The Most Frequently Asked Questions
Be willing to ask! ask! ask!
-Jack Canfield, co-author of
Chicken Soup for the Soul
-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,
filled up to 1/2 the height of the soil block once a day with moderate growth rates.
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" when set outside in the garden. This method requires attention, but is worth
it. After transplanting the soil block plant in the garden, it will continue to grow rapidly with NO set backs, or "healing in"
time required for plants whose roots were ripped apart in the name of "stimulating root growth".
Most blocks will be made of peat moss, which does have a tendency to dry out in soil blocks. Choose a good brown
sphagnum peat moss that was finely milled fresh from the peat bog. Sunshine Peat Moss is superior. Mixing your peat
with half coco peat will arrest most of the drying, because coco peat holds and releases water back to the roots.
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 over 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 and use the highest quality vegetable-based
compost or worm castings you can find or make. You must use your best garden soil or at least replace that quantity
with vermicompost (worm compost) or worm castings. You can replace the garden soil and compost will all worm
castings/worm compost and your blocks will probably not dry out. Use coco peat and peat moss. Peat moss binds the
block, and coco peat absorbs and releases water. Perlite is more moisture retaining than sand, and vermiculite will get
crushed. Or, test small bags of store-bought potting soils to see if they hold up to block making, and vigorous plant
growth. Test with a fast growing plant like arugula. 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 later (scroll down). This will
prevent drying out, even though the roots may get slightly intertwined. Don't worry about that, moisture is more
important.
Improper compost, and especially steer manure compost, dries out very, very quickly in soil blocks. Compost needs to
be completely broken down, aged two years, and be dark, crumbly and moist, with very little fibers left.
- Do I Cover My Seeds?
Most of you viewing my videos never see me cover my seeds with soil. That's because I DON'T! I do, however,
cover them with a large black plastic garbage bag for a 2-4 days until they sprout. This is the most effective way to
germinate most seeds that don't require light to germinate (always check your seed packet for that info). I have
found that the soil sprinkled over the top of seedlings dries up too fast leaving the seedling stunted. Or, if it's too
loosely applied and the seed sprouts "jump" out of the hole, dying by being exposed to air and light. You could press
and pack the soil over the hole if you'd still like to use soil, though. And, sand is actually better than soil because it's
heavier and drains water down to the seed instead of it wicking away from the seed hole. And, finally, the only seeds
that I am really concerned about covering when using the mini-blockers are the cole crops or brassica family crops,
like broccoli and arugula. And, when using the Micro 20's, peppers and tomatoes like the black plastic bag weighted
with a light sprinkling of water on top, but only until they've spouted tiny white root tips and have seated themselves
firmly into the little micro 3/4" block.
See this video.
Big tip: Check your sprouting seeds every day, twice a day, and remove the covering promptly!
- I've seen other people in videos scraping the bottom of the soil blocker after filling it, but not
you?
weren't coming out crisp and cubic. That was because you're actually scraping off the bottom of a nice future fully packed
block. What I found out is, instead of scraping, you want to stuff that bottom soil into the blocker. So, put it on a flat surface
and push that soil into that blocker. I mean, really fill it up. You can't over pack a soil blocker. The more the merrier. For
beginners its quite alright to scrape, but eventually, get into the habit of taking your soil blocker and grinding into a flat
surface and stuffing your blocker to make the best cubic sturdy block imaginable.
- How much space should I place in between my blocks?
your blocker is discharging into a tray that doesn't allow spacing, that's alright, too. But, you will be transplanting into the
garden a lot faster to prevent root entangling. With spaces of 1/2" or more, you can completely air prune the roots and
they'll be growing inside the block for weeks longer than tightly spaced blocks or plastic pots without fear of stunting or
transplant shock.
With large scale production, the goal is to cut back on effort, so don't space if you plan on field transplanting soon.
But, do space if you're holding transplants for sale or if your weather turns for the worse. The best strategy here is to space
then out using long cedar shims and just move whole rows of blocks apart with one swift stroke.
- I've seen people pack the soil blockers with their hands; it looks easier that way?
engineered for strength and meant for serious compaction. You have to repeatedly pack the blocker with soil to get the
benefits of a free standing "pot-less pot". Packing by hand would work rather well with home made soil blockers or other
non English-made "Ladbrooke" soil blockers. Because, they will eventually break quite easily by "charging" them the
English way. If these soil blockers are going to replace plastics in small and large scale agriculture, they have to be
durable enough to withstand farm abuse: hundreds of thousands of soil blocks per year.
And, it really isn't any easier. I can make a slur and stir it with a stick, charge my blocker in a few seconds and release and
create hundreds of blocks in a few minutes without even getting my hands dirty. Why bother with the tedious task of hand
filling an engineered farm machine?
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- What type of potting soil do you recommend if you don't want to make it yourself?
if they meet our standards:
1.) Compact, sturdy, well shaped square blocks that can be easily handled.
2.) Holds up to watering from the bottom or sprayed gently from the top. Will not erode.
3.) Seeds germinate quickly and plants grow quickly.
4.) Plant leaves DO NOT yellow. (Due to lack of nitrogen, or ammonia nitrogen off-gassing in steer manure
compost or wood by-product composts.)
We now sell our Old Farm Boy potting soil over the internet and shipped Nationally. This is because YOU asked for it!
Once you see how our potting soil looks and feels, you can compare with local brands or make your own. This is a great
method to start right the first time with soil blocks.
- What to look for...
sticks, though. You're looking for a finely milled peat moss. Try getting a Horticultural grade (finely sifted) 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. Composted forest products are never completely composted, as wood continues to
break down for many decades. This ties up nitrogen in a compressed soil block stunting your plants. Also, you need some
sphagnum peat moss to hold the block together.
Warning: If you buy Peaceful Valley's Quickroot, you'll need to cut it with half peat moss. It will not hold together on its
own. They are misinforming the customer because they don't depend on seedling sales for business. 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?
- Why do you recommend making your own blocking mix?
perlite pieces that create air pockets in the block, which allows the block to be easily broken down with watering and
handling. Most potting soils were not meant for a 3 to 1 compaction rate.
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.......
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 or worm castings which are completely broken down and have a
natural gluey constituency which holds together a block. Steer manures are quickly composted and sterilized and won't be
sticky enough, and forest by-products crumble and are not finished composting. Please read labels carefully and smell for a
sweet smell, and look for dark black sifted soil which is binding when squeezed with the hands.
Fourth, newer "green" potting soils are made with 100% coco peat. Great environmental alternative in America, but 100%
coco peat will not knit your blocks 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 a high percentage of coir pith fiber, a stringy type coconut material, works great. That is the type
sold in our Old Farm Boy potting soil, and our Coconut Fiber Fine Pith block. Coconut fiber or coir pith is actually very
different from coco peat. The pith is from the long fiberous stringy coconut waste, the peat is ground up shell, pulverized and
gritty, not suitable for blocks without adding peat moss.
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 or a coco peat blend, 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. It is hygroscopic, meaning: can't absorb H20.
Remember, most 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: Healthy, strong seedlings in a solid soil block.
- I'm noticing a "white mold" on my soil blocks. What is that?
root", and describes the mutally beneficial relationship between the plant and the root fungus. These specialized fungi
colonize plant roots and extend far into the block and then the surrounding soil after transplanting. Mycorrhizal fungal
filaments in the soil are truly extensions of the root systems and are more effective in nutrient and water absorption than the
roots themselves! More than 90% of plant species form a symbiotic relationship with these beneficial soil "food web" fungi.
This is a good thing if you have it! It came from good soil, good compost or good peat mosses.
But, what if you notice a green slime on your blocks? This is algae and is quite common in blocks that need high moisture to
grow or to germinate. Algae will not interfere with your plant growth. They are not competing with the plant, only taking what
is available on the surface in nitrogen and water. In fact, when you go to transplant the algae-covered soil block and if you
bury the block completely, like you're supposed to, the algae will quickly decompose into a nitrogen fertilizer for your plant.
How 'bout that?
- I don't understand how soil blocks can hold up to watering without eroding. Don't they fall apart?
water and then it will be compacted in a metal machine at 3 to 1 compression, being ejected with a strong steel spring loaded
plunger, and pop out in a perfect cube. Then, the seed germinates, sending roots EVERYWHERE in the soil block, not out of
the soil block like plants in plastic pots. These roots branch and fork and sew the particles in the block together even further.
By the time the plant is ready to be transplanted, it is virtually indestructible: the soil block and plant become ONE!
Remember, the perlite or sand will aerate the soil block and 5 sides of the block are permeable to air, so that the roots will still
get their fair share of oxygen when the potting block mix has been compressed by the soil block maker.
- Yes, but, water will wash them away, right?
fogging. Or, gently pour water in the bottom of a tray, up to 1/2 the height of the block, like the ebb and flow of a water bay.
But, once a plant's roots are in the soil block after about 2 weeks of vigorous growth, the roots have knitted together the soil
block.
Have you ever heard of the science experiment with one rye seed in a cubic foot of soil? The scientists calculated over one
lateral mile of plant roots in one cubic foot of soil. That's a lot of roots that we can't see doing the work of a old plastic pot!
Hungry for more FAQ? See FAQ2.