homemade paper pots

[haggis]

I got a pot making thingy for my Xmas. You known the sort - wooden cylinders which you use to turn newspapers into seedling pots. Has anyone used these? I made some medium pots this evening and was thinking of starting off some shallots or onion sets in them. Any thoughts?

[Johnboy]

Hi Haggis,
There is absolutely no reason why you should not do as you mention.
The one thing to remember is that if they are wet you cannot handle them. Best to lightly water the night before you want to plant out and give the plant the water it needs and no more. This gives time for the pot to become a little more stable.
JB.

[haggis]

Thanks for the tip Johnboy. It was quite therapeutic making the pots - something to do when I am waiting for the sleet to stop. Roll on spring.

[Compo]

I have one and they are remakably strong actually, if you use a paper like the telegraph (even if you dont regualr take it the telegraph on saturday is a bargain at 1.80) you can read it all week and it will make better pots and lots of them for that price.

Experiment with the thickness but a strip as long as the width of two pages of a broadsheet and a little longer than the length of the wooden cylinder will give you a nice deep pot. I start my parsnips in them, plan the whole pot and just pop the bottom through with your finger, they can be waterd for about a month wihout disintegrating and you can get about 24 in a mushroom crate (blue plastic ones)

So good luck and i will be making my pots up this week

CoMpO