Making Biodegradable Seedling Pots!

In this episode, we’re going to make biodegradable seedling pots out of recycled paper to help us grow new plants and easily transport them to our garden!

Paper is made of cellulose, which comes from plants. It can easily be turned into a pulp and reformed into a small pot we can use to start a seedling. When the plant is ready to go into the garden, we can put the entire pot which will break down and become part of the soil.


The downloadable PDF worksheet for this experiment can be found here:
https://ExplorationStation.net/seedli...



—Materials—
½ cup of flour
Potting Soil
Water
Plastic plant pot
Bowl
2 letter sized pieces of Construction Paper or Old Paper for recycling
Plate
Seeds
Watering Can


—Procedure—
1. Tear your paper into strips ½ inch wide and tear those strips into little squares. Put the paper squares into your bowl and add just enough water to wet the paper but not have too much excess in the bowl.

2. Grab a handful of the paper and squeeze it in your hands, this will start to turn the paper into a soggy pulp when you do it for a few minutes.
Mix in the ½ cup flour. Stir and continue to squeeze until the flour and paper are fully mixed.

3. Grab your plant pot and, over the plate, grab a clump of the pulp to mold onto the pot. Press it onto the bottom and sides, trying to get a nice layer with no gaps or holes. Turn the pot upside down and place it somewhere warm and dry for 24 hours to let the pulp dry out and retain its shape.

4. After it’s dried out, remove the plastic plant pot from the inside. Carefully clear pulp from the top and gently squeeze the pot, loosening it from the pulp. You should be able to carefully wiggle and remove the pot and leave your new molded pot intact!

5. Put your pulp pot on a plate, fill it with soil, and bury a couple seeds about a ½ inch deep. Water it and leave it on a windowsill where it can get sun. Be sure to check it regularly to make sure the soil doesn’t completely dry out, water it as necessary.

6. When the plants have grown a few inches tall and are ready to be planted outside, you can dig a hole and place your entire pot inside! Because it’s made of cellulose and flour (both from plants), it will break down over time and become part of the soil!


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