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Author Topic: Plastic Bottles.  (Read 9290 times)

sabrina

  • Joined Nov 2008
Plastic Bottles.
« on: February 08, 2009, 08:49:25 pm »
I had a thought today as i was washing out the plastic milk bottle, it made me wonder if it would be worth starting of my veg seed in one. Making some holes in the bottom, add some compost then a seed say cabbage. Once ready to plant outside cut away the bottom of the bottle and plant in the ground leaving the bottle to protect the growing plant from slugs etc. Once a decent size remove the bottle. Do you think that would be worth trying ?? :-\

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2009, 08:54:20 pm »
I'm sure it would - I think the young plants are most at risk, aren't they, so if you can protect for a while all to the good.
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

hot house heroes

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • prestwick
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2009, 10:07:31 pm »
hi there ive submitted a post in the vegetable section regarding the plastic bottle theory  :hshoe:
its not a palace but its our palace

HappyHippy

  • Guest
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2009, 11:32:01 am »
Hi,
I've been busily saving all the wee plastic trays that prepack food comes in with the intention of having free mini seed trays.
Also as the kids eat a fair bit of icecream (it might be the middle of winter but try telling that to a 4 year old lol!) and I reckon if I cut a big hole in the lid of the tub and line it with plastic (or cling film) I'll have mini propegators. Maybe folks are doing this already and I'm a bit slow to catch on !
Karen  ;D

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2009, 11:40:22 am »
I use plastic water bottles as cloches. Just cut the bottom off. Someone suggested to build a cold frame with milk bottles recently, I'll try that!

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2009, 12:09:06 am »
Pictures of my "milk jug cold frame" at http://www.redbayfarm.com/Projects.html down toward the middle of the page.

Just yesterday my dad used milk jugs as cloches for tomatoes.

Personally I like to take four of the jugs and fill them with water.  I use them to surround the tender plant and throw a bit of straw on top.  My tomatoes just had a little bit of damage on the top leaves.

The water also holds heat absorbed during the day and warms the soil a bit to help accelerate early growth.  I'll be setting out eggplant soon and will be using the same technique.

Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2009, 10:50:05 am »
Now, heres a strange thing.......!!

I had been saving all the plastic trays that food comes in with the intention of using them as seed trays. I had amassed quite a few in the last year.

anyway, i was sowing various seeds this year - mostly my chillis, peppers and toms.

Anyway, the ones in the "traditional" seed trays germinated with reasonable success rates however, the ones in the "food trays" did nothing!

I put several drainage holes in them, they were filled with the same compost and watered in the same routine and heated to the same extent - but did nothing!!!

So, i'm sticking to my seed trays in future.

I think using the plastic bottle idea would be a good way to protect and start off Onion/Shallot sets - birds like to pull them out the ground and if there is a lot of unexpected rain, the sets can rot, so placing a plastic bottle over them should help to give them a good start. i've jsut planted some more onion sets, so i think i'll give it a go myself and see if they turn out better/worse than normal onions.

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #7 on: April 15, 2009, 11:18:55 pm »
That's an interesting observation - I never really noticed a difference but probably because I did one of the methods for one kind of seed at the time and couldn't compare. Maybe it has to do with the temperature, as in black plastic getting warmer than food trays. :&>

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2009, 08:42:32 am »
i had thought that - but these were chilli seeds, so they tend to germinate better in warmer temps.

also, i had a mix of both the clear flimsy packaging that you can't pop in the oven/micro and the black stuff that can go in the oven

sheila

  • Joined Apr 2008
  • Mablethorpe Lincolnshire
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2009, 12:04:20 pm »
I hate to waste all the plastic milk bottles so I cut them in half long ways and use the as chicken feeder trays.they are long enough for a few hens to get around without a fall out!

Wellieboots

  • Guest
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2009, 06:20:05 pm »
strawberry punnets are also good for starting seeds off. Living in "berry country" I get loads of of the commercial growers & have just finished 4 that had salad leaves in.

Pigtails

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Scotland
    • 29brawl
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2009, 07:39:26 pm »
Recycling, yes.
Bird feeders- cut a hole in the middle of them, pour in suet / bird feed mixture, hang on trees.
As others have said, use for seed trays, carrying water in the car / for car or dogs.
Wee mini cloches,

I hate them and would far rather have bottles, glass ones that is. :)
Pigtails

Carolinajim

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • Eastern North Carolina, USA
    • Red Bay Farm
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #12 on: May 07, 2009, 12:32:52 am »
The plastic deteriorates.  I have a spot on my land which the folks next door used as a dump for decades until maybe 15 years ago.  What's left...lots and lots of bottles...glass for me to cut tires or feet or hands.  So, plastic is unsightly but eventually it turns to dust.
Best Regards,
Jim
www.redbayfarm.com a website about a small 46 acre family owned tree farm
Become Carbon Neutral - Buy Land and Plant Trees

pikilily

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Do what you enjoy; And enjoy what you do!!
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2009, 07:42:02 am »
My OH uses loo roll centres and stands them in the food trays...best of both worlds, soil kept moist by the cardboard....decent depth cos you can fill higher than the food trays height, and easy to then put out no disturbance of roots...

He tried the seeds into food tray bit a few years ago....disaster
Emma x
If you don't have a dream; how you gonna have a dream come true?

northfifeduckling

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Fife
    • North Fife Blog
Re: Plastic Bottles.
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2009, 04:23:05 pm »
The cardboard rolls didn't really work for me, they started growing mould and seeds didn't really germinate well in them. Never had a problem with food trays, though.
I thought I had posted this yesterday, but obviously forgot. A wee school in Scotland won an award for making a greenhouse out of plastic bottles. Great idea! No worries about broken glass in the storms....:&>

 

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