Hello, fellow indoor gardeners!
Lately, a lot of people have asked me to do a tutorial on how to make your own seed pods. I have taken into account that not all of you want to know how to do it to save money. Some of you just want to grow your own herbs, veggies, etc. without using any plastic. I get that. The whole reason I have started this blog is that I love nature.
I have talked to some of the “premium users” and also I have searched on the internet to find the best method possible. The following tutorial includes the result of my small research! Please give me some feedback in the comments if you decide to try out my method.
CAUTION! The process of making your own seed pods contains cutting and making holes with a sharp object! Make sure to be really careful. It is always better to be doing it a little bit longer than getting injured while rushing to the end result.
So today I am going to show you a method that I’m trying out right now but it seems like it’s a pretty good idea…like it would work. I will keep you posted on how well it works, but you are probably wondering more about how I did it.
I am going to tell you about the whole process in a step by step tutorial.
STEP 1: Preparing all the stuff that you will need in the process
Aerogarden seed pod caps
Aluminum trays for baking
Some regular sponges
Aluminum foil
And some tools (scissors and a knife)
was I took the regular cap from the original AeroGarden seed pods and other stuff that actually comes with the whole kit. You can use whatever you want just like a cap. And then I used these little trays that you can get at Walmart or on Amazon for like 50 cents. They are made from aluminum.
Next, you are going to need sponges that you can get from the dollar store really cheap. You should get a few of them for just a dollar. The one that you can see, I’ve already cut but you can tell I’ve already made two files out over the ones that I’m working on right now but yeah it is really simple to cut the sponges. That is the part where your scissors will come in handy.
STEP 2:
For the first actual step of the process, you’re going to take your aluminum tray and cut if on the edges just like you see in the photos. Make sure to cut pieces long enough to shape them in small round shapes-just like the original store-bought seed pods.
Now what you want to do is decide on which way you want to cut your holes because whenever you put a hole in it the aluminum foil on the other side is going to be sharp.
What I do is I usually take my scissors just make it easy just make a couple of little slits on the bottom just a couple of real small slits just to go make it easier to fold and pretty much all I do now is where the rim is bent around – I fold it around there. Just shape it in a circle, but be careful while you are rolling it, because, like I already said, the aluminum will be very sharp.
And then what now what you do is you fold the tips down-the ones that you have cut beforehand. Fold the tip of it all the way around the ring the top of it down so that way you’ve got a little space with your AeroGarden and it’ll help you later for when you put your little foil down so just kind of fold the edges top down so it sits nicely so yeah now you got your beginning thoughts so to say for your seed and now all you got to do is take a knife.
STEP 3:
Take your knife and cut some slits on the aluminum-made cylinders. You want to do that to get water inside your seed pods. You want to cut the slits from the top almost all the way down to the bottom of your homemade seed pod.
Then you should have a nice hole and I just kind of curl it and push it down. Be sure to make it nice and smooth. I tried to bend the edges but you do it all the way around to give it quite a few holes. They get
There, you are all done with the most dangerous part. I’ve already got my AeroGarden filled with these homemade seed pods. I’ve got two of them potted with two tomato seeds just to check it out and see how well it works but the best thing is that you can plant whatever you want in these pods.
STEP 4: Cut the sponge and insert it in your aluminum cylinder
From every sponge that you have, you should get at least four small sponges that will fit inside your seed pod. The size of the sponge after cutting should be around three-quarters of the aluminum pod. Before inserting the sponge inside the pod you also have to make more holes inside it.
The first hole that you want to make inside the sponge is the main hole. The main hole is on the top of the sponge and is there for the seeds. You can make holes inside your sponge with a screwdriver, but make sure that you only penetrate the sponge about halfway in. You do not want to have the seeds too deep.
After you have made the main hole, now its time to poke in the side holes. The side holes are made for the roots, so they can spread easily and not be suffocated. Take your screwdriver or whatever it is that you are using to make holes and start from the sides. While penetrating from any side of the sponge, try to hit the main hole, because that is where the seed will be-meaning that is where all the roots are going to be spreading from. Again, you can easily hurt yourself while performing this step, so make sure you do it with caution. I always recommend having your sponge somewhere on a hard surface while making holes in it instead of holding it in your hands. I do not want you to get hurt.
STEP 5:
You have the main two parts prepared, so if you want you can drop in your seed to the sponge, or you can wait to do it later. I would recommend that you do it before inserting the sponge into your aluminum cylinder.
Now put the sponge inside your pod and see if it fits. If you have cut the right size, you might have to push it in a little bit. If the sponge is too big, now is the perfect time to trim it to the right size. The size of your sponge can and will affect the end result of your product and your harvest at the end.
STEP 6: WIDEN THE HOLES
Once your sponge is inserted, you want to expand the slits that you made, in the beginning, to enable the water and nutrients to get inside and reach your seed. You should also leave the bottom part opened, so any extra water that gets inside can drip down.
STEP 7: Aluminum foil cover for the pod
For the next step you want to cut a square of aluminum foil, that is just big enough to cover your pod on the top. Cover the top of your pod and then fold the edges so that the aluminum foil will stay in place at all times. Once you have this covered, you have to make another hole in the top of your aluminum foil cover. Right in the middle. That hole should enable the seed to grow upwards.
STEP 8: Cover the pod with your cap
For the last step, you just take your already used seed pod caps that you got when you have purchased your previous seed pod kit. If you took your time to make your own aluminum seed pods, then the caps should fit on them, but if they do not fit, please bend them until they do. The good thing about working with thin aluminum is that you can shape it any way you please and it will not break.
Caution!
Because you have decided to make your own pods, you will not have enough nutrients for your plants! If you decide to permanently make them yourself, then you are going to have to get a bigger supply of nutrients that will help your seeds grow. If you are planting something like tomatoes, the nutrients are also going to play a role in making the end results bigger.
You can also avoid all these steps by getting the grow anything seed pod kit from amazon, which is ready to use. You will get all the stuff that you need included (sponges, plastic brackets, domes, pod covers, and nutrients) Check the latest price
