Cotton Balls: A Cheap Alternative Seed Starting Method
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2024
- Hoocho shows us How to Propagate Seeds in Cotton Wool
Hoochos explores the worlds of Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Permaculture, Homesteading, Fermentation, Technology and DIY Builds to look at the world through a larger lens that can incorporate the best of everything into a rich and rewarding lifestyle.
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I've suggested cotton many times and was always met with resistance from others although no one would say why it wasn't good so I tried it and have never had any issues.
Mold
If the cotton you are using is not 100% organic (most cheap and widely used are not organic) then it will contain bleach and other chemical which would negatively impact the plant.
then mist with h2o2, the cowards
I’d be cautious that the cotton is non-gmo/ organic. Most of the cotton grown is not organic and I wouldn’t want possible pesticides or herbicides sprayed on my veggie seeds.
I've done it with dryer lint also. I grew dill herb in balls of dryer lint in floating Styrofoam holes
That's genius lol! 😂 So innovative.
I would be concerned about microplastic from the textiles. Most of us don’t have the «100% natural fibres only»- type of clothes…
Perfect! I have unlimited dryer lint!!
Just found your channel, and subbed half-way through the first vid! Love the way you explain things in a simple yet informative way, and your time-lapses are some of the best I've seen... Gonna tell all my gardening friends about this little gem of a channel... Great work, sir!!
Cheers mate! Welcome 😂
@@Hoocho I know this is a old video but I was thinking about maybe using loofah for substrate might be another video for you for loofah mixed with cotton
I started getting into hydroponics last week after a lot of reading and research. I actually thought of cotton balls last week as a medium and they work great for me. Then tonight I find your video...lol Love your content.
That looks great. I have been using old pillow polyfill.😯
Just started a new batch of seeds using this technique. I used a foam seed tray and then put it in a large tray that can hold a lot of water, the foam seed tray floats on top. That way it won't dry out if you go away and leave them for a while. ❤
I like the simplicity of this!
I like that idea because you could even grow your own cotton and not even bother taking the cotton seed out as you could kill it with a bit of heat in a solar oven.
Thanks for sharing so many good Ideas! Salute from Brazil! Great vídeos! Much learning!
Thank you Hoocho!!! I can’t see spending a huge amount just to start seeds!! I think this is genius!! I’ve wondered if it would work so pleased to find out that it does!!❤️🥰🙏🏻🇨🇦
Years and years ago, my mother bought me a peanut plant that you grew from a peanut. It included a 6” piece of large gage yarn as a medium. It worked great. So cotton, would also work well.
This was perfect, thank you. I used cotton rounds that I had left over from a project. Amazing germination rate.
I love your experiments with new and old methods. I can say that enough. It's your teaching that keeps me coming back, successes and failures are all here for everyone to see. Thank you for taking us along on this adventure.
Wow .. I have always grown using seed raising mix and spritzing. I have had many failures using that method. I am so excited to try this method. Off to Bunnings tomorrow lol. Thanks mate from regional Australia NSW. 🐨🦘🐾
Brilliant. You just saved us a ton of money.
umm... I wonder about microgreens. A layer of cotton balls on the bottom,. then water, then seeds. But I've seen microgreens grown on 3-4 layers of tissue paper(toiliet paper) (not paper towels, its too thick) and that seems to work well.
Fascinating experiment. Love Hoochos!
Toilet paper is not just paper: it has some nasty chemicals in it. Cotton balls are a much healthier and environmentally-friendly option.
Great video thank you. I did read that some cotton wool is treated with a chemical, this can cause seedlings to become a bit yellow in the early days. Think this can be helped by changing the levels of nutrients. I really like this method as its so cheap and easy. Thank you again for some great videos.
Sometimes I thinkMitchell’s really thought of everything when I comes to hydroponics. There’s no possible way he could make this process cheaper and easier than he already has. Then Bam! A new video making it cheaper and easier. Dude, you really are the best! A legend among men ! Happy holidays dude !!! Thanks as always
🤣 happy holidays mate!
So clean! Hoocho you've done it again.
I was re-watching your seed starting videos today and so happy you kept going with the cotton idea!! Thank you for posting this on Christmas! Merry Christmas!!
Have you thought about 3D printing net cups?
I know about cotton ball germination. I sprouted tomato seeds in one today in less than 5 hours!
Great content again. Very clever idea
I’d love to see a germination setup that had the same level of design as the growth solutions ie a mini float valve to ensure the seedling tray never runs dry, etc. Hope to see something along this lines in the future as cotton wool is the germination media for me on cost and availability in my area. More cotton wool grows please, ideally not for lettuce or micro greens as I produce neither! 😊
Can you link the growth solution setup?
@@Hoocho absolutely normal solution for growth, but with a supplement with increased calcium and magnesium for blooming as I tend to do flowers from seed and have had very (!) mixed results so far. That’s why I’d love to see your ideas, as mine are far from perfected. Not everyone is into lettuce and tomatoes, including some blooms could open up a wider audience? Just a thought 🤔🤓😊
I'll definitely be giving this one a try. rockwool is a non-starter and expanding coco starters are dirty and annoying.
just throw then on paper towels
I’ve been using Cotton for a while to start seeds I think I posted some videos about four weeks ago. The problem I found is the cotton really holds a lot of liquid and can cause algae if you leave them in there too long
How about cotton, then seed, and then dust it with coconut coir to block light?
@@jimquitshowingmyname962 That would work. I guess it just depended on what kind of medium you wanted to use. It might have been that I had mixed my nutrient too strong. I also chase behind it every couple of weeks with hydrogen peroxide in the main solution tank. So I guess it just depends on what you need it out of it and what you have available. But you had some good questions
Oh man, the timelapse jams are back
Very interesting. Cheers from Tulua, Colombia 🇨🇴
I have tried cotton wicks in passive hydroponic system before. I have found that, because of their organic structure, they were breaking down and getting prone to mould. Will the cotton balls do the same?
Break down and take up oxygen etc..
It's fantastic😮
How about glass wool
Merry Christmas my big dog. Sending you lots of joy for the new year. I hope it's better than this year! You're an absolute champion
This looks like a good alternative to starting my seeds in a tray of coco coir and rinsing the roots off before putting into kratky or ebb and flow systems. I like that method because it takes so little space but this is cleaner and easier to pull a few plants out and drop into the larger system for sure.
I have used rockwool up to this point and had lots of trouble with algae and rotting seeds. I think the rockwool stayed too moist. Do you think cotton will have a similar result?
What if you made a the seed tray buoyant, submerging each pod just enough to allow for surface contact? Place it in a reservoir appropriately oversized to allow the seed tray to float along the surface. Filled with litres of fluid, you could set and forget!
You may just be a genius
@@Hoocho Evolution through the youtube hivemind! Love all the effort and innovation you share in your channel. Cheers from Canada!
I'm new to this but have been absorbing a lot of your info. It's especially good as I'm Sunny Coast based, like you, so climate is the same. Question: At what stage do you add the nutrients?
Merry Xmas great tips for growers no need to waste money 👍
New subscriber! Hoocho, how long do you leave the lights on during the germination cycle? It almost seemed in the video as if you left the lights on constantly until you had young seedlings growing in the tray. I've always been taught to keep them in the dark until they sprout real leaves. I'm confused! Which way is best? Thanks for sharing and trying new techniques. I enjoy your simple way of explaining the material and conveying the details. Thanks mate!😃🛶
I built a 4 shelve spider farm 600 lights grow hydroponics system using 4 1 gallon containers with 2 holes in each kracky no flow method. Can fit 2x4 8 plants per shelf. Question. I want to grow seedlings of butter crunch lettuce but have each self 1 week apart so I'm harvesting each week for my family 8 heads. 4 shelves will get me 4 weeks and 5th shelve will be next seeds to mature allowing perfect cycle so have lettuce every week all year round. How would I plan seedlings to rotate as I only need 8 plants week. I was thinking Chinese containers for take out with clay pebbles and cotton. Any ideas?
I've also been wondering about growing cotton... for this? Home grown hydroponic cotton tree?
A crochet hook works well to pull a little cotton out.
Happy hydroponicing!!
What does it look like after time. I'm thinking the cotton ball will rot, leaving a slimy mess? Seedlings look good though
Have tried this several ti mes my seed always rots before it germinates..igae up on the idea
I like this I'm doing it right now 🎉
I live in a cotton growing region, and cotton will just blow off the trucks and sit on the side of the road. So I'm running an experiment comparing cotton wool from a packet versus the stuff I've just picked up from the side of the road. I think the cotton contains cotton seeds so I am super curious to see what happens!
We also live in cotton country, had never thought about foraging for raw cotton from the trucks driving thru town. I’m curious about how your experiment went 🎉
Me lembrou um pouco minha infância 👍👍👍
I'm trying the Cotton Wool Germination. I started all my Lettuce, Coriander, Capsicum and Rocket on the 31st of December. Lettuce and Rocket have already started to sprout. When is a suitable time to remove the Dome?
Groovy Hoocho!
Gonna try this out. Thanks for your continued explanations.
King Lizard album in your time lapse??
Cheers 🎉❤
Will do it! look simple and efective!
I beside this I also use them pads what are used to undo make up. In the first I cut from these roud pads a square to lay on the bottom of the tray. Than I cut the remainings into little parts and use these to put in another little grow hole of the tray. The roots coming out of the seeds are enough to hold all them little parts together so they don't fall apart whet the little plant is taken out to go elswhere to grow. Hope someone has theis tip to use and don't trow away left overs from pads if used.
Are you able to tell us where you got your prop tray and dome set?
I have just watched 3D Printed Hydroponic System, which made me think if its possible to print a hydroponics raft. Have you ever tried that? Or do you know anyone who did that?
Great idea!!! I will doing in my next farming..
New subscriber, very interesting, thank you for sharing 👍👋
I wonder how this would be for a seed starter for a regular garden?
Will be trying this.
Awesome video. Where do you get your nutrients to buy, and what's the ratio you used when mixing.
Don't do it unless you are oxygenating the res with an air stone. Cotton holds to much water and not much air. Rockwool is designed for the job.
Excellent.
Q. could i plant direct into compost after germination (no dig) including the cotton bud, cheers.
would the cotton bud breakdown, than for any help im a total 64yo novice.
? Do you have problems with cotton rotting in a mature hydroponic plant?
Great thought
I want to see a video on how he made his propagating shelf
Interesting !
Thanks to your videos I setup my own nft system to grow strawberries. I was wondering how often do you clean your reservoir ? It seems you never talk about this
Whenever I refill and it looks like it needs it.
Great vid mate, Merry Christmas!
HELP! I'M A NEWBIE AT THIS!
You mentioned you added nutrients about half way? Exactly what day did you do that & what did you add?
Can you try coco coir mats? Rolled up
or cut in some way? They seem to be sturdy but idk if they will break up in water.
Always good info. TY
Wow that's awesome
Merry Christmas! Thank you for sharing yet another simple idea for seed starting.
I have one question though... of all of the methods you have shown us, which is your preferred method of starting seeds and seedlings for your grows?
I’m addicted to 42mm jiffy, I like that they never dry out and are convenient. (It’s purely because they are so bulky once wet.)
They are expensive but I pay for the convenience.
Where did you get the tray set you are using (I'm in the US)? The only ones I can find are much larger and would fit many cotton balls in them. Thanks.
May I ask what seed was planted on this video?
Oak leaf lettuce
Do you have a link in the USA for the propagation dome, cotton ball tray, and bottom tray?
how to you deal with root rot in the summer ?
do you use that bacteria stuff ?
Could you please give the name of the nutrients that you use? Thank you!
Mitch I’m still trying different methods germinating seeds . In your video the plants shown were just on 23 days old ,how does this compare with other planting mediums (PS At the moment I’m trialing Oasis foam from a florist ,but I think it is going to be too dense)
I could’ve sped up the grow by introducing nutrient earlier so take the time with a grain of salt.
@@Hoocho Mitch I planted 4 Butter Crunch on cotton wool last night, will try and send photo if I can , not sure how do load photo up
@@paulwilson4081 jump on the Facebook group or subreddit (I check fb more often)
Maybe stick the cotton into a cross section sliced pool noodle, with a few toothpicks to keep it in place.
Can i transfer them into aquaponics setup?
What type of nutrients the seedling will need? Believe it or not, in all these years of gardening the only thing I bought was bovine blood, nothing else! So I need help with this please. I know the video Is old but I hope someone will reply to my question.
I wanted to start by saying that I use an Amerimax gutter NFT system with foam floor tile segments as cloning collars - lots of inspiration from your channel! Thanks for testing so many different ideas.
My spouse and I have been doing cotton balls in for our seed starts - for soil, not so much for hydro. I guess I'm just worried the cotton ball will hold onto nutrient solution and inhibit circulation because it absorbs so much compared to something like Rockwool. Would you use this in NFT? Maybe I'm just once-bitten twice-shy regarding root rot..
The roots will outgrow any problem with the cotton. It’ll be swallowed up before any negative effect will become apparent if it were to.
Thanks for clarifying!
I use paper towels and a grow tent
so did you keep using this method or did you end up going back to the rockwool method and if so why?
revolutionary
Tried with a tomato plant... It started to grow... But later it died and the cotton was very brown. Don't know if it was bad luck... The other two I grew was successful but different media
I did try with cotton balls, good results but require too much attention.
I so very much appreciate -- apart from the useful information -- your ability to speak in public. So many videos just mumble. Thank you
Audio off sync but great video!!!
Audio failed for the set up so I voiced over the important parts
What happened to the ice cube trays? Mine are always leggy and wimpy.. Help
Can i use it in basil seeds
There is in error in your process.
Leave the four corner cells empty. Site gauge, solution adding funnels, leveling check.
Corner cells will allow you to see if the planter is level and all cells are getting water/solution, also a measure of the water level, and double as funnels to add water/solution without disturbing the whole seedling grow bed/roots.
🙏
Pole noodle work on that
Use jumbo cotton balls
Where did you get those propagation trays from?
Nursery supply store mate
Awesome
Couldn't you just use more cotton balls for each cell if you wanted better protection from drying out or for water hungry crops?
do you guys say cotton wool?
Cotton wool is bleached, right? I wonder if it still contains something like hydrogen peroxide, which may not necessarily be safe to ingest?
Hydrogen peroxide is so unstable, chances of residue are zero. Hydrogen peroxide basically becomes pure water. You can’t inhale water, I am pretty sure 😉
But to stay on the safe side, just buy natural, untreated cotton.
Hydrogen peroxide isn't harmful to consume as long as it's not really large amounts. Our bodies actually produce it. I believe they whiten cotton with chlorine bleach though but even still the tiny amount in the cotton won't absorb much into the plants. You should be able to consume any plants grown in these cotton balls without any worry. Hope this helps. 💛
Bet it works for clones
👍
I’m trying this now to save the cost of rockwool. Question on your Timelapse video. I’d like to try this with my GoPro. Is there a certain capture rate you found is best? Thank you.