Self watering recycled plant pot for growing herbs and flowers

Step 5 The cup

The cup is what the soil goes into and where the plants grow.

Roots do better in darkness than in light, so they need to be blocked from sunlight.

To do this, I've tried three different materials. I have used a piece of black plastic from a garbage bag, aluminum foil and newspaper. I have found that newspaper seems to work best since it is biodegradable and helps to retain moisture. It is also easy to remove from the cup for transplanting. Best of all, it's the cheapest of the three since used newspaper can easily be obtained for no cost at all.

I put the light-blocking material all the way into the cup, trying to flatten it against the sides of the cup to increase the amount of soil that I can fit in later. Once it was in there nicely, I poked a hole in the bottom for the wick.

Comments

[Tidnull]

I don't the print would be a problem but the newspaper seems like it would work like a peat pot. Water a peat pot and within 24 hours the pot itself has soaked up all of the moisture, leaving the roots to dry out. To me, the black trash bag would be the best choice, as it does not soak up moisture and does not run the risk of letting light in.

[KittyF]

the trouble with a black trash bag is if the sun comes in the window it can overheat the soil and the plant roots. it's possible it could kill the roots, and the heated soil might dry out sooner as well.
FWIW

[timbit1985]

Contrary to popular belief, plant roots do just fine in sunlight :) The reason that 99% of pots are opaque is because it helps nurseries control algal growth in their soil. I have over 20 plants in transparent pots, with various exposures to sunlight. All of them are thriving.

Cheers,

Tim

[treehuggingwolf]

This is really cool! It addresses the problem that recycling plastic isn't very profitable. This way your local recycling center doesn't loose money sorting it, and it still stays out the landfills. Bravo, sir! You've also solved a problem for me. I've been using the bottom parts to catch excess water but a plastic cup for the pot. This way one bottle will make a complete pot.

[Chewie42]

Did you try a coffee filter?

[Dragontrap]

Actually black paint also works for this step, just another method if you need it

[PvUtrix]

I'm not sure if newspaper is the best choice. Ink could contain some toxic elements, such as lead and other elements which are soluble in water and thus could be obsorbed by the roots of the plant...

[gadget_brain]

Most ink in todays newspapers is soy based and does not break down into toxic components. Composting newspaper (not glossy ads or inserts) is as far as I know OK. This link verifies that

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=97405

[aqasba]

That can definitely still be a concern, but for the most part newspaper is printed w/ soy-based inks because it's easier to recycle (and environmentally friendlier). There's a discussion w/ many links here, and generally it's good to avoid ANY _glossy_ color newsprint...