Securing Soil in Pots and Soil in Ireland Book

Do you think there’s ever a time you need to turn a houseplant in a pot upside down? For some unexplained reason, I think there is and have come up with a solution to the problem you never knew you had.  

Just imagine you need to send a potted plant through the post or if one day when you are dusting (whatever that is) you knock the plant over. Hey presto – no soil on the newly polished woodwork.

It’s quite simple really; all you need is a few small decorative pebbles and a heap of PVA wood glue.  I’ve been experimenting with a few different types of materials and these seem the easiest, cheapest and least harmful ingredients for the plants. Resin doesn’t allow for water to pass through so that’s OK for imitation plants and circular pieces or fabric and card either get too sloppy or curl up at the edges when they dry. 

I tested the mixture out on two small pots which have succulents in them. The larger plant is the cute Senecio Peregrinus which has the leaves shaped like diving dolphins and has a central stem so I kept the small decorative stones away from that in the same way I would keep mulch off a tree trunk. This will give the plant room to grown and keep moisture from sitting on it. I mixed the stones in wood glue prior to laying it out.  After a few hours it’s dry and the pot can be watered in the regular manner. The glue does go a bit tacky for a few minutes but soon dries again. 

There is a reason for this test though as I am thinking of shipping small plants through the post and thought this would keep everything tidy. If the customer doesn’t like the idea the stones can easily be lifted out after watering. I’m going to try upping the sizes of the pots until I reach the maximum size the glue will hold. I’m guessing about a 1 litre will be the largest which is good as I can’t see myself sending out anything larger through the post. In the mean time I’ll have fun having upside down plants on the worktops.

What goes into the plant pots to hold the roots is a very topical issue. There’s a new book on the market called ‘The Soils of Ireland’ which you might be interested in if soil is your thing.  I personally haven’t read a book since ‘Stig of the Dump’ at Primary school but this one does have 178 illustrations which will keep my interest.  

Soils of Ireland

The Environmental Protection Agency and Teagasc support a range of national activities that serve to increase knowledge on our natural environment and our natural resources, and together have launched the Soils of Ireland book which incorporates the latest national science and provides a powerful resource to inform science and policy in relation to the resilience of this critical raw material, our soil.

This publication, which has been supported by the EPA and Teagasc, and prepared by thirty-nine national experts in their respective fields, provides a richly illustrated and comprehensive overview of Irish soils, and includes important discussions and applications of the study of soils and soil management in Ireland.

Editor of The Soils of Ireland, Lilian O’Sullivan, described the utility of the book saying: “This book has been developed as a robust source of current knowledge of Irish soils and represents an important resource for students, educators, advisors, researchers and more, integrating existing knowledge together in one volume.”

The twenty one chapters address the diversity of functional roles of Irish soils in agriculture, nutrient management, water quality, ecosystems, and engineering, as well as addressing the cultural and geographical aspects of soils in our landscape and archaeology.

Our soil is a critical national resource that underpins national agricultural, environmental, ecological and cultural dimensions of our economy and society. Soil is a highly variable and yet fragile skin to our landscape, and in the context of emerging pressures from climate change, urban expansion, and intensification of use, it is essential that we have access to knowledge on soil formation, its properties and its functions in order to provide for its sustainable management into the future.

The book can be bought online and retails at around €100. There’s probably no mention of gluing soil into plant pots though. 

Field Trials- Creeping Thyme and Irish Moss. And Bee Paper

The field trials for my new lawn substitute plants are going well.  I have the whole of my front garden now covered in chamomile plants and not wanting to rest on my laurels I thought I’d diversify into other ground cover plants.

I chose the Irish Moss plants (Sagina Subulata) and the creeping thyme as my next challenge and started building up a collection of plugs a couple of months ago. I found the 3cm – 20  plug trays far too large for the cuttings so have invested in some smaller 1cmx180 square ones. These will be easier to work with especially if I am posting them out.

Irish Moss

The Irish Moss is quite fiddly to divide and I have found that the longer stems don’t take as well but I’d say there’s an 80% success rate in propagating the cuttings.  This plant isn’t Irish and isn’t actually a moss but does make for a great evergreen ground cover for both the lawn and rockery. Like all lawn substitutes it’s best to start off with a small patch to see if the plant suits the location and if you suit the extra work that these types of plants pose. For example my small lawn at the front of the house used to take 2 minutes every fortnight to maintain and cut but now the grass has gone I’m out there every few days on my hands and knees keeping the weeds down. 

Creeping Thyme

The creeping thyme is doing really well with about a 95% success rate for rooting. I did do a batch earlier in the year but what with the heatwave and the fact the plants were in flower meant I failed big time as most of them shrivelled. 

Now the flowers have gone and the temperature has dropped, the small, fine cuttings are concentrating their energy on growing roots.  There are quite a few varieties of creeping thyme but I have propagated the smallest, lowest growing variety on the market. It is the same variety that was used extensively as a lawn in the 18^th/19^th century. Creeping thyme it wasn’t even classed as a ‘lawn substitute’ back then as lawns were only used by people who owned both stately homes and loads of sheep or cows to keep the grass short so Joe public had to wait until the invention of the lawnmower until grass came to them.

I’m going to carry on the field trials and then post some to myself to see if they travel well before releasing them to the public. 

Most thyme plants have the added benefit of being an attraction to bees as their flowers are nectar rich. Something else to attract bees will be appearing on the market in the very near future too, bee paper.

Bee Paper

After a century of rapid industrialisation and unprecedented urban development, bees have to fly much further in search of the plants they need. Long distances exhaust them. This is putting them on the verge of extinction.

That’s why the Warsaw branch of Saatchi & Saatchi and bee charity City Bees  created Bee Saving Paper - an innovative, biodegradable material that can be used for many purposes and works like an energy drink for bees to help them fly further.

Glucose - Energy drink

The paper contains energy-rich glucose that is appetizing for bees for but doesn’t make the paper sticky. This is thanks to a sugar mix, which can be dissolved into water from a food known as “fondant for bees”. This food is used by beekeepers during the winter. There is no need to dissolve large quantities because 0.5 kg of this paste is enough to feed several thousand bees

That’s not all; the paper contains seeds from the honey plant Lacy Phacelia which is one of bees’ favourite plants. 

Why does it work?

Bee Saving Paper is covered with water-based UV paint, with a pattern full of circles visible only to bees. They chose red circles because that mimics what a bee sees in a flower meadow.

These ultraviolet patterns often outline “landing zones” for bees, pointing them towards the parts of plants that contain nectar and pollen. 

Saatchi & Saatchi believes the biodegradable paper is ideal for writing on and could be used to make coffee cup sleeves, tote bags, car-park tickets and picnic plates, giving these disposable items a second life and even making it useful to drop litter.

Plastic Pot Alternatives

Toilet roll art- a better use for them than growing plants in - and more fun

I’ve been looking to expand my plant collection this week by taking cuttings. I generally use 20 cell plug trays to grow them in and have spent a couple of days looking for a non-plastic alternative. With not much luck.  

There’s a massive shift in public awareness to find alternatives to plastic or to not use any packaging at all such as shampoo bars and net bags for shop bought vegetables.

In the horticultural industry it looks as though growing on a commercial level without using plastic still has a long way to go.  

I did find a lot of items that could be used on a small scale and go into those in greater detail later but on a large scale it’s plastic all the way. I should imagine that having a container that decomposes quickly could cause all sorts of problems, like decaying before the plants are sold. The likes of coir fibre and corn starch plastic could be used but at present they don’t do multicell packs that I use.

I’m taking a look at things we can do on a small, non-commercial level at home to replace plastic containers and it probably won’t be long before growers and manufacturers realise the need to reduce the plastic in the trade and we might see far more eco-friendly products to hold our bedding plants for the same price.

Some ideas and products are better than others but one thing that definitely improves them all is the addition of some type of drainage, without that it’s nearly impossible to grow plants and seedlings successfully. 

Materials to use for making home pots

Toilet rolls

Toilet rolls are the perfect size for seedlings, and you can fold one end over to make a base. I do find that these go mouldy and dry out the soil too much though and wouldn’t use them. I find the empty rolls are more useful for making silly faces out of, and it gives me something to do in my ‘quieter moments’

Newspaper Pots

Origami-style, using old newspaper. There isn’t any tape or glue, no tools required and it takes less than a minute to make one. The ink is soy based too so will compost but again I find the moisture causes mould.

Wooden Seedling Flats

These are wooden boxes that are not compartmentalised, used for seed-raising. They are filled with soil and seeds sown, which can be transplanted once they’ve germinated.

Seedling flats can be made from softwood (like pine) or hardwood. If looked after properly and maintained, they can last several years. The most eco-friendly option are those made from reclaimed timber and offcuts. I’d shy away from chipboard and plywood unless it’s marine grade.

Soil Blocks

You can press soil together to make cells to plant seeds without any other material by using a soil blocking machine.  It’s the same idea as the newspaper press machines for making bricks for the fire. They generally fall apart when overwatered though.

Compostable and Biodegradable  Pots

Compostable Pots

There are a lot of pots that fall under the “compostable” category. The most eco-friendly ones are natural and made of waste materials like coconut coir or aged cow manure. Less environmentally sound ones are made with brand new wood fibre, and/or peat moss (removal of peat moss has been linked to global warming).

Whatever they are made from, they are designed to be single-use. They require energy to manufacture, package and transport. They are more durable than newspaper or toilet rolls though.

Remember here that Compostable means it will break down in a compost bin or soil into humus (natural material) with no toxic residue. 

Biodegradable Pots

Biodegradable means it will be broken down by bacteria under certain conditions.

A ‘biodegradable’ label does not guarantee it will be broken down into constituent parts, only that it will break down small enough that it cannot be seen. It does not guarantee there will be no toxic residue

Biodegradable (but not compostable) pots are often made with PLA plastic, also called corn starch or plant-based plastic. 

These pots are a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional fossil-fuel based plastic pots. It should be possible to reuse them a few times before they begin to break down.

More Alternatives

Coir fibre, Concrete,Hypertufa (concrete and peat) hemp pots, Ceramic stoneware, Wool and felt, Bamboo, and my favourite - found object such as old rusty tins could all be used. Individually found items are a good idea but will be a real challenge of they were for retail in large quantities.

Fiddly stuff

Eggshells might look cute, but they are impractical to fill. I found the same with egg boxes, and they are so absorbent they dry out the soil. When it too cold and damp they will encourage mould growth which causes dampening off.

Composting Weeds

The narrow strip is cleared and manure is added.

It’s said that if something isn’t eating your garden then it’s not part of the ecosystem.  We’re lucky this year as there’s not much eating the garden except us.   

The heat has really brought on the vegetables and we’re happily munching our way through the beans, mange tout, aubergines, broccoli, kale, courgettes, herbs, pak choi and peppers. 

The poor cabbage whites don’t get a look in as we are one step ahead of them. Greenfly just pass on by and the snails are throwing themselves over the fence to try and find a garden where there’s something to nibble on. I can’t remember a year like it and apart from the slight hiccup with the hosepipe ban everything has been thriving as we managed to keep most of the roots moist with the stored water in the butts.  Annuals are so healthy and vibrant they are growing faster than the pests ability to eat them and it’s probably one of the best displays we have had ever.

There are a lot of weeds growing but thankfully nothing so bad that it affects our planting. Apart from pulling up a bit of chickweed and nasturtiums before they go to seed we are on top of things in that respect too. There will be a lot of weeds coming through now things are getting a bit wetter and it’s important to keep an eye on things and get them pulled out before they go to seed.  It’s been a great year for drought tolerant wildflowers too.

Composting

Lush weeds mean fertile soil and this is partly due to composting.  But what weeds can we compost?  This is an annual question that hasn’t really and hard and fast rules (thankfully like most things in gardening)

Certain plants such as perennial dandelions and docks never get put in my compost bins and any annuals that have gone to seed don’t go in either.  If I had a large 3 year system where I could get the temperature up really high then I would add them to the mix but I don’t. Couchgrass and bindweed that appear in the garden are two others that don’t go in as well and if I had Japanese knotweed that wouldn’t go in either. I think that would go into my incinerator as I’d feel irresponsible taking it down to the recycling centre but I’m sure they get the waste to a hot enough temperature to kill everything before it’s made into compost.

Horse Muck

The weed problem got really bad last year as I brought in a load of horse muck from a local stables. It was free and felt a good idea at the time.  I don’t really do any digging and this is where the problem lay. If I performed the art of double digging manure into the ground at a spades depth then I’m quite sure all of the weed seeds would wither die or lay dormant for years until they made their way to the surface.

As I tend to mulch on top of the soil, all of the weeds, including reeds and foxgloves got a free run and took over my chamomile lawn. I’ve just about cleared things but it has made me think twice about what I add to the soil.  Because of last years’ experience I have done something I have never done before – I bought manure in bags.  

After nearly eight years in the house we have finally got around to working on a small 100cm wide strip that runs along the front of the house. The montbretia and perennial geraniums took over so they are all dug out and I wanted to improve the soil a bit before planting a selection of our (now large) perennial plants that are outgrowing their pots. Who would have thought an impulse buy of 70 plants one night in winter would mean all of this work!  I had to paint the house too, I kid you not.

To improve the soil I added 3 large bags of sterilised farmyard manure and twisted it in gently with the topsoil, some garden compost and a few bags of potting compost. It probably only cost the same amount to do this small area as I would have spent on petrol driving to the stables and at least I won’t be on my hands and knees day after day picking out taproots. I’ll just keep putting a thick mulch of weed free compost down every spring to keep it fed and fresh.