the bottom of the bottle or glass being used for the form. This provides a single sheet bottom forthe seedling cup that the root structure can easily break through after transplanting to the garden.
Next , I fold the end in on itself like reverse rollilin a knit cap until it meet the single sheet bottom of the rolled papr cup.
I then use a drop of school glue, hot glue or tape on the loose seam or if the cup is deep enough to allow rolling in a half inch from the top, to secure the seam and prevent unrolling of the cup.
The finished bottom of the cup will resemble the end of a shotgun shell.
I then put an inch of unused kitty litter in the bottom, fill it the rest of the way with worm castings and soil .
The cups then ready for seed insertion and watering.
The clay litter layer will help draw moisture away from the seedling after sprouting to combat damping off and moisture showin on the paper of the cup will indicate over watering.
When transplanted to the garden, the entire cup will decompose before the season is over and not disturbing the roots prevents transplant shock.
It takes about a minute to make one of these, disposes of junk mail fliers, gives the seedlings as much space as a medium sized peat cup and doesnt cost you 8 cents a piece at wal mart.
I make about 200 a year and am still using the $1 bottle of non toxic elmers school glue I bought 4 years ago.
You can easily mark whats in it on the side of the paper in non toxic perm marker also.
I use a juice glass or large medicine bottle as a form ( I prefer a medicne bottle as the lip acts as a slide stop ).
I fold the 11 by 17 inch flier in half to make a double walled sheet 5 1/2 by 17.
I then roll this around the form with the folded edge at the bottle neck or top of the glass.
After rolling around the form I then fold the inside single tthickness of rolled paper down to the bottom of the bottle or glass being used for the form. This provides a single sheet bottom forthe seedling cup that the root structure can easily break through after transplanting to the garden.
Next , I fold the end in on itself like reverse rollilin a knit cap until it meet the single sheet bottom of the rolled papr cup.
I then use a drop of school glue, hot glue or tape on the loose seam or if the cup is deep enough to allow rolling in a half inch from the top, to secure the seam and prevent unrolling of the cup.
The finished bottom of the cup will resemble the end of a shotgun shell.
I then put an inch of unused kitty litter in the bottom, fill it the rest of the way with worm castings and soil .
The cups then ready for seed insertion and watering.
The clay litter layer will help draw moisture away from the seedling after sprouting to combat damping off and moisture showin on the paper of the cup will indicate over watering.
When transplanted to the garden, the entire cup will decompose before the season is over and not disturbing the roots prevents transplant shock.
It takes about a minute to make one of these, disposes of junk mail fliers, gives the seedlings as much space as a medium sized peat cup and doesnt cost you 8 cents a piece at wal mart.
I make about 200 a year and am still using the $1 bottle of non toxic elmers school glue I bought 4 years ago.
You can easily mark whats in it on the side of the paper in non toxic perm marker also.
