I saw this on-line somewhere a while back so I thought I’d give it a go since I’m stoned. DIY Starter pots made out of paper. The example I saw was with newspaper (not sure the effects of ink, if any) but I used the brown paper that Amazon stuffs in every box. I have enough to circle the neighborhood twice.
So, here’s how I did it. I’m thinking some masking tape might help but I didn’t use it. I’m also not using the pot yet but I might my next grow.
It should be closed on one end and open at the other.
Fold over about an inch (I did a little too much in the photo and re-did it). with the fold facing inward, roll it around something the same diameter as you want the pot to be. I used my air lock stash container.
Pretty cool! I can say that most newspaper’s use ink made out soy and other natural products and I use it all the time in my worm beds. I got a cheap paper shredder and run the newspaper through the shredder. Then put the shredded newspaper in a bucket with water and use a paint or plastering mixing attachment for my drill and mix it up. Take the mix and make balls out of it squeezing most of the water out to the consistency of a rung out sponge. Take your balls and mash them through a sifter, I use 3/4 screen, into a tote or something and you got natural worm bedding they love it and will swell up to monsters. I use the worms for fishing and use the old worm bedding in my compost. And I have also seen this method used to make pots. You just take your mixture and not ball it up just take the watery slop and place into a mold which I figure a cup would work. The guy I seen had fancy molds. And then let dry and you just made your own jiffy cups. I like your quick fold up method…takes a lot of work of the process. Post some pics of how these work out. And keep them idears comin!!!
Never thought of making them into a pulp then forming them. Although, I might just opt to buy them before doing that kind of work :-).
It’ll be a while until I use them but I might just put dirt in it and water it from time to time and see how it holds up. Better to know ahead of time I suppose.
Yeah I agree about the work I mainly do it for my worm beds. If I remember the next time I make some bedding I’ll try to make a few pots and see how they turn out
24 hours with moist soil and the pot looks good still. A little moisture near the bottom, which I would expect but it’s still very sturdy feeling. Water does run out the bottom for drainage as well.
I suspect I’ll be making these to use my next grow. If it can last 2 weeks, I’m all over it. I like the idea of recycling and using paper instead of plastic.
Jiffy pots have molded on me more than once. DIY newspaper pots worked well for me without molding. I have a few little plastic pots that I use now. I’ll probably do this again for vegetable garden seed starts in the spring.
It held up well. I kept it moist for 2 weeks and it was more or less intact. I might do them for my next run. Not sure it’s worth the effort other than I like recycling.
I don’t think I’d use that paper. It held up too strong, you’d just have a pot within a pot. Easy enough to just flip it upside down and let the root ball slide out.
I also went up in size slower. Went from starter pot, to 6" pot, to 5-gal fabric. It’s way too easy to overwater a small plant in a big pot.
Not to mention, at least in my mind, a big pot to start gives the roots no reason to feel like they need to work. They’re just kicking back in all the free space. Smaller pots make them think they better reach out and find new space. Again, that’s just in my brain. Probably not based on any fact but it makes sense (to me).
good point on letting the root ball slide out. I also bought one of those water meters you stick into the pot to help me with the over-watering issue. Definitely food for thought.
Since MA legalization I can’t believe how much indoor growing supplies the local hardware store has. Amazing.
Cool stuff
