recycling

I have found a great way of recycling the cardboard tubes from used toilet rolls. I cut the rolls in half, stand the required number in a seed tray, fill each one with compost, and use as srarter pots for seedlings, When the plants are ready to go outside the whole pot can go in the ground with no root disturbance, and will eventually rot down.

 

full length ones are good for sweet peas - my m-in-law has always done that!

 

Thanks,I will give that a go as well,I'm new to this game so have a lot to learn.

 

Good tip!!! (especially for the sweet peas!!) I usually put my tubes in the compost bin (if the dog hasn't got them first!!) I've been busy collecting yoghurt pots, but will try this too!! I did try making pots from newspaper, but not terribly successful - couldn't get the bottoms flat enough, and they collapsed when they got too wet.... :rolleyes:

 

This is a great tip. I'm all in favour of recycling anything and everything.
I use the rolls [full length] for broad beans and green beans too. Surplus ones can be composted.
I was given a lttle wooden gadget for forming seed pots out of newspaper. It works very well, and gives me something useful to do at this time of year while watching television!
I also use clear plastic bottles cut in half as mini propagators or slug deterrents when plants are first put outside- the half with the lid allows for ventilation, other end can be poked to make a hole.
Copper scouring pads can be unravelled to use as cheap slug defence!

 

I use full size lemonade, etc, bottles slit down the back, with top and bottom removed, pegged down with tent pegs, as a rabbit defence! I'll try anything to keep them off!

 

I also use plastic bottles over canes to scare the birds, the bottle necks make a tapping sound against the canes in the wind, which I think is quite pleasant, but the birds don't like it.
The scouring pad tip is very good I will save mine in future.

[ 03. March 2006, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: mistys ]

 

i assumed we were talking copper ones, not plastic?

 

Old CDs strung on fishing line are fairly good bird deterrents.

 

Old housewiring (2.5mm flat twin and earth) makes a very strong fixing for polythene,shadecloth and the like.
Wrap the poly/shadecloth over the flat wiring and screw through the middle (between the two inner wires) into the timber.
I defy you to tear it off with your bare hands

Another use for shadecloth/housing wiring is a cheap raised bed system for the greenhouse.

Make up a 2 x 4 frame with crosspieces every 3ft or so.
The crossbraces prevent the rails from imploding.

Fix your shadecloth/geotex etc (via the housewiring method above) to the top of the frame so it forms a "U" shaped bed between the rails..fill with compost.

It won`t be easy to overwater the bed as it automatically drains through.
You can check also how dry it is by feeling the bottom of the "U"

 

I use polystyrene that comes as packaging as crocks, particularly in enormous pots. Good drainage, but very light!!

 

Don't know if anyone else has come across the little spray heads that you screw on to normal old lemonade bottles of any size? They're great for watering - a range of spray heads including a nozzle. I use them all the time - yet another recycling tip! I think they were from labels'n'things - http://www.labelsnthings.co.uk/
You can also get things for putting into pots or the soil, and again, screw in your bottle - for watering when you're not around. Not sure where I saw those last - several places, I think - but don't know what they're called.

 

Yes nixonf23, I use those little spray heads all the time and screw them onto 2 litre plastic bottles.

Also I usually put the blue powder (forgotten the name) in to prevent mould.

In my opinion by spraying with this solution and with these heads you can water very carefully between rows in seed trays and generally avoid the leaves, which I find seems to have eliminated the mould problems so far (about a year).

I always use tap water for this and leave the bottles of water in the greenhouse to warm up before using.

Once the plants are large enough, I prefer to bottom water.

Lessons hard learnt from previous year!

 

Hi, DAG, are you thinking of Cheshunt compound? I'm obviously on the same lines as you - learned that tap water is better than from the rain-butt (no bugs, etc) and water left to stand for a bit to settle out the chlorine etc is better too - as well as being a better temp! Been there, done that, bought hundreds of t-shirts!

 

Yes, Cheshunt compound, that's it - it works for me!