Soil Blocks Are Better Than Plug Trays. Change My Mind.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ส.ค. 2024
- Learn about soil blocks. What they are, pros/cons, gear needed and the techniques used to make them.
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I'd like to add two things you might want to mention. Ist, it's very helpful to give your blocker a quick dunk in a bucket of water between refills to give you more crisp perfect blocks. 2nd, the mesh bottom trays from Bootstrap Farmer are way superior to the mesh trays from Johnny's. They are so much more ridged, heavy duty, and not so bendy. I've been at soil blocks for 4 years now and as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to go. Great video Josh, as always.........
Or double up the other flimsier brands so they have more support.
One of the better soil blocking videos! Thank you for the details on the soil block maker in the one inch size.
When I was 13 years old, in 1953, I got a job for the summer at a truck farm (market farm) with two other 13-year-olds, and we got paid 45c per hour. We were for weeding and other chores. I really enjoyed working on that farm. The thing that impressed me about that farm though is after I grew older and remembered that the farmer supported himself and his wife, his son, and his son's family with children and built a new brick house off of 13 acres.
farmers feed cities. modern day hero's in fact! minus the tights, lol
@IanCdnMerkaba ... wow.. at 13, i was making 5 cents an hour in 69 doing yard work on a farm. Couple years later i got to 15 cents plowing and mucking and eventually got to 25 cents milking.
My mother used a 4-block model back in the 80s. This video brought back wonderful memories. I’m a volunteer land manager for a senior community (I’m the energetic one 😄). Last year was all about cleaning up the neglect. This year is about getting a team of senior neighbors involved. Next year I’m planning vegetables, and this is exactly what I will be guiding the team to do. 😊 Some nice raised beds and trellises, happy soil blocks of veggie sprouts, luscious living organic soil….yep, I can see it happening.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane and the inspiration for improvements going forward. 😊
Your content is always awesome & we all see you as a garden 'friend'
Thank you!
enjoy watching someone garden in such a beautiful tidy way
I've got the 2", 1.5" and the little 3/4' blockers. Use the tiny one for the small seeds, and the medium one for Chard and seeds in that size range. I use the 2" blocker for peas, corn, and beans. I use my own mix, and to help the blocks stay together, I mix in grass clippings that I chop up smaller with some scissors to act as a binder. I find that I get better results by hand packing the "tops" first then the body of the blocker. That gives me a firmer top that doesn't blow out when I press them out. I also have a block of wood that I press the filled blocker on to compress the soil some more. I also use the 45 quart storage containers that Costco sells with the clear lids as "mini green houses".
Soil blocks rule! Thanks so much for the support and words of confidence on our product, Sprout.
Love the idea of soil blocks! Reduces plastics in my garden, and in my body. I find bits of degraded plastics in my soil from products past, and now I try my best to keep it out of my garden.
You consume microplastics regularly. Unfortunately at this point there is no way around it.
Soil blocks were popularized by Elliot Coleman years ago, in one of his Winter Harvest books if I recall correctly. I used soil blocks for several years but have gone back to the trays for several reasons: 1. Air pruning doesn’t always seem to work and sometimes the roots overlap with other blocks (so the same problem you noted with the trays). 2. From my observations where I experimented with both methods in my last year of using the blocks, there really is no marked difference in transplanting impact or plant health. 3. Finding the right recipe for the soil is a real pain especially when ingredients are not always available (here in Ottawa Canada) - nothing more frustrating than having your blocks break down later when watering. 4. Seeding seems faster and easier using the trays - but then I am a home gardener and not a pro like you and dont seed the enormous amounts like you do for your business. Once again, I really appreciate you sharing your expertise and knowledge. I thought that I would share my observations having been a soil block convert before switching back - the trays just work better for me :-).
air pruning can fail from too frequent watering, if the sides of the soil blocks are always wet you lose the effect and with it the quality improvement compared to trays.
@Mike Barnes Not to mention getting some plastic out of the environment. Worth the effort even if there was no difference, but the advantages are clear to me and getting the right soil mix is not rocket science. The only blocker we can't get in Canada is the 32 size. If anyone knows a supplier msg me please ! I got mine from West Coast Seeds in BC. I'm in Quebec.
@Mike Barnes Sounds like a plan !
@Mike Barnes I sent them an email.
@@antoniopietroniro2270 Lee valley in Laval is one! They have different sizes
This year Im seeding into 2" soil blocks Super Happy so far.
This year i switched to soil blocks as a test , and its very interesting
Saw someone make soil blocks using a cement mixer, seems strange but super cool. She managed to make a lot and it mixed itself.
Wow. I was thinking about getting a concrete mixer for soil mixing.....hope I find her video!
I was thinking that would work 😊 I want to try one with a cricket ball or two in it for threshing grain too. It would have to work. I’m pretty sure. I haven’t seen anyone do it though.
I've been shopping for trays and pots today. Glad I saw this video before I bought any! Now I want to get a hand blocking tool instead.
Yep. Great move Josh! Getting rid of my trays was the best move for me so far. I also don't even use the soil block anymore. I just make soil "balls" by forming them in my hands and then putting a small indentation on the top for the seed. Last Sunday I made 65 soil balls (took maybe 30 minutes), placed one corn seed in each, and now (one week later) they are already 4 inches tall. There has been zero transplant shock.
Great video brutha!
Would two big ice cream scoops make the process faster? A half moon in each scoop, mashed together... Just a thought, I haven't tried it though.
Very cool.
@@joeykoehn6038 omg you just solved my conundrum. I want to try soil blocks without investing a bunch of cash. Ice cream scoop to the rescue. A half-ball sounds perfect to give the roots some space
@@lindaspellman2108 Good! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! If you remember, let me know how the scoop works! 👍
oh yeah. the soil block volume, to feeder root direction... just ace!
I'd probably go for the hand blocker first 😂 I've seen Rebecca Rhodes use it for yrs n u made me feel more confident 😂..so thanks for the video!!
I didn’t do soil blocks with my tomatoes this year and my seedlings have not been as strong. I will be using soil blocks from now on!
I love my soil blocker! I do put them in regular 1020 trays and bottom water. I just make sure they are transplanted either to a larger pot or to the garden before the roots start going crazy on the bottom. I also use the 2" hand blocker, so my blocks are a little bit bigger to accommodate the seedlings a bit longer. I did try the 3/4" blocker a few times and I really never liked it at all. Those tiny block dried out way too fast and really didn't seem worth the extra effort to me.
Been using soil blocks for a long time. Glad to see people starting to use them more its crazy how much healthier and how much better the germination is in them
Amazon out of stock!
amzn.to/3gpozoM
Josh Sattin
I’m guessing it’s the smaller units which are out of stock. Ladbrooke is having a hard time with orders due to full COVID-19 lockdown in GB.
Its almost as if the plant knows! Lol or its just good salesmanship.
I really appreciate the quick-release information flow of your videos Josh. Keep up the great work
I love how quick you are to get to the matter. I appreciate it! I go to your site to learn and I don’t like non focused videos!
Great video Josh. Probably the best video to intro and explain soil blocks I've found so far on TH-cam!
Thanks for sharing your experiences. Glad I found you on TH-cam!
I love using soil blocks for my seed starting!
Love your videos! You always walk us through every steps and explain it so well. I'm new at this so it can be so overwhelming but not only do you explain the steps you actually walk us through it. Thank you!
Made my day. I am definitely doing this. Thank you so much for the valuable session.
Great video! Just getting started with soil blocking and you offered a whole lot of great advice . . . as usual. Thanks!
Good points to consider. Never heard of air pruning!😁 Have a great week, Josh!🌻
This was my first year using soil blocks and I LOVE them. I was skeptical about whether they would stay together but they have worked great and it does seem like the plants themselves are stronger. There is a bit of a learning curve getting the soil to water consistency right.
Was always curious about these you make it look so easy great video Josh
Great job. Took me 4 months to get a 2 inch blocker. Time to start looking again.
I just switched this year too, blocks and paper pots before I got my blockers. Air pruning foreverrrr!
I had that book shipped to the UK, it’s brilliant! Really strong learning in the book so I might just try soil blocks!!
Great stuff. I agree, it's hard to keep them watered.
Great video explaining soil blocks. I have been sick of the plastic cups breaking and thinking about making the switch to soil blocks.
I'm so glad the experiment worked out. I've been very happy with my soil blocks for the most part. I have made the mistake of over watering some flower starts and they didn't germinate. But that would have been solved of I had open bottom trays.
I’m so excited to see this! I’m just a beginner gardener. But I saw soil blocks and thought - how good to reduce plastic waste. And who doesn’t love making mud pies?
don't waste $ on the tiny blocker! 2" works fine
@@ardenpeters4386 ther is a 1 1/2" soil blocker too. It makes 5 blocks at a time. Try Fedco Seeds.
I got soil blockers the 2” ones but i love the 1” i don’t have that one!
I shift the soil before making blocks don’t wanna get sticks in their.
Then just sprinkle vermiculite on top or perlite.
I started mine with mini blocks and was able to pop into 2 in just block as soon as I knew it germinated. It’s very useful for home seed starting because space under grow lights is a premium and it’s not wasted on blocks that don’t germinate. I honestly don’t see any transplant shock.
I keep the mini starts in Tupperware type tray so they stay moist until germination. I don’t ever have to water the mini because it’s like a terrarium in the box. I have the 2 inches ready. I can pop them in as soon as I see green. I work full time so I don’t have excess to make blocks during my work week(12 hour days), so if they are ready to go, it takes two seconds to transfer them over and I can do the more time consuming things, like block making and planting out, on my off days.
Wonderful idea! Thanks
I was already committed to trays when you posted this, but after moving and having to replace because of damage I decided to give these from Johnny’s a try. I wish I had watched this again before starting some greens and micro tomatoes for inside winter experiments, but I’m overall pretty happy with them so far. I did get the tiny 20 block and will up pot to the 2in with the optional divot for those blocks. If I had to do it over I’d likely just stick with the 1 inch for small starts like you do, and two for stuff that takes longer like peppers. I started the peppers in the blocks too but am not sure how it’s going to go.
Interesting way to start your transplants. Thanks for another variation on planting. Appreciate this one!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Started using the 2" soil block maker this year and there is NO comparison! The plants are so much more vigorous!
Thanks Josh. Great content and instructions!😁
Thanks so much for showing how to do this. Will give it a try. Anything to make things go better I'm all for it! :)
3/4->2" is nice for tomatoes and peppers. easy to fit 300 blocks on a heating mat and cover with plastic. When they sprout choose the best ones to plant.
I just bought a blocker, I'm going to try it today! Thanks Josh for the update, great timing...
You're welcome. Have fun!
Hi Josh, I’ve learned si munch watching your videos. Great job. I like the way you teach. You really do it with a pedagogical approach. Would you do a video about potting soil and fertilizing potting soil. How do you feed your seedlings
Thank you. I don't add any fertilizer to my seedlings. Any good potting mix should have everything that they need.
You convinced me, thanks for the tip. Greetings from the Netherlands.
I heard cushioning your handle is a game changer for the soil blocker.
Pool noodles might do the trick
One of the best things I found make soil blocks in is at The Home Depot or lowes they sell the cement mixing tubs for like 4 bucks and they work really great. Because you can use a hole in him really easily and goes really well.
This is perfect for large batches and similar to this, for smaller batches you can get a cheap plastic kitty-litter tray.
Great - I love soil blocks. I just put them onto solid bottom plastic trays and pour water gently into the corner of the trays and let it run around amongst the blocks and soak in. I don’t have the issue with the plant roots you talked about. I plant them out ASAP though..! Excellent video ...
Glad to hear of Tilth Soil, thank you! Wish I still lived near Cleveland. So, I’ve known of soil blocking for decades, but never jumped in to make the investment. Well, I finally did this year. But, I bought the mini and the 2” 😭
Although I will find ways to use them, I’m now going to pick up the 1” because that does seem to be the perfect size for lettuce and other things.
Here are my ???
What method are you using to start your green onions (what variety?) and do you ever raise bulb onions?
Besides lettuce, what do like to start in the 1” blocker?
I also love interplanting. Just can’t resist and love experimenting.
Thanks for sharing so much solid info with us. Love watching your progress!
Winstrip trays...just as good of a transplant as a block and without the whole arm and shoulder soreness! I blocked for years, they are nice but some physical downsides for sure if you are making a lot of blocks each week.
Winstrips are expensive, but I have trays that are nearly 10 years old. They can be carried with one hand when plants root in.
@@justinciallella4724 Still a pain in the ass to get out of the tray compared to blocks.
I have been using the 2" hand blocker and love it. I dunk the blocker in water between each block that I make and find the rinse helps. Excellent video!
First time using them this year, I will have to try the dunking.
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll give that a try the next time I experiment with these. The last two rounds had some sections that kept getting stuck and I bet that would solve that issue.
dunking in a bucket of water really really helps!
Great, helpful video! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing info. I ordered me a soil block just waiting until it comes in...
Very nice Video, thanks for maken' it.
Welp. Time to buy some blockers!
Good Luck !
There are some of the larger units still available, but availability of the smaller ones is a challenge due to the COVID-19 lockdown in GB. The company who makes the blockers, Ladbrooke is based there.
There is videos on TH-cam that shows you how to make soil blockers. We made one and it works great!🌱
Please stop blaming the effects of an authoritarian lockdown on a virus.
The two are mutually exclusive and each deserves its due.
They are talking about "climate lockdown" now. Too many freedoms have been lost
don't waste your time and money on tiny one!
@@mightyconker3903 no kidding! sick of hearing that
I had already purchased the Hand Blocker but will for sure get the Stand Up Blocker soon. Huge time savings. Thanks
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Looks great! going to give it a try!
Im here right after I saw someone from reels. Didnt know about this technique and would love to learn on how the soil stays intact!
Thanks for the great vids. Really enjoy your content.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
That was super helpful. Thank you so much Josh.👍
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Josh! I think I'll go this route for starts, sustainable... Great video btw! Awesome editing!
Thank you!
Good on you Josh, I'm glad you're dumping the plastic. Coincidentally, I did some blocking myself today, except I made my own trays with wood and 1/2 inch hardware cloth for the bottoms. I made them to fit the soil blockers perfectly since they are all the same size. I designed them so the blocks don't flop around like they do in 1020 trays. I used the 20 block blocker because I can't get the 32 size here in Canada, and I don't want to deal with the exchange and duty + + ... as much as I like Johnny's it's too much money over what an American would pay. So what I'll do instead is take my 20 size blocks with tomatoes planted in them and just make a hand made 'Jessie ball' around it and see how that goes. Ideally it would be a 32 block into a 6 block. Hopefully a Canadian company will also carry the 32.
thank you very much. great information and presentatioin
Now I wish I had hunted for the 1" block maker. For my small scale, I got the combo deal for the mini blocker and the 2" blocker and did lettuce in mini blocks, then potted them up to 2"
I just started this same combo and wish I had gotten the 1 inch as well after watching this
I have never heard of this, great video
I'm diggin the Lo-Fi beats + soil block making. it's so cool lol!
That's so cool! Great video! Been trying to find a nice alternative to trays, and only just come across "soil blockers" I'm sold! A question though.. How resilient are the blocks, I kind of figured they would disintegrate as soon as you have at them with the watering?!
I love my soil blocker. I think a soil blocker is as good as the soil you use for the blocks, I have had some major failures if the soil didn't hold together we'll enough or was so dense the roots didn't penetrate well. The biggest draw back I have seen is I need to put significant amount of room between my blocks to prevent them growing into each other and properly air prune.
Great stuff
Have you tried direct seeding your green onions? Transplanted g. onions last year and besides being a ton of work, the onion root maggots got a bunch of them , this year with ds. they are doing so much better! almost no root damage and just super healthy all around, and I'm getting a lot more out of the same amount of bed space. 4 rows, x24, something around 2" spacing.
I have both the 2in blocker and the smaller 1in blocker. I have used only the 2in blocker for my setup this year with 600 blocks spread across 12 10x20 trays from johnny's. We started around 100 tomatoes and had all but a handful germinate, we set aside around a dozen for us to keep and the rest were given away over this last weekend to neighbors who stopped at our mini plant stand. Next spring I'm planning on expanding the germination setup to have another nine 10x20 trays (450 blocks).
Curious to know if the 1" blocker will find a use or if you will stick to 2" from now on? Also, what block recipe have you been using and any issues with damping off?
@@Jeffipookins that would depend on what I'm planting, but moat likely I'll stick with the 2in block instead of "potting up" from the 1in block.
Current recipe is roughly six parts peat moss and one part vermiculite. I'll be adjusting it slightly for the next batch of blocks as we saw them drying out a bit too quickly. We are also looking at a few extras but not 100% sure which yet.
Great video. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada.
Thank you!
Thanks for your videos Josh. Been watching your channel for almost 2 years now. What green house are you using? Been going back and forth on a farmers friend tunnel for a greenhouse/covered garden beds
Respect from Africa 🇿🇦
Great information
I just got my hand blocker 2" been wanting one for two years but it was beyond the budget. A backyard gardener here.
I have watched you build the farm and just dream of doing similar as a home gardener. Thanks..
My starts are always struggling from using those plastic starts trays. Switching to soil blocks immediately!
Great video Josh. Very good information. I curious as to why more ppl don't use compost to start seeds vs a potting mix. I have always wondered that.
A good potting mix is balanced in a lot of ways, including the structure. I let the people that know way more about it than me make the good potting mix for me.
@@JoshSattinFarming Thanks 🙏
thank you.
used to use soil block maker and found that it was a lot more time consuming. also to use colemans recipe for the soil its a lot more (for me) gathering all the components (green sand is hard to find_. the fine mist water wand would be the way to go to water the soil blocks to not over water and damage the block. my opinion on the small scale sure it would be fine but on a commercial fast paced scale i wouldn't suggest it. using the paper pot trays without the paper pot transplanter is the way to go if you didn't want to purchase the whole kit to transplant really fast. overall good video and thanks for the content.
Hi Josh. Thanks for this great educational video. Question: can soil blocks be used in preparing seedlings for hydroponic farming? Or will the soil collapse and get washed away.
I feel like I’m going to want to start off with the hand held though
Thanks for the info
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
very cool
I may go that way with blocks in the future but I just got a lot of trays and 4 inch squares. I need to sell starts the first few markets before I have variety as far as fruit is concerned
I've been using these for years, never any problems.
I’m curious about a comparison of root expansion after transplanting as I’m often disappointed to find many of my plants seem to still think their space is restricted and their roots rarely branch out when they’re in the ground. This may also be a soil or water imbalance but I’m super curious whether these would fix that issue.
i just order yesterday some 2In Soil Block Maker :)
Thanks
Thanks Josh, as always, a great guide. One point I have to make. If you are a real conservationist and worried about climate change you may want to investigate how vermiculite is mined and processed. It is certainly NOT a carbon neutral material. Large open pit mines, major use of fossil fuels to extract and process it. Pinching the tops of the blocks or sprinkling with your home made compost would certainly be more environmentally friendly!
Interesting to know. Thank you.
that green onions and lettuce line looks neat af
I understand what you are saying with the soil block making taking not to much time when you are using the 30 cell maker. But the 4 cell maker takes forever to get done.
I have a few mini soil blockers (they make 3/4" soil blocks) that I really don't use anymore. I find it's an unnecessary step and I tend to go with the 1" block maker more than any other. I have a 2" and a 4" block maker that I really don't use except for really large seeds. I don't really step up in block size anymore, because the 1" does just about everything I need it to.
Thank you for sharing your experience, it’s good to know what to focus on when just picking one size!
thanks lots of great information. Do you ever use heat mats with soil blocking?
I pounded hundred upon hundred of soil blocks at Savage Mountain Farm in Meyersdale, PA. We used old bread trays, lined the bottom with damp newspaper and a truck bed liner to mix soil. You need to pound a couple times to ensure 'full' blocks, i see some of your are disproportionate which results in different watering needs/weaker plants. Only downfall in my opinion is the energy expense to pound out the blocks compared to filling trays.
My most awaited josh sattin video of 2021! I enjoyed it!
Awesome. Thanks for watching!
The #1 issue I’ve had is finding a good mix. Shipping costs are not in my budget ($20 tilth bag + $28 UPS shipping). Locally, the big bags all still need to be sifted which takes time. I love soil blocks but the mix isn’t available in a ready to go format. I start over 10k seeds (you-pick flower farm) so time is valuable.
make your own?