Frequently Asked Questions
Be willing to ask! ask! ask!
-Jack Canfield, co-author of
Chicken Soup for the Soul
  • I've heard they dry out too quickly, is that true?
     
    Soil blocks do have a tendency to dry out if they are not watered three times daily(completely saturated) after they
    are fully germinated(normally 3-10 days for most seedlings), or kept in a shallow tray of water known as bottom
    watering.   Remember,  they are exposed to air on 5 sides, 6 sides if they are held up on hardware screen, wire
    fencing, or mesh bottomed plastic nursery flats.  This is the "air root-pruned" method which is the highest art form
    of soil blocking, because it won't cause "transplant shock".
    Most blocks will be made of peat, which does have a tendency to dry out.  Try Coco peat mixed half and half with
    regular peat.   It does not dry out so fast.  Or try coco peat as a bottom layer(but not a coco peat mat).  It will
    absorb all the water and let the blocks wick it up when they need it.  See Irrigation Page for more details.

    Also, we have heard that some people, inevitably,  will not water three times a day.  In this case, you must place
    them in a shallow tray that can hold water.  You will water them from the bottom.  Place your blocks in the tray and
    fill with 1" of water.  Your tray should not be over 1 3/4" high, in case you over fill them with water it will not drown
    the seedlings.  Check once a day, and depending on the rate of evaporation,water once a day or every other
    day.  This is known as capillary action, or bottom watering.  You can also use this method to re-moisten dried out
    blocks.  See Irrigation Page for more details.

After making one million blocks in 10 years, I have the best answer to everyone's drying out problem.  It all has to do with
the blocking mix.  You simply have to make your own blend (or buy our Old Farm Boy)and use the highest quality
vegetable-based compost you can find or make.   You must use your best garden soil or at least replace that quantity
with more compost.  Perlite is more moisture retaining than sand, and vermiculite will get crushed.  Once your blocks are
made, don't let them dry out, not even once.   I have come to the conclusion that unless you have the perfect blocking
mix, you must pack your blocks together, side by side, touching each other without the air gap that I have mentioned
earlier.  This will prevent drying out, even though the roots may get slightly intertwined.  Don't worry about that, moisture
is more important.
Yes, you can make your own, and many people who don't want to spend money on blockers do just that.  Try our Soil
Cell 1 maker or click on this link, Make your own blocker and save.

  • Why are soil blockers so expensive?
They are imported from England and fuel costs are very expensive and steel prices are rising every year. But, we have
the lowest prices outside of England, and our profits also help feed people in need at Plant-a-row-for-the-hungry.
PottingBlocks.com exists to help farmers and gardeners use the Ladbrooke Soil Blocker for consistent, professional,
modular, efficient results based upon years of dedicated research.  Small backyard gardeners or gardeners on a tight
budget would do quite well with a homemade blocker, following the sound practices of the blocking method.  However,
the investment in soil block makers are well worth their price.  They'll never break or wear out like homemade ones will.  
They can stand up to repeated use for large scale or avid gardeners.  They're made of steel by British Engineers.  
They are zinc coated.  They are so easy to use.  The square shape is an efficient use of space, compared to
homemade blockers.  You can pack more soil in professional blockers than homemade blockers.  The block comes out
superior, every time; and it never falls apart and can withstand water spray and transporting.  Professional blockers
come with seed pin options which are completely interchangeable, and allow the potting on, or transplanting onto,
option that gives them the edge over any other system on the planet.  They are for serious gardeners who need a
system to work, and work now, with a limited learning curve and immediate results.  Although it may fun to make your
own and save a buck, some gardeners just need to get growing and experience the amazing growth due to the cube of
compressed potting soil.  Potting blocks have been tested, researched and practiced for decades.  They are proven to
get the results you should expect from paying a premium for these outstanding tools.

  •   Do they come with a warranty?
Yes they do!  But only through PottingBlocks.com.  This is known as the Potting Block Promise.  We are so
convinced that this is the best seed starting and transplanting equipment you've ever used and we are so proud of the
soil blockers we sell, we will give them a 2 year warranty from the date of purchase to be free of manufacturer defects.
  • I'm interested in buying some block makers, where can I buy them?
You can buy them right here, of course!  Although you may want to call around to find them locally, chances are they
won't have them.  They are a specialty item, and PottingBlocks.com is a specialty shop.  Once you purchase our Soil
Block Makers, you are supported and guided every step of the way.  There is some learning curve, and we promise to
be there for you.   Our site is primarily an education site, teaching you the theory and practice of soil block making.   
Every purchase includes The Potting Block Promise, which is a 1 year warranty on your machines.  No one else can
do this for you.  Support our site and only purchase blockers from a reputable dealer of the Ladbrooke makers.  By
supporting our site in any way you can, you can help further the research needed to create the ultimate seed starting
and transplanting experiment on the planet!
You can find them at other online gardening stores, as well.  Be forewarned, these bigger companies will not warranty
soil blockers, and will provide no additional information.  Make sure they sell Ladbrooke soil blockers, many companies
are passing cheap Asian imports as real soil blockers, but they are inferior in quality.  In fact, all other companies don't
even know how to use them.  It is only the pioneers of this movement that have created the demand; buy from them.
And, do not be fooled by their recommended potting soil they try to sell you; it won't work, we've tried them all.

  • Why do you recommend making your own blocking mix?
First off, most store bought potting soils are not screened through a 1/4" screen, leaving bits and chunks of debris or
large perlite pieces that create air pockets in the block, which allows the block to be easily broken down with watering
and handling.
These chunks do not make for a reliable, water-retentive, stabilised block that is knitted together.  You could,
however, screen it yourself and it may or may not work.......
Because, secondly, most potting soils have the incorrect balance of peat, perlite, and compost.  When you go to
charge the block, you will not get the resilience of a properly balanced potting mix.  It will either be too compacted, thus
drying out very, very fast; or it will be loose and sloppy and breakdown with water and handling.......
Third, most potting soils do not contain vegetable compost and/or worm castings which are completely safe to handle
when they are dripping wet....Please read labels carefully and smell for a sweet smell; look for dark black sifted soil.
Fourth, newer potting soils are made with 100% coco peat.  Great environmental alternative in America, but 100%
coco peat will not knit together properly causing your block to crumble, whither, break, fall down and get
weak with bottom watering.   You can, however, bring a decent coco peat potting soil up to standards by adding 1/3
to 1/2 of it's volume with 1/4" screened brown Canadian sphagnum peat moss, which has an environmental label or
rating.  Potting soil made with coir pith, a stringy type material, works great, which is in our Old Farm Boy potting soil.  
Coconut fiber or coir pith is actually very different from coco peat.  The pith is from the stringy coconut waste, the peat
is ground up shell, pulverized and gritty, not suitable for blocks without adding peat moss.  Know the difference.  Our
Old Farm Boy is the difference.
And finally, if you aren't watering your blocks consistently and/or bottom watering, most potting soils will dry out
because they have not added organic wetting agents and coco peat, or their inferior peat moss has been compressed
and re-hydrated over and over again, so by the time you use it, it won't hold any water.  Remember, all potting soils
are meant to be placed in plastic pots, thus holding the water you use in the pot.  Even if a company tells you their
potting soil works GREAT for soil blocks, they are not telling the whole truth.  They are enticing you to buy their brand.
That is easy for them to do, but will not give you the results you seek, the results I extol, the finished product of a
master gardener, the one and only holy grail of soil blocking-INTEGRITY.  
  • Are they difficult to use?
No, they are not difficult to use, but they do take a few dozen strokes to get into the "feel for it".  You want to always
pack the blocker with plenty of soil.  And always do a little lift and twist off the bottom of the bucket to release the
suction created by the moisture.  You'll know if you don't, the blocks will stay stuck to the bottom of the bucket!  
The pins do take a little effort to change out to different pins.  Big hint here:  Keep a magnetic tipped phillips head
screw driver handy to change the cubic pins out.  Keep a pliers or a needle nose pliers handy for the seed and
dowel pins.  The pins will take a lot of abuse, so plan on buying a few extra sets.  We have finally created the new
quick release seed and dowel pins, now standard in the industry.  British Engineering at it's finest!  Still, the
greatest idea would be to plan ahead and seed like-sized seeds together and change the pins less frequently.  
  • Are these the soil block shapers that Martha Stewart uses and recommends?
Yes, that's right.  Potting Blockers are also known as soil block makers, soil block shapers, soil blockers, soil
cubers, block makers, and Ladbrooke soil blockers.
Martha Stewart said it best when she describes using the soil blockers compared to other methods: "When you're
done changing, you're done."  You'll just have to try them out for yourself and see why Martha Stewart uses them,
too!
  • But she said "never use compost or soil when germinating".  Why?
Some seeds germinate better without the use of compost, as it may have excess nitrogen which will inhibit
germination.  She's wise to not confuse people and get them started on the right path.  I, however, have always
used compost with flying results.  The key is to used a mature, finished, black, aged, and screened (1/4")
vegetable compost.  You must make your own or scrutinize the label of a store bought product.  There is only one
vegetable based compost product that I know of, Wondergrow, by Grover's Compost.  Stay away from any steer
manure or excess nitrogen.  As far as soil is concerned, I recommend it in my blocking mix recipe, but I know my
soil.  It is a good garden soil, free of weeds, diseases, bugs, and is organic.  When in doubt, don't use it.  Finally,
worm castings or vermi-compost has been proven by Ohio State University to be a GREAT germination medium.
  • HELP!  I've created too many soil blocks, what do I do now?                    (Part 1 of 3)   

O.K.  O.K.  I forget to warn all of you newbies to soil blocking; they're so easy to create and so fun to make that you
can end up with too many, and end up with too many seedlings.  First things first, use my SEASON CYCLES DATA
LOG to really pay attention to the seedlings you are sowing.  This will help you to slow down and focus on the growth
of every seed, and not get too carried away with the incredible soil block maker machine!  Use the moon to guide
your plantings, like all the old timers, to slow your rhythm down.  And, think continual harvest and succession
planting.  See Season Extending.
You will be able to handle more as you get better at seeding, transplanting and harvesting after you master the
reasonable amount you start with now.  You are, after all, acting like a mini farmer, and your soil blocks are a
representation of a larger garden, just compressed into small spaces.  You'll have to see the bigger picture:  Where
will all these seedlings go once they do need their proper garden space.
Take your space into consideration first.  How much land do you have?  How much nursery space(do you hear your
babies crying for attention?) or greenhouse or cold frame or window sill or cloches do you have?  What are the
space requirements for spinach as compared to tomatoes?  Squash compared to marigolds?  Thyme compared to
sunflowers?  Think about it......
  • Part 2 of 3

So,  you got carried away did you?  Easy to do.  I do it every day.  I push the envelope to create solutions.  First, try
giving the extra seedlings away, or start a great "Old World Style" seedling biz.  You can give them away one at a
time without any packaging, or you can build some light weight cedar wooden flats.  Or, you can use Aseptic packs
like rice and soy milk containers with the tops cut open for about 6-8 blocks.  Try to reuse household recycle-ables
to place them in.  Everyone loves being given starts, especially when all they have to do is pop them in a pot or
garden.  Next, you'll want to space them out on a large sheet of plastic so they don't grow together.  This will keep
the roots air pruned and buy you some more time.  Spacing of about 1/8"- 1/4" is fine.  Water more frequently now
that the sides are exposed.  Too many lettuces or greens?  Try letting them grow large enough in the blocks and
start clipping them and eating them.  Stay off the fertilizer for about 10 days before you eat them.  
A quick and easy garden would be to lay down sheets of cardboard on any ground and space out your blocks
accordingly, stuff straw all around the soil blocks and on top of them, leaving only the seedling showing.  Water
frequently, and fertilize regularly, keep the blocks covered in straw and watch 'em grow.

  • Part 3 of 3

You need to create space for your seedlings inside in a greenhouse, potting shed, cold frame, or hoop house.  Or,
you need to create a garden space outside.  In that case, you'll need to harden off your plants before they are
ready for transplanting.  These steps are best described in Transplanting or  Season Extension.


  • What type of potting soil do you recommend if you don't want to make it yourself?
We now sell our Old Farm Boy potting soil over the internet and shipped Nationally.  Besides that,
look for mostly peat moss with some perlite.  Watch out for big sticks, though.  Your looking for a finely milled peat
moss.  Try getting a Horticultural grade potting soil.  (Please choose peat mosses with environmental
protection labels on them.)  Pro Mix is the best I've ever used.  You can get Pro Mix at any larger nursery.  Be
careful of the salesman who wants to sell you a composted forest product instead of Peat moss.  It will not work.  You
need peat to hold the block together.  Search our blog for more info at The Soil Blocker Blog.  If you buy Peaceful
Valley's Quickroot, you'll need to cut it with half peat moss.  If you buy Johnny's seedling mix, remember, it's
sterilized and has no organic base fertilizers or trace minerals.  Supplement with rock dusts and fertilize in less than
one week.  And, it also contains vermiculite, which will crumble and crush very easily.  BE CAUTIOUS!  I don't know
how these companies can recommend their potting soils for block making?

  • My wet potting soil stinks and the growth of my plants seem stunted and yellowish.
Your potting soil has sat for too long and the organic matter in your blocks are putrefying, also known as anaerobic,
and the breakdown of this material is robbing your plants of nitrogen and oxygen.  Blocking Mix should never stink,
use finished compost and your best gardening soil.  Make your block mix fresh and use within 2 hours.  Any left over
material should be set aside and reworked back into fresh blocking mix by churning and mixing thoroughly with your
hands or a paddle.  This is known as actively aerated potting soil, coined a.a.p.s. Keep churning your mix until it
smells like freshly plowed soil.  Then make your blocks again.  If your blocking mix is too far gone for a remix,
perhaps it sat for weeks, chuck it in the compost pile and start again.  Also, stay away from manure composts and
questionable composts.  Again, use finished, matured, aged, and blackened compost or worm castings that ate
mostly vegetable wastes.

  • My seeds are not germinating.  I thought it was supposed to be easy?
Well, it should be, but let's see what's going on here.....Did you use fresh seeds?  Old seeds will give poor results.  If
you are using old seeds, change your set up to a "germination station".  That means, change your pins for your 2"
block maker into the cubic pins and make a whole bunch of blocks.  Make sure your mix is freshly made and stirred
really well.  Then, drop bunches of seeds into the cubic holes and cover lightly with a little sifted peat moss.  Cover
with black plastic and place on your heating mat at 70 degrees.  Keep track of how many seeds went into the hole
and how many sprouted.  Use Season Cycles data log.  This will give you the germination rate for the whole.  
Anything less than 80% germ rate is pretty unreliable and should be grown out immediately with this set up.  Thin to
the strongest one in each hole, no matter what.  Use up those seeds first before you buy more, maybe you'll get just
enough for this year.  Lesson learned.
Or, did you make up a mix that has excess nitrogen, or fertilizer, or unfinished compost?  These things can inhibit
germination.  My blocking mix has never caused any problems, but if you think yours is not right, try making or
finding a seed starting potting soil with no fertilizer added.  
Here's the next common problem:  blocks are too compacted for root penetration, and thus the seedling is stunted.  
Try "charging" the blocker only 2 times, or change your mix.  Then, you must cover the seeds with a sheet of black
plastic and/or sifted peat.  By covering, the seeds are forced to go down with their roots and penetrate the block.

  • My seeds are damping off and my neighbors' seeds are doing better in Speedling trays.
Hopefully you've modified your blocking mix and are using our recipe page and following it precisely.  Next, you must
have proper air movement around the plants.  ALL of your seedlings MUST be moving in the breeze, they must all
be "bobbing and weaving" with the air from fans.  Then, check for enough light, they need all they can get.  Do not
overwater them, of course, as blocks still hold and absorb a lot of water.  Don't drown them just because there's no
pot!

  • What is "vegetable compost" and why are you claiming it to be the best?
I know, isn't all compost from vegetable matter in some form or another?  True, what I mean is a compost that is
made from vegetation only, not animal manure and not just forest litter.  What is in a vegetable compost?  Kitchen
wastes, grass clippings, cover crops(alfalfa, vetch, clover, rye, legumes, etc.), weeds(without seed heads), straw,
and  garden soil.  It is layered up in heaps, watered and turned every so often.  See compost for more detailed
instruction.  When it comes to making soil blocks with compost, you want to avoid animal manure compost.  The
vegetable compost copies nature's system of a decomposing forest floor,  it is a real pure source of nutrients for a
seedling.  Animal manure can burn or stunt a seedlings growth.  Animal manure can be unknown.  And, when animal
manure compost gets wet, as in the blocking mix, it can starts to rot and actually kills vegetation. Vegetable compost
will not inhibit seed germination.  If you can't find some, make some.  If you don't have the time, we sell it here on the
farm.  Best to make some now for next year's blocking mix supply.  Experienced gardeners can turn animal manure
into awesome compost; it will be aged, aerated, turned, moistened enough like a damp sponge, and covered.
(c)  2008 by Jason Beam.  All rights reserved.  Any reproduction without written consent strictly prohibited.  Thank you.  
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