Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?

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Batesy

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Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« on: November 08, 2017, 10:03 »
While planning the different things that I'm going to do with my plot next year, I have come across the idea of starting off seedlings in toilet roll tubes quite a few times. Has anyone tried this?

I quite like the idea of doing this as it's an easy way to start seedlings off a bit early indoors, plus they can then be planted out without disturbing the roots. And of course toilet roll tubes are free.


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mikem

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2017, 11:30 »
Yes lots of us do at our allotment as well as the kitchen roll tubes cut in half.  I use them mainly for sweetcorn, parsnips and beetroot together with anything else if I have any spare.  Need to make sure that when transferring them to the allotment that they tube is buried to at least the top as otherwise the top may not rot down very well.

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mumofstig

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2017, 12:54 »
I actually make most of my pots from newspaper, like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSJab0Re2fA

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Fairy Plotmother

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2017, 14:38 »
I tried once but I found they went soggy! So now I chop them up in about 1/2 inch circles for my compost bin.

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DD.

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2017, 15:01 »
I found fungus grew on mine when I tried them - something in the glue! Also you have to be careful with parsnips, the tap root whizz down and can hit the bottom very soon after germination.
Did it really tell you to do THAT on the packet?

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8doubles

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2017, 15:11 »
Use them every year , kitchen tissue tubes cut longer for parsnips etc.
Can be wrapped in any waste polythene single, double or treble to stop a trayfull ending up in one lump.
 Putting a few tubes in the bottom half of a plastic milk bottle is another option. :)

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JayG

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2017, 17:03 »
I tend to make my own paper pots rather than use toilet and kitchen roll tubes, mainly because it saves me having to find somewhere to store upwards of 50 cardboard tubes (I compost them instead.)

Nothing wrong with using cardboard tubes apart from what DD has mentioned - the white mould which sometimes grows on them and looks rather alarming doesn't seem to harm the seedlings in my experience, and is probably partly due to watering them more than necessary (which is definitely the case if the tubes go soggy to the point of collapse - runner bean seeds in particular are likely to rot if overwatered.)
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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flopsy

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2017, 18:06 »
Hi All
I do very much the same as in the video but use a hairspray can with the dimple in the bottom, just push the paper in with your thumb, pull it off the can and staple the top where the open end is

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Plot 1 Problems

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2017, 21:06 »
Tried it last year and found that like DD I ended up with a fine crop of mushrooms growing on them!
I switched to homemade paper pots instead and at one point I did buy some of those card ones from a supermarket which were great for my sweetcorn.

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oldgrunge

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2017, 21:35 »
Use them every year. As DD says, some do develop fungus growths but it doesn't bother the seedlings. The left over tubes, in fact, all our toilet roll, kitchen roll tubes, and egg boxes get composted.


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victoria park

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2017, 22:20 »
I'm another who avoids toilet rolls due to the glue thing. Newspaper pots are easy peasy. Parsnips pots are planted in the ground within 2 days of germinating. The paper is quite fragile by then given the long germination time for parsnips, so easy does it. I've also used the poundland recycled paper pots at 30 for £1, roots grow through them pretty easily.

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snowdrops

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2017, 11:54 »
I’ve used them in the past successfully but I too found the last few years they developed the fungi on them so now don’t bother, I just chuck them in the compost bin, helps with adding air gaps. I just use the module trays, as for parsnips, sown straight in the ground for me, did try them in pots after reading about it in on here, not sure why as I’d never had a problem with germination til then
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lettice

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #12 on: November 09, 2017, 12:37 »
Always do the paper homemade ones for growing my sweetcorn. Pack them all tight together in a tray helps keep them upright and sturdy when watering.
 
It is getting hard for us to get newspaper though, as used to use the free papers that came through the door.
Was never a family that ever read a newspaper and ourr local rag we have read on the iPad for many years.
But what I do is just get a free telegraph when we do our shopping at Waitrose and it goes straight to the greenhouse for growing, not reading :)

Do find toilet rolls are best for composting, adding that valuable cardboard. But they are a little too small width wise for growing.

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Batesy

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2017, 15:17 »
Thanks everyone for your input. I don't get access to much newspaper so I will give the toilet roll tubes a go. Wrapping them in waste polythene sounds like a good idea, and I can place them in the plastic trays that supermarket mushrooms come in. If I start now I should have plenty saved up for the next growing season!

Thanks again

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MarkC

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Re: Does anyone use toilet roll tubes as Seed Starter pots?
« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2017, 16:21 »
My plot neighbour uses them all the time for peas, broad beans etc. I have tried and had mixed results, have just used ordinary plastic seed trays as well as planting direct in ground. Have found broad beans and peas probably best. Haven't needed to for beetroot, parsnips etc.

Using newspaper sounds like the best use for some papers......



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