These newspaper propagation pots make seed raising easy and prevent transplant shock by not disturbing the plant’s fragile root system.
These newspaper pots:
- are organic and biodegradable
- can be planted directly into the soil
What you’ll need:
- 3 sheets of newspaper per pot
- potting mix
- fertiliser pellets
- seed raising mix
- rectangular tube stock pot with the bottom cut out, ideally 5cm x 5cm and 12cm tall.
- a polystyrene box, or tray to hold the pots.
I picked up a stack of newspapers from my local newsagents for free, and they’re happy for me to drop by and take as many as I want in the future. You might like to see if your newsagent can offer you free newspapers too.
Step by step instructions
Take three sheets of folded newspaper (6 sheets thick). Fold in thirds from the central fold to form a section 12 sheets thick.
Now take three sheets from the bottom and fold these up to form a section of newspaper 15 sheets thick to form the body of the pot, and three sheets to form the base.
Wrap the tube stock pot in the thick section of newspaper.
Fold the bottom sections to form a base for the pot.
Fill the pot a third with potting mix. Place a measure of fertiliser pellets.- Put a scoop of potting mix over the pellets. Pull the tube stock pot out of the newspaper pot
Fill the remainder of the pot with seed-raising mix.
Place the pot in the polystyrene box so they fit snugly against each other. This will keep the pots in the correct shape. Make sure you don’t fill the polystyrene box completely, or it will be difficult to remove the pots when they’re ready for planting. Use plastic pots to keep the end newspaper pots straight.
