NOT SEED TAPE--SEED BOARD!
In response to a recent tip regarding homemade
seed tapes, one TipWorld subscriber shared this
innovative (and timesaving) technique:
"Several years ago, I cut a 2x2x8 lengthwise
and drilled holes every inch 1/4-inch deep. I
then marked odd holes with a black marker. I
used a toothpick to push radish seeds in every
first hole, kohlrabi every second hole, red
beets every third one. I do this on the kitchen
table drinking coffee, listening to the radio in
an air-conditioned house. I make my furrow, dump
the seeds, cover, and tamp down with a rake--all
in five minutes."
Sounds like a good labor-reducing strategy, with
the benefits of proper spacing and straight rows
to boot! If you decide to adopt this technique
to plant carrots, you might consider laying the
board lightly atop the row after you've planted
and watered the seeds. This will help the soil
stay moist so the germinating seeds don't have
to fight their way through a layer of tough, dry
dirt before emerging. (You can take the board
off as soon as the sprouts appear.)
LIGHTEN UP
In the past, we've discussed one trick for
keeping large containers and planters from
being too heavy and unwieldy due to the
weight of potting soil:
Fill the container about halfway with Styrofoam
packing peanuts. Then, finish filling with
potting soil. Unless your plant is a very deep-
rooted specimen, that layer of soil will be
ample for its needs--and you'll have reduced
the weight of that planter enough to spare your
back when the time comes to move the planter to
a new venue.
However, those peanuts can be a little bothersome
to deal with if you empty out the pot in the
future, and they may get in your way as you set
plants down into the soil layer. Since their
only function is to occupy space at the bottom of
the container, why not bag them up? Just put the
desired amount of peanuts in a plastic bag and
use a twist-tie to shut it. Then, place the bag
at the bottom of the container and add your soil
on top. (Don't forget to place some broken
pottery over the hole in the bottom of the pot as
you normally would.) As long as you have room for
about six inches of soil, your plants will never
miss the legroom occupied by the bag o' peanuts at
the bottom of the container.
Note: that this technique isn't a good idea for
large perennials, trees, and shrubs, which need
a full pot's worth of soil to support growth.
BEYOND PEANUTS
Last time, we discussed a trick for bagging
Styrofoam peanuts to fill up the bottom of
containers that don't need a full pot of soil
in order to thrive. You can adapt this technique
in a number of ways if you don't have any
peanuts on hand. For instance, you can cut large
pieces of Styrofoam used to pack electronics or
appliances. Just cut a hunk down to the desired
size and set it in the bottom of the container
(again, be sure you cover the hole with a piece
of broken crockery to keep it from getting
plugged up). Your soil can go right on top of the
Styrofoam. Alternatively, you might use a tightly
capped, empty soda bottle instead of Styrofoam--
or set a few aluminum cans upside down at the
bottom of the pot. The name of the game is
displacement--but there are lots of ways to play
it!
FREE THE ROOT SYSTEM
In response to a recent tip on transplanting
seedlings that are growing in peat pots, TipWorld
subscriber Mike H. shared this advice:
"Planting a peat pot direct works reasonably well,
but before you plant you should carefully lift the
soil ball from the pot and make certain that the
plant is not already root bound. This is not
uncommon in plants from garden centers and
nurseries, especially late in the season. The hole
requirements for peat pots is no different than for
direct root ball planting. Prepare a hole at least
twice the size of the pot and refill with a mixture
of surrounding soil and compost. Without this step,
depending on your surrounding soil you can have a
plant that becomes root bound in the hole once it
breaks through the peat pot."
This is great advice. The rules about freeing up a
plant's root system before planting certainly
apply to peat-potted plants as well as other
container-grown plants. And we're reaching a point
in the season where plants you buy will very
likely be root bound no matter how they're potted.