I made 20 this past weekend with your maker and have seeds in them trying to sprout.

My very limited experience with them shows they dry out very fast, even with daily spray bottle spritzing. Last night I broke down and poured some water into the tray. By this morning, all the blocks had lost some dirt around the bottom edges, but otherwise were holding up reasonably well. Not sure if they will hold out until it's time to transplant them.

Interesting experiment if nothing else.

I am so anxious to try mine! I'm fussing over what type of soiless mix to use though, just as I am fussing over what to use in a SWC. I think it was Dan Staley that said to use Pro-mix, but according to their website it isn't sold within 100 miles of where I live. I have all kinds of "recipes" for the blocks..just can't decide which would be easiest to find the ingredients for. I have a partial bag of seed starting mix (peat & vermiculite) here that I mixed with some leftover bagged compost. I'm tempted to try that.

I have an idea I want to try. Why couldn't I drop something small & round into ice cube tray compartments, then pack them really tight with wet soiless mix and freeze them solid. Pop them out and arrange on a tray, and pick out whatever I used to make the indents....let them thaw and use them as 1" blocks.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

I think, if you are going to add water you should have them in a tray with multable holes in it and slowly lower it in to another tray with water in it to avoid erosion from the velocity of the water flow.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

Granny, use you imagination and give it a try.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

OK, I will!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Ok, but keep them away from my BM's :o)

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

Granny, how about some beads from the A&C store. Use a hot glue gun and place them in the center of the cube cavity. They should stay when you dump the cubes.????

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

John, good idea, but the nearest bead store is about 60 miles from here. I used frozen peas. Hey, a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do!

I already got hell from Mr. H for filling up his ice cube tray with dirt! We don't have an ice maker in this fridge, so he's very particular about keeping the trays full for his evening bourbon & cola, LOL.

I think I had my soil-less soil too wet. If so, I'll remix it and try again...it only takes 7 frozen peas ;-)

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

That's 7 peas per side...14 peas.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Granny,
There was a discussion on the winter sowing forum about Pro-Mix a while back. Turns out the website isn't completely accurate, it only shows those retailers who sell a certain amount. I guess if you call and speak to a salesperson, there may be someplace nearby that just isn't on the website.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pro-Mix discussion on WS forum

I of course, used Mel's Mix in mine, augmented with some bloodmeal and wheat flour like John suggested. So far so good. I just moved my broccoli up to the light system. They both were the first to poke through while I was at work. Hehe, I finally get a chance to turn on my second light!

I have to get my plants home SOON. The tomatoes are growing so quickly, and the peppers have true leaves peeking through. I have to tilt the light so it's high on one end for the tomatoes and low on the other for the peppers.

I do hope I can find the Pro-mix. Thanks Greenbean, I'll check out that forum.

I wonder how that double post got up there?

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

to handle the water issue, you could make a wick from felt from the fabric store.

Place something in a 1020 tray that will raise the blocks at least an inch above the bottom of the tray. Use something that won't rot or wear away. Then place a piece of felt over that so that the ends fall down to the bottom of the tray. Fill the tray with water, halfway up the side of whatever you used to set the seedlings on, and watch the felt wick the water up. If your block mix is good, this version of bottom watering will keep your blocks well watered the whole time they are there.

Great idea! Hmm makes you think! Thanks.

OK, I did it! Easy as could be, and they turned out great!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Granny's Soil Blocks

I have two sizes of soil block makers (bought commercially) and I use plain old Jiffy Mix straight out of the bag but I make it quite wet then press them very hard. I have never tried to make, dry, and store. But they have just the right amount of moisture upon completion to plant the seed, cover with a dome cover, and wait for germination. After germination I use a spray bottle to water during their time under lights.

Using only a spray bottle and top watering, what have you observed concerning the root system? Do the roots go down to seek moisture below, or are the roots all near the surface where the spray is applied?

Essentially, I thought bottom watering was the preferred method whenever possible.

For my experiment with my home made ice cube tray soil blocks, I set them outside and let them dry thoroughly, and this morning I brought them in and poured lukewarm water into the bottom of the container. The soil blocks rehydrated immediately. Through thawing, drying and rehydrating, the blocks have held their shape beautifully. I can hardly wait to get home and make a bunch and begin sprouting seeds!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden