| Tuesday Products: Paper Potters |
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| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Tuesday, 27 July 2010 | |||
 A few weeks ago we discussed options for environmentally friendly seed pots. There's another option of course, and that's to make your own seed pots from recycled newspapers using a handy gadget called a paper potter developed by The Nether Wallop Trading Company and sold by Thompson & Morgan. Paper potters consist of a base and a form and make paper pots that are about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Paper potters are typically made from unfinished wood such as maple or oak without synthetic finishes, and are FSC certified, which means they come from wood that is sustainably managed and harvested. A couple of tips: When potting up make sure the compost, coir, potting soil is wet enough to bind together but not too wet or the paper pot will start to fall apart. Making your own newspaper pots can be messy so choose your work area accordingly. Use the black and white newsprint pages, not the color or glossy inserts, which may contain toxic inks made from heavy metals. Also, when you're ready to plant these biodegradable paper pots, be sure to cover the entire pot with soil so that the paper doesn't act as a wick to draw water away from the plant's roots. For a step by step guide to making your own paper pots visit the Garden Tutorials and check out the paper pot maker tutorial. at My Garden Guide. Also available from: Seeds of Change and Hen and Hammock (in the UK). |
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