FREE Seed Raising and Cutting Establishing Containers.

[SP8]

Well kind of free considering they’d only be binned if I didn't use them.

I use mainly 1.5L soft drink (soda) bottles and 3L Juice bottles and they work fantastically as little humid seed raising and cutting establishing containers.

They are easy to set up and use! All you have to do is:

- Soak in warm water to remove all of the labels and glue.
- Rinse and leave to dry.
- Cut horizontally half way up the bottle leaving about 1 inch at the back.
- Poke 4 or 5 holes into the bottom of the bottle.
- Push back the top half of the bottle to add the soil and seed or cutting.
- Seal up the cut with some tape.
- Unscrew to lid and use a spray bottle to water well.
- Get a black marker pen and label the lid with the ‘what and when’ etc.

You can then easily regulate the temperature via screwing or unscrewing the lid and when you plant is ready it's just a matter of removing the tape.


In this picture you can see a 1.5L bottle that I've just set up with a Reggae Roma Tomato cutting and in the background you can see a 3L juice container that's got an eggplant seedling basking in humidity.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/Bottle.jpg[/img]

[Tammy42]

Thanks for the ideas to use, for starting seeds.!!!!! I will definitely take you up on this, and it looks like it works great!!!! Tammy

[Jewell]

Very clever! Might help me since I am bad at regulating the newly planted seeds.

[SP8]

Your both very welcome.

Be sure to post some pics when you've got something on the go

[applestar]

I like re-using soda bottles for growing cuttings too. They're also great for using as tall pots for growing plants that need a bigger pot but you don't have the space for wider ones (like on a narrow window sill). Last year, I grew a bush bean on the window sill in the middle of the winter in one (we only got 4 bean pods -- mainly because I was also trying to grow a pole bean in the same "pot" -- but DD7 was thrilled and ate them all ). I'm planning to grow a whole row of them on the windowsill this winter. I've used them to start avocado and peach seeds as well.

For vegetable seed starting, I like using 1 pint and 1 quart clear plastic berry containers -- they already have slits for drainage and ventilation as well as a slightly domed lid to allow for the first sprouts to emerge. They fit well (2 pint containers or 1 quart size) in shallow plastic take out/take home/hot deli item trays. I cut off the lids when the seedlings start to grow.

I'll see if I have any photos to show.

[SP8]

I'll see if I have any photos to show.

Cool, it's good to see other people's set ups.

[somegeek]

@applestar - I saved a handful of strawberry containers just recently thinking about using them for seedlings for the same reasons you stated. Cool to use something again vs have it go straight to the recycling bin.

This cut down 2-liter bottle has worked great so far to root a few gardenia cuttings. I decided to root a few more so these three have been in place a few weeks...

[img]https://somegeek.home.comcast.net/somegeek_rooting_bottle.jpg[/img]

Hoping to get a few plants I can bonsai for indoors.

somegeek

[SP8]

3 weeks after planting these cuttings and the plants were going strong:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRomaCutting.jpg[/img]

With clearly visible roots inside the container:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRomaCuttingRoots.jpg[/img]

Which was even more obvious once all the soil was washed away:

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRomaCuttingRootsWashed.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRomaCuttingRootsWashed2.jpg[/img]

I use this technique to establish some backups incase the seeds I collected fail to germinate. In this case these backup clones were not required as I had dozens of seedlings germinate from the target seeds.

[img]https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/SamhainP8/ReggaeRoma-3.jpg[/img]