Create eco-friendly and complex pots for seed-starting
Happily, we still see compostable planting pots. Yes, they go to the ground! Not only are they an easy way to start vegetables, but they are also economical and save pounds on the use of plastic. Check out 10 types of plant pots from paper to cow manure - and 3 ways to make your own biodegradable pots!
As much as we would like to see plastic plant tanks being recycled, it ends up in tons of terrain and incinerators each year. This leads many of us to look for alternative containers to start alternative convenient seedlings. When shopping, keep in mind that there are three ways to describe eco-friendly pots:
Plantable:
This means you can place the pots on the ground, plant, and everything, and when the pot breaks the roots penetrate the surrounding soil through the pot.
Biodegradable:
These pots eventually seem to break and just disappear with the naked eye, but depending on what they are made of they can leave harmful residues, so look for organic certified ones.
Compostable
This is another type. These pots eventually break down into humus and release toxic residue. Some compost pots take a long time to break down but keep in mind that they are not really implantable. It is better to remove the plants and break the empty pots and add them to the compost pile.
10 Types of Eco-Friendly Garden Pots
A wide variety of pots to choose from, from paper to cow dung!
1. Peat pots
Has been around for many years but there is some controversy about how stable a product is. Like oil, there is a certain amount of charcoal in the world. Although it is considered by many to be renewable, it takes a long time. Beets develop at a rate of 1 inch every 15 to 25 years. Most of the charcoal used in the United States is harvested in Canada. If you prefer to use charcoal, the pots are perfectly walkable and come in a wide range of sizes and types ranging from GF7 particles to strips of square cells to individual pots.
2. Coconut Coir
Charcoal begins to be used as an alternative. Once considered agricultural waste, coconut husk husks are designed as tanks or finely chopped and used as planting medium. Coir pots are also planted as the roots pass easily between the fibers.
3. Feather pots
Another agricultural waste product. Poultry breeders in the United States produce about 4 billion pounds of chicken feathers each year. A clean and stable source of the protein keratin, feathers can be made into light, durable pots that can be composted when shredded and hollow.
4. Fertilpots
Made from 80% spruce fibers and 20% charcoal blend. They are biodegradable but have no glue or binders and are organically certified. The roots of the plant penetrate the sides of the pot so they can be planted in the pot and all. They are made in France, so they must travel to get an American dealer in PA. They are obtained from the selected seeds of Johnny.
5. Eco-Forms
Containers made from grain husks - primarily rice husks - and starch-based binders are heated and pressed to hold them together. They make a wide variety of pots, from practical drinks for professional growers to home gardeners dressing in a variety of colors. These pots will last for 5 years and will withstand freezing and thawing. They are not planted in the ground, but they are biodegradable and compostable. They are made in China.
6. Enviroarch
Is a biodegradable pot from Australia. It is made from bamboo pulp, rice husks, wheat straw, and corn husks - all grown naturally on their own farms. These pots last for 18 to 24 months but break down within 6 months during composting. They offer a wide range of sizes and colors.
7. Western Pulp
Creates a fiber pot designed from recycled paper. These are heavy containers and soft plants cannot push their roots through them. Before planting, you are advised to gently tear the pots from the roots ball and then compost the container. They are made in the United States but are not organically certified.
Creating your own paper tubs from the old newspapers is easy. Wrap the strips around the cylinder of any size you choose, like this juice glass.
8. Paper pots
Not a new idea; Many of us have been making our own pots from old newspapers for years. Wrap the strips of paper around the cylinder and fold them down to form a small file. These can be filled with soil and used to grow alternative crops for the garden. They are fragile, especially when it is wet so try to avoid handling them too much. They can be planted in a pot and all and can break down fast in your soil. Cardboard toilet paper and paper towels can be converted into tubs for seedlings and fiber egg cartons can also be used.
The roots of your plant help keep the soil blocks together. This mold forms 4 cubes of soil at once.
9. There is no one-size-fits-all pot. Soil blocks are another old practice that is gaining popularity. Use a form of potting soil compaction in blocks that can be used for direct seeding, transplanting, or growing cuttings. Care should be taken to keep the blocks intact until planted.
10. CowPot
As a former dairy farmer, I appreciate the innovative approach of the Ben Bryant brothers of Cow and CT. With solar panels, they use methane gas from manure to power their farm. The remaining liquids from that process are used as compost and the solids are composted and then molded into plant pots with recycled newspapers. The pots will withstand about 3 months of use in the greenhouse but will dissolve within 4 weeks of being planted in the ground. It has been proven that plants grow bigger than plants grown in plastic because of the nutrients from the manure in the pots. They are made on the farm.
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