loo rolls

[annie trip]

How do you use your loo rolls for growing in??

Have searched other links maybe not very well and cant find, been saving the little buggers up for ages.

From what i guess they are usefull for peas etc for long roots but do i plant in ground and then sow or what.

[nick the grief]

Put them in seed trays & fill them with Compost then sow the seeds in them & when they are growing OK plant the lot in the ground.

You can put a bit of compost in the bottom of the seed tray as well if you want to or you can fit them into some of the cellpaks - it just gives you a little more depth for the root run.

If you sow your leek seeds in plug trays you can transplant thise into loo rol tube & top up with compost & that will give you a slightly longer blanch as you can get them deeper.

[Spuds up]

I have grown sweetcorn in them this year.

When I planted them out I split the tubes open to give the roots room. Not too difficult as with regular watering the cardboard was very soft.

I may try peas next year if anybody has had success with them.

[Earthbabe]

Wonderfully explained as always nick. I do the same (except for the bit about the leeks) and they are a lot cheaper than Rootrainers or some such. Plus it's recycling again, no petrochemicals and they rot down nicely.

[Earthbabe]

I've used mine for broad beans this year and 'twas sweetcorn (mini) last year. I'm going to use them for sweetpeas next year or rather this autumn for planting out next spring.

[NEWTO THE PLOT]

I'e used them for runner beans and peas both grew really well.

[Waffler]

I'm doing the same as Earthbabe - have used them for sweetcorn (standard) this year and want to sow sweetpeas in them ... well, shortly I guess.
I stood the rolls in a seed tray, then filled them with soil - but this was easier said than done, and I'm sure there must've been an easier way to do it, as it was literally a little 'hit and miss' and annoying when the loo rolls fell over!!

[nick the grief]

.....I stood the rolls in a seed tray, then filled them with soil - but this was easier said than done, and I'm sure there must've been an easier way to do it, as it was literally a little 'hit and miss' and annoying when the loo rolls fell over!!

Tie some string round them or some sellotape. Failing that make a funnel out of some paper & pour the compost in through this.

[Waffler]

The string's a good idea Nick. I did end up using a make-shift funnel in the end.

[jlottie]

I am all for recycling and have used loo rolls for peas and sweat peas. if you cut them in three and put them in a seed tray and cover the lot with compost works nearly as well as jiffy plugs and so much cheaper

I use an old piece of gutter piping and 3 sheets thickness of newspaper and a tiny bit of masking tape to keep it all together to make pots for beans and brassicas as I always run out of seed trays and pots when I need them most.

[the medlar]

Like others, I use loo rolls for sweetcorn and sweetpeas. This year, I had lots of fungi grow on the outside of the tubes. Is it the tubes or was it because i used a peat-free compost which I think was based on composted bark?

I was a bit alarmed but the seedlings didn't seem to suffer. Has anyone else had this problem?

[Earthbabe]

I noticed little orange fungi on mine too. Again the plants didn't appear to suffer. I was using a peat-free, organic multipurpose compost in some and a soil based John Innes in others.

Don't know what they were though nor why.

[Alison]

Always seem to get more mould on the surface of peat free but as you say it doesn't seem to make any difference to the outcome so have stopped worrying. The bigger challenge was getting a decent peat free compost but thankfully they've improved no end over the past few years.

[bramble]

I always use them for peas but this year used them for leeks and then planted the lot on top of a bucket filled with compost and blanched the rest of the leek with newspaper tied with plastic ties. Was quite pleased with the result and very little soil in between the leaves. Will be doing this again.

[Earthbabe]

I'd need to save loo roll inners for about two years to grow my leeks in but will deffo give it a go for a few to see the difference. Usually just do the seed bed and transplant thing.