In April, you need to dive seedlings. How to make seedling cups in large quantities, quickly and with a minimum of effort? Which method is the most effective?
Do-it-yourself cups for seedlings: blanks in winter
The easiest way is to collect half-liter and liter packages of milk (kefir, yogurt, yogurt, etc.). Thin laminated cardboard will allow seedlings to develop well for a long time (about two months). When transported to the cottage, the glasses will not fall apart. On the windowsill they can be placed tightly, a container for them does not require a large height (unlike paper ones), enough containers from frozen foods are enough. Minimum effort: trim the top to the desired height, wash thoroughly with detergent, and dry. Before filling with earth, pierce several holes for draining with an awl or a hot nail (pierce the nail through a wooden block).
Do-it-yourself cups for seedlings by buying a package of plastic cups (sold at wholesale markets or in packaging stores). Glasses of 100 ml are packed in 100 pieces. They cost a maximum of 100 rubles (you can buy cheaper). You need to make holes in them to drain. If used cups are used, they must be washed. Otherwise, mold may appear.
Seedling newspaper glasses: the most economical option
A huge number of free newspapers are loaded into our mailboxes. It’s easy to make glasses out of them. All you need is an empty tin can and patience at first. The newspaper should be folded in half, tucked up on the one side, then wrap around a jar.
Form the bottom by folding the sheet without edging, tighten by pressing. Take out the jar.
The edging at the junction on one side needs to be deployed, then fix the second side with it.
Making newspaper cups for seedlings with your own hands, you need to remember the nuances:
- the newspaper gets wet quickly enough, so watering should be moderate;
- the containers in this case should be high enough (2/3 of the height of the cup) to keep in shape;
- try to put the cups from the newspaper as tightly as possible, it is advisable to select the container that is optimal in size for them.
Seedlings in paper cups take root very easily: the roots are not damaged during transplantation, the newspaper itself completely decomposes over the summer.
Cups from packaging bags
Packaging (from 700 to 1000 pieces) of packaging bags measuring 10 x 27 (there may be a different size range) usually costs no more than 100 rubles. By installing bags filled with soil in a cardboard box and putting them in a plastic container for collecting moisture, suitable in size, you can get wonderful seedling cups. At the bottom of the packages you need to pierce (you can use an awl or a thick needle), taking several at once. The upper edge of the packages is better to tuck - so they are more stable.
Transplanting from such cups will require skill: they need to be carefully cut. In such packages, it is advisable to grow seedlings with a large root system - tomatoes, annual dahlias, you can sprout corms - begonias, lilies, daylilies.
Thin cardboard and thick covers
Do-it-yourself cups for seedlings can be made from an old paper, pieces of unused wallpaper, covers of glossy magazines. In this case, you will have to draw a drawing of the box, then to fold the bottom, and secure one edge with tape or glue or a stapler. Then make holes for draining moisture. The option is convenient in terms of choosing the optimal size (laying on containers), and then easy transportation. The roots of plants make their way into the earth after planting, first into the holes of the bottom, then the cups are soaked and decomposed, without interfering with the plant.