Pippi21 said:I've still failed your bag growing class..and can't figure out how the lunch bag doesn't fall apart when it rains and it must take a lot of potting mix..How much potting mix do you add to each bag? Why not use cow pots or peat pods? I just can't understand how this works..seems like you're having to make a lot more work for yourself..I'm not knocking it because it obviously works for you but just don't understand how you make it work. I'm afraid I've failed this class.
As far as it being more [work]...
-Making up the little paper pots in the midst of February's blizzards is therapeutic for me, and it gives my son and I a purposeful project to do together.
-Potting up in the paper pots frees up time later in the spring so that I can get all of my planting areas ready while they grow on and get themselves ready to go out in the gardens. As the soil in the paper pots gets watered, the sides of each compress against its neighbor's sides, and the sides of the tray; this means that there's basically no air between each pot, thus reducing watering needs. The damp paper also helps to retain moisture longer. After the first 2 weeks, I don't need to worry much about them drying out and dying off. The paper pots also allow perfect drainage; not to fast, not too slow.
[Falling apart]
-The paper pots do decay, but they're supposed to. In the end, they're just a dividing line between soil cubes.
[Planting out]
To do this successfully the soil in paper pots
must be moist to drier, not wet.
Once the first partially decayed paper pot with rootball is finessed out of the tray, the rest are pretty easy. To loosen one soil cube from the others I just hold my opened hand against the (opened) side as a brace, and wriggle a finger (or a butter knife) between the opposite side and the next cube to move it over into my supporting hand. They
will fall apart if you grab them in a squeezing motion.
[Amount of potting mix]
This is minimal because at the time of filling the paper pots are only about 2" in diameter on the bottom, 2.5" in diameter at the top, and about 4" tall. They'll only expand after they settle in with about a week's worth of watering.
>>Cow pots, peat pots and even plastic pots dry out much too quickly for me. I have more losses than gains using those with a fast-draining seed starting medium.
