If you’ve been thinking about trying soil blocking, you might have found that there are an overwhelming amount of soil-blocking recipes online. But which one is the best option for seed starting? I’ve experimented with several different recipes, so you don’t have to!
In this post, I’ll break down the pros and cons of soil blocking, the best recipe to ensure your soil blocks don’t fall apart, and my tips and tricks to get the most out of your soil blocking experience! Let’s get into it.
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WHAT IS SOIL BLOCKING?
Soil blocking is essentially the manual process of making soil blocks. This is done by packing a handheld tool called a soil blocker with a soil mixture (more on this below) and manually pressing that mixture into blocks. You can then plant your seeds in these blocks, place a tray of them under a grow light, and begin the germination process! With the proper technique, soil blocking can be a fun, easy way to seed start, which eliminates the need for various seed-starting pots and sowing trays.
healthier root systems are produced through air pruning and an increase in oxygen
no transplant shock–some plants don’t like to be bumped up in their seed containers or moved once they’re started. if you soil block, your roots stay in the same container, and it’s easier for the plant to climatize to life outdoors
Related: How to Start an Indoor Herb Garden from Seeds
WHAT IS THE BEST SOIL-BLOCKING RECIPE?
I recently experimented with various soil-blocking recipes to determine which soil-block recipe would work best for my gardening needs. I tried plain potting soil, plain seed starting mix, the classic Eliot Coleman recipe, and a version of the Eliot Coleman recipe with coconut coir, a more sustainable alternative to peat moss.
While there was no clear winner, as you’ll see in this video, I did find that the best results came from ingredients that were as finely milled as possible. That said, if you don’t have much time, I suggest using a seed starting mix. If you’ve got the time, the coconut coir mix stands out as the one I will use again. I would stand by any of these mixtures, though, as long as you use the correct watering technique and tightly pack the cubes.
TIPS FOR KEEPING SOIL BLOCKS FROM FALLING APART
The best method for keeping ¾-inch soil blocks moist is to use a spray bottle. Misting soil blocks with water helps hold them together and prevent them from drying up and crumbling.
When you’re bottom watering, leave a space in your soil blocks to pour the water, so it doesn’t immediately hit the soil. If you pour the water this way, they shouldn’t fall apart. Be warned: if you pour the water directly into the center of the blocks, they will break apart.
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The key to success with soil blocks is using a mix of peat, compost, soil, and sand or Perlite. The most important ingredient to this mixture is the peat - Its Fibrous consistency is used to both bind the material together and help retain moisture.
The key to success with soil blocks is using a mix of peat, compost, soil, and sand or Perlite. The most important ingredient to this mixture is the peat - Its Fibrous consistency is used to both bind the material together and help retain moisture.
Fill a large container or bin with peat-free soil/compost. Use a mix that is well-draining but moisture-retentive. Add finely shredded wool or coconut coir to the soil mix. Aim for a ratio of about 1 part wool to 10 parts soil.
You can use a store bought mix, modify a store bought mix, or make your own soil block mix. For a store bought mix formulated for soil blocks, try Johnny's 512 mix. To modify a store bought mix, buy a very basic peat moss and perlite mix (most will already have fertilizer).
Vermiculite is better for water retention, that also means in that moisture it retains key nutrients for your plants and cuttings to soak up. Perlite works better to help drainage, this means its also better for loosening heavy, compacted soil.
Cover your trays with humidity domes and place in a warm area. If you don't cover your trays with humidity domes, you may want to think about sprinkling the top with vermiculite to hold moisture in. 8. Keep your soil blocks well watered until your seeds start sprouting.
In a sizable tub, mix 8 cups sifted coconut coir, 2 cups sifted compost, 1/4 cup fine vermiculite, and 1/8 cup green sand. Variations of soil block mediums include garden soil, coarse sand, perlite, lime, blood meal, colloidal phosphate, and compost.
One benefit of soil blocking is that plant roots are exposed to more air than when placed in a container, providing them with plenty of oxygen. The oxygen enables the growth of a stronger root system, which helps protect the plant during the transplanting process.
Each plastic soil blocking tray holds 6 sets of twenty small blocks or 4 sets of four large blocks. Reusable, completely waterproof, and washable. Made from dark green durable recycled plastic.
It's important to keep the soil blocks moist by watering daily. When plants are 3-4 inches tall, move the trays outdoors to a protected location to harden off for a week or so. Then plant in the garden or containers when they're ready.
For Un-stabilized CEBs, it's ideal that your earth contains about 20% to 30% clay. For cement-stabilized CEBs, you only want about 10% to 15% clay and a higher content of sand, because it's the sand that the cement bonds with.
Onion roots are not fibrous and impressively resilient, so they can be pulled apart with ease prior to planting without worry of damaging your seedlings. Seeds per soil block/cell: Sow 4 or 5 seeds per block or cell. Rather than thinning, simply transplant out each block or cell 6 inches apart.
Seeds planted in larger soil blocks should be transplanted out within 6 weeks of germination. Plants that do not do well with root disturbance like cucurbits should be transplanted out before too many roots are visible at the bottom and sides of the block.
Around here, it's common to grow tomatoes in 1.5 inch "6 packs" for 6 to 7 weeks before planting out. By that time they are 5 to 7 inches tall. Two inch blocks hold about twice as much soil, so I'd expect that the plants could be even bigger. I believe they can certainly stay in their 2" blocks a little longer.
These are called aggregates . Aggregation of soil particles can occur in different patterns, resulting in different soil structures. The circulation of water in the soil varies greatly according to structure, Therefore, it is important for you to know about the structure of the soil where you plan to build a fish-farm.
Successful soil-block making depends on the mix being wet enough. The mix should have the consistency of soft putty or wet cement, so that a small amount of water oozes through small openings in the blocker as the blocks are made, and the individual blocks cling to the blocker until you are ready to release them.
Clay soils also store large amounts of water in the very fine spaces between their particles. This ability contributes to their stickiness and plasticity. However, this water, held in such small pores, becomes difficult for plants to take up as the soil dries.
Introduction: My name is Rueben Jacobs, I am a cooperative, beautiful, kind, comfortable, glamorous, open, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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