How to make organic planting pots using old newspapers

This is a great way of making your own organic planting pots. The final product (ie the pots) are great for your small plants, they can be put very tightly together and when the plant is ready to be put into the ground you can plant it with pot still on. The paper will gradually break down in the ground.
On the market there are a few different tools to make this pots, this is an easy way using things you probably already own.

Step 1 What you need

Newspaper
Bottle
Pair of scissors
Soil
(seed)

Comments

[GregTraver]

This is a such a great idea! I am always looking for a project that helps get the kids involved, they are already excited about starting seeds this Spring for the raised beds. I am sure they will have a great time experimenting and discovering all sorts of variables on this. Thanks

[Luffchylde]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the fact that degrading newspaper attracts earthworms! Don't worry about the naysayers, some people will find something negative to say about anything. I've read articles about these, but never anything saying how to do it. Awesome and simple!

[ozi]

Don't you find that the water leeches and evaporates out of the pots quickly?

[ac-dc]

It's not much of an issue because you still have water loss through the top of the soil, an area you have to keep watering anyway because it's where the seed/root starts out. Plus, if you didn't have the water loss then the newspaper would stay very wet all the time which could lead to early rupture before you're ready to transplant.

[yngla]

Yes, you have to add water quite often. I guess putting them in a plastic container will prevent that.

[dmackie1]

About chemicals on newspapers: worth checking that the inks on the newspaper you read are fully soy based. From what I understand, the Guardian newspaper in the UK still uses mineral oils, which are quite toxic.

These are very quick to make...

[cosmov]

this is great... i did it just to save money and now I have starts for the whole neighborhood....thanks

[Westtexian]

wow ! Thanks for the instructions. I am always sharing cuttings with friends and I never have "extra" pots. This will sorta insure that they will survive at least until they get to their new home!

[chicks_with_sticks]

I've been using a whole section of newspaper for each pot. It makes them much sturdier and holds water better, but it is still okay to plant the pot?

[mississippi_man]

 Great idea,  I used a piece of PVC pipe as the mold and I used an old phone book with soy based inks for the paper.  If you tuck in paper on the bottem edge and then tamp it down from the inside it is a little sturdier.  I used a small piece of masking tape to secure the paper after I wrapped it around the pipe. I also tamped down the damp potting soil with a piece of dowel rod to compact it like a peat pellet.  When you plant the whole pot in the garden leave a little of the paper above the ground and this will help prevent cut worms from killing your plants.

[Mccall101]

 Can you make drainage holes?

[nearyjm64]

The newspaper is porous, so if you over water your plant, the water will soak through the newspaper.  Just make sure you put your organic planting pots in a tray to collect any water in the event that you do accidentally over water.

[duleonar]

Thrifty Nickel here I come!!!  :)

[fmlywomn]

[jcdines]

Here is one more pic. I grew all the plants from seeds... using a 200 count plug tray. BTW ... the size of the measuring cup in this picture is 4 cups.... just to give you and idea of the size of the containers I made. Hope this inspires all of you to get out there and get growing !!!

[jcdines]

After your plants have out-grown their small containers you'll want to transplant them into bigger ones.... and leave then there until they get big enough to be able to survive all the critters that will want to snack on them !!! I made the bigger containers out of a 64 oz plastic container. The container happened to have an indentation on the bottom .... which allowed me to fold the newspaper into it so that it would stay in place. If the indentation had not been there I probably would have just cut out a big enough hole to accomplish more or less the same thing. Here is a picture of the bottle I used and the containers I made. As you can see, I transplanted one of the tomato plants into the larger container.

[mrsthursday]

my pots have been misshapened and wobbley, your bottle guide idea is excellent.

[sal243]

You do not even need to cut the paper. Just use the whole sheet and fold in the excess at the bottom. That way there is no scraps. Also the length or height of the newspaper should depend on the plant, some require different depths.

[Feltprincess]

Thanks for posting this as a first year gardener it was very helpful since it's expensive to get started. Very Awesome!!!

[Robil]

I just made about 40 of these neat little pots in about an hour! Some helpful techniques I used are: 1) fold an inch wide flap down across the length of the paper to give your pot a crisp top edge, extra support, and a more pleasant aesthetic (it resembles the top edge of a terracotta pot). 2) use a little dab from a non-toxic glue stick (along the last edge you roll up) to keep the roll from coming undone before you fill it with soil 3) prepare all of your materials (cut and fold paper, cut strips of tape, and get a scoop of the proper size for the soil) before you start to manufacture the pots in large quantities- this improves your efficiency at least twofold!

[Feltprincess]

Thank you for your added suggestions, they I didn't do the glue stick cause I cut a little bit and tucked it under the flap. But the folded edge allowed for the flap and I do prefer that look. Again thanks!

[chuckfortneyiii]

This is a fantastic idea. I never thought about making biodegradable pots from newspaper. it helped me alto to start my garden this year great Instructable!

[likesfish]

you can get a really nice wooden kit that presses them out always meant to get one but this works just as well. my first instructable completed but will I keep the plants alive longer enough for it to matter:)

[cshore1213]

Can you transplant the seedling into your garden without removing the newspaper? Will it break down in the soil fast enough so as not to harm the plants??

[yngla]

Yes, as long as you don´t use too much paper (ie double or triple up for stability, in this case that´s not a good idea)

[patanddave]

thank you just made 6 pots planted seeds tagged and are now sitting in my greenhouse a great money saver

[cc1016]

this is a money saver and it is really cool

[cc1016]

hey this was a great idea it was fun to do with my children

[tatihana00]

this was a great idea!!! i used my old phone book though, i'm not too worried about the ink and other things because all the phone book ones grow my marigolds. so it's great because i went from one marigold to now having six. thank you so much for the instructable.

[AstralQueen]

I use biodegradable cellotape whem making these pots; they break down pretty quick so when my plants are ready to transplant all i do is tear the bottom bit of the pot open and plant the whole thing into the ground. the tapes break down into this sticky stretchy thing, it's really pretty awesome. :D I love this idea; i saw this instuctable a while back, and i have only recently created my account to comment.

[boldaslove]

I make these too - and its so much easier with a long metal ruler. You can just place it down on the paper and rip against it...

[dusterpie]

wouldn't there be effects from ink or chemicals on the paper? Just wondering.

[italmrci11]

I'm pretty sure newspaper ink is soy based, obviously it has some dyes and chemicals but it really isn't that harmful. Also, the paper generally has a high percentage of recycled material in it, so it breaks down quickly and has less chemicals then standard printer paper.

[maxgork131]

Pretty good

[p2kyrock01]

cool...! the paper may get wet when you water the plant. but this is great

[justoskar1]

dosent paper rip wen wet ??? so no water for them

[amanda86]

I did this yesterday and again today. It was really easy! I love your tags too!

[greenfarmerandprofessional]

I have a Masters degree in Communication, and an undergraduate degree in Journalism. Soy ink has been used exclusively in newspaper, magazines, on coupons, etc. for more than 20 years. It will not poison you, your pets, the environment or anything! Enjoy reading and looking! :O)

[nabielmx3]

hate to break it to yall but using news paper with ink thats made with led and other chemicals is far from organic. drop me offff

[goatgirly]

Even if it does have lead, would you rather just throw the newspaper in the trash with no use or make it into pots. It still pollutes but, at least it's useful.