Topic: Loo rolls

[valentinelow]

Here is a real beginner's question... I read a lot about people sowing seeds (sweetcorn etc) in loo rolls. But what do you do to stop the compost falling out of the bottom? And do you just pop the loo roll in the soil when the time is ready in the expectation that it will rot away?

Thanks in advance for your answers - and your patience...

Valentine

[sandersj89]

The compost will stay in the tube aslong as it is damp and onece there is a root system that will help hold things in place.

Plant the whole lot out, tube and all, and the tube will rot away as you say.

HTH

Jerry

[Meg]

Well I tried putting the compost in last night and what a mess then I remembered I always wrap a little bit of newspaer round the bottom half sellatape and then that holds it all in. What's the bet I shall forget all about it next year. Saves a lot of mess.

[Gadfium]

If you have a flat surface, stand your loo roll on it, chuck a couple of inches worth of compost down the tube, then shove your fingers down and tamp it. This bit of compression should stop major 'bottom' landslides until your plants' root systems have formed. Then fill the remainder of the loo roll with compost.

Alternatively, stack your loo rolls together in a gravel tray/seed tray - self-supporting arrangement - then fill, and accept that they'll be staying there for a while, with no lifting of the tubes, until the roots have meandered down.

 :)

[supersprout]

What do you do to stop the compost falling out of the bottom?

This is how I do it :)

Stack the empty rolls in a solid tray so they fit snugly. Fill the rolls with seed compost right to the top (I use a jam funnel - cheap plastic funnel sawn off to give a big hole). Water into the tray, and the compost will sink dramatically (I don't tamp). Plant the seed(s). Add compost on top of the seed to the right depth, and don't water again. The seedlings' roots will hold the compost together as it grows. This is what scorzonera seedlings looked like last month:



do you just pop the loo roll in the soil when the time is ready in the expectation that it will rot away?

Yes. Plant to cover the top of the loo roll if you can. If the seedling does drop out of the loo roll, plant it without - no problem! ;D

[Tee Gee]

My question;

What did we do before 'loo rolls' i.e. when toilet paper was hung on a nail in the back of the toilet door? ;)

[SMP1704]

Valentine

I struggled with the idea of filling loo rolls with compost without making a huge mess.  Tried filling them in situ, in the seed trays but didn't have a funnel......

I hold the tube in the palm of my hand and scoop in the soil with the other, shake the loo roll about a bit to compress the soil and top up.  I then slide it into the seed tray, not worrying too much if a bit of soil comes out of the bottom.  Then water, let it soak thro and add seed.

By the time you are ready to plant out e.g. beans, peas, sweetcorn there will a massive root system holding everything together.

[delboy]

When I put them in the ground I tear off the top half inch so that there is no chance of the tops extruding and going hard.

[amanda21]

I do it much like SMP - fill it with my hands inside the compost bag and slide it into situ - I am finding that the plastic tubs that washing liquid tabs come in are great and can hold 5 (or 6 if you don't mind them a bit squashed) without them falling over and spilling out.