Reusing teeny weeny plug plant modules!

[veggiechicken]

I have accumulated a lot of these mini plug modules from T&M offers

How We Grow and Send Your Plants | Thompson & Morgan

The root systems on these little plug plants are amazing, so strong yet compact. T&M say that the roots are airpruned in these modules.

Here's part of one - there are 12 modules in a 9" strip.


You wouldn't expect me not to reuse these - would you? Problem is - how? They are flexible, don't stand upright and need to be supported in some way but not buried to allow for air pruning.

Here's my solution - whether it will work or not we'll find out in a few weeks.



Thirteen strips fit, side by side in a gravel tray.
Three metal bars, from an old grill pan have been inserted through the side of the gravel tray and the ends capped with summat found in the shed.
The modules rest on the bars and sit on a bed of vermiculite, which will be kept damp.
Result - 132 little modules just waiting for some seeds

[muddled]

yay! more kale

[Mushaville]

Ooo very clever!

[Lumpy]

Now that is just awesome! Any bits left could be used in the bottom of pots to help drainage or be shoved in amondst canes and bits of wood for a bug hotel.

[Chippy Minton]

Is airpruning like air guitar for gardeners

[Penellype]

Same sort of idea as rootrainers, in minature. Nice one VC.

[Lumpy]

VC I blame youuuuuuuuuu for this effort.
After seeing your fabulous mini root trainer set up I wondered what I could do with a few plastic plant pot trays/carriers and an old kitchen shelf that had for some reason been attached to the side of the teeny weeny shed.

The muse of daftness then struck and I created this -



and while I was snapping away with the laptop I also took these -





My little shelf construction now contains spring onion and radish seeds. You never know they might grow with the help of the cardboard in the bottom and a liberal mix of water crystals.

[veggiechicken]

10/10 Lumpy. You'll soon graduate from the VC School of Nuttiness Just a few more daft "inventions" and you'll be a full member
I've been mentally playing about with those pot carrier trays too. Thinking of sinking them into the soil and planting, as you have, into the holes. The surrounding plastic would act as a mulch and keep the weeds at bay. May also act as a slug hotel though

[Lumpy]

My blob the builder project part 2.
My little shelf now has a retractable sun screen made out of a large mirror frame, 2 layers of thin fleece, the 2 red washing up bowls in the picture (which have 4 lettuce in each, the idea being that by the time the slug climbs up the outside of the shed and crawls up towards the top of the bowl it suffers from exhaustion and drops down to the floor again).

Whey hey 1st class honours from the School of Daft Put Togethers.

On a serious note I hope my bodge job encourages new growers, especially if they are on a tight budget to have a go with the bits and pieces they have lying about.

[noviceveggrower]

I have just taken apart my blow away frame and made new shelves for the lean to and two cages to protect salad stuff. Not as impressive as your stuff Lumpy and VC

[Lumpy]

NVG thats brilliant! I ended up using the racking on mine as sugar snap supports.
We really should have a topic heading for our inventive bodge it togethers. If your plastic cover is still in one piece it might be useful as a cloche cover come winter.

[KevinM67]

I have accumulated a lot of these mini plug modules from T&M offers

How We Grow and Send Your Plants | Thompson & Morgan

The root systems on these little plug plants are amazing, so strong yet compact. T&M say that the roots are airpruned in these modules.

Here's part of one - there are 12 modules in a 9" strip.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]55854[/ATTACH]
You wouldn't expect me not to reuse these - would you? Problem is - how? They are flexible, don't stand upright and need to be supported in some way but not buried to allow for air pruning.

Here's my solution - whether it will work or not we'll find out in a few weeks.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]55851[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]55852[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]55853[/ATTACH]

Thirteen strips fit, side by side in a gravel tray.
Three metal bars, from an old grill pan have been inserted through the side of the gravel tray and the ends capped with summat found in the shed.
The modules rest on the bars and sit on a bed of vermiculite, which will be kept damp.
Result - 132 little modules just waiting for some seeds

Wow - very ingenious !!

Who did that for you ?

[noviceveggrower]

NVG thats brilliant! I ended up using the racking on mine as sugar snap supports.
We really should have a topic heading for our inventive bodge it togethers. If your plastic cover is still in one piece it might be useful as a cloche cover come winter.

The cover is fairly battered and busted. Was thinking of using it the cover as a cloche like you said Lumpy or using it as insulation in the lean to greenhouse. Don't know if it would be thick enough though.

[skeggijon]

Three metal bars, from an old grill pan have been inserted through the side of the gravel tray and the ends capped with summat found in the shed.
The modules rest on the bars and sit on a bed of vermiculite, which will be kept damp.
Result - 132 little modules just waiting for some seeds

Am I the only one nosey enough to know what the 'summat' was that you found in the shed?

[veggiechicken]

Wow - very ingenious !!

Who did that for you ?

Cheeky!!