March 20, 2012 - By Request

Reader Donna was asking if I'd show the home made soil block maker that I use.....here ya go, Donna!



Use whatever size medicine bottle you want for the size of your blocks. Mr. Granny actually found the square bottle after John had already made the round blocker, so as soon as I find the material to use for the inner disk, I'll make myself a square blocker. All the parts, other than the disk itself, will be interchangeable.


Cut the bottle top off at the dotted lines. Mine was cut at the label line, which makes it a bit too deep, so I don't fill mine completely with soil. You need something like a real sharp box cutter, or maybe a Dremel tool to make this cut. I did make one with an electric miter saw once, but I shattered a couple of bottles before I got one right, and my hand came dangerously close to the blade.


Drill a hole in the bottom of the bottle, just slightly larger than the bolt you will use. You don't want the bolt to fit too tightly, it has to work as a plunger and move easily through the hole.


Here are all the parts you need. (1) a drawer knob with a 3" bolt (2) the bottle (3) a nut (4) a disk made of a solid material...this one is plexiglass, cut to fit loosely inside the bottle, with a hole drilled in the center (OK, almost center LOL) to accommodate the bolt (5) an acorn nut.


Insert the drawer knob bolt into the bottle top.

Screw the nut on just far enough to leave room for the disk and acorn nut. If your bottle isn't too deep (mine is) this can easily be adjusted after assembly.


Place the disk on the bolt.


Screw the acorn nut onto the end and make sure everything is tightened. The acorn nut will make the seed depression in your soil block.


Prepare your soiless mix. I prefer to use a premade potting mix (NOT potting soil). I sift it through a kitchen colander to remove large particles, and add some vermiculite. I don't measure, I just add until it feels right. Don't get too much vermiculite in it, or the blocks won't hold together.


Wet the mixture with warm water. You don't want it too soupy....think of the texture of cooked oatmeal. It should hold together when squeezed in your hand.


I scoop the mixture into the block maker, and press it down with my thumbs. You can see that mine isn't filled. If it was just a quarter of an inch shorter, I would fill it completely. I press the mixture in very firmly, you don't want loose blocks!


Slowly depress the plunger to expel the soil block. If it balks, just give the handle a slight turn and the block will come right out.


And here is the finished product. A perfect little soil block with a depression in the center for the seed. If it sounds like a lot of work to make them one at a time, it really isn't. I timed myself, and it took me 13 seconds to make one block.



Add your seeds and cover them with a bit of vermiculite. Cover them with a humidity dome and keep them in a warm place. You can water them by misting with a spray bottle, or bottom water by carefully pouring tepid water around the base. When bottom watering, I try to give them just enough that the blocks absorb all the way to the tops. If there is still water in the bottom of the container at that point, I suck it back out with a turkey baster. It doesn't take many tries to be able to judge the right amount to give them. These blocks were placed on a plastic tray from the dollar store, then covered with a clear plastic salad mix container. The plastic clamshell containers from the bakery or deli work great, they have their own built in humidity domes. Of course, you can use a regular seed starting flat with humidity dome.


Now...if you've done everything right the blocks will be quite sturdy. You should be able to pick them up and move them around if need be. Then, when you're all through.....go clean your fingernails!

36 comments:

  1. OMG. FABULOUS post! Thanks for the instructions!! I'm going to make some of those!

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    1. 1st. Man, it beats paying $20 or more for one! I don't find it difficult to make one at a time, it's rather therapeutic...kind of like making carrot seed mats!

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  2. Excellent post and instructions! If I wasn't using coconut fiber this year, I'd make myself one.

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    1. Ed, I mixed the coconut fiber with regular potting mix and made some, but they didn't hold together real well.

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  3. I must have a go at that anything; anything that involves making a ool must be worth the time and effort!

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    1. IG, it actually doesn't take much of either time or effort. Rounding up the parts is the most difficult part of the project.

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  4. Garden Genius!!!! Thank you for sharing those instructions! I think I can do that and will try it this weekend. Thank you

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    1. Farmers Wife, if I can do it, you can do it. I've made several, but I've always used the original "innards". Now I'm thinking one might find a metal washer that could fit as the disk.

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  5. Wow! John is quite the inventor isn't he. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Teresa, yes...but wrong John! John Best made the original (see today's post), I made the next one from a medicine bottle, using the handle, bolt and nuts from the original, with the lid as a disk. The original one broke, and I misplaced my medicine bottle, so my son John cut and drilled another one for me.

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  6. What a great post. Thanks for the info! I never thought about making those myself. Now I'm going to have to give it a try.

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    1. Good luck, Langela. Once you get the hang of it, they're real easy to use.

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  7. I can not wait to make one! I like making the seed mats so I will probably like making the soil blocks too!

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    1. Christy, you and I are a bit OCD, aren't we? I love making the seed mats too.

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  8. I love your square bottle. Round bottles are what I hate most about self made ones. My space under the light is precious. I like the too tall one though. I think soil blocks need to be taller and not square. I want more room for the roots.

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    1. Daphne, as soon as I can figure out something to make the disk (can a square be a disk? You know what I mean!) I'll make the square blocker. I've not tried filling the too tall one completely, I guess I should before I decide how deep to make the square one.

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  9. Granny -- this is brilliant! I so love this idea. Thanks for sharing such a great tutorial! I've been thinking about making soil blocks but I was turned off by the cost. I've been trying to come up with a low cost, no tech alternative... and this is it!

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    1. Fiona, I think this is probably my third or fourth year of using a home made blocker. They're incredibly easy to use, and the blocks go pretty quickly once you get into the groove!

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  10. Thank you for the instructions! That is fantastic!

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  11. P.S. Granny -- I shared your tutorial on my blog and included two of your photos, both credited and linked back to your website. If you have any qualms with me using them, please let me know and I'll take them down immediately. Thanks!

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    1. Fiona, no problem...but credit John Best (see today's post) for the original idea and parts.

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  12. I don't guess there will ever be one of those things at my house, but then again - I do plant carrots one seed at a time ya know. That's just what us poopyheads do. :)

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    1. I only know one poopyhead, and he plants his carrot seeds one at a time.....Jeff, is that you? If so, please contact me so I can kick your butt! You are so missed and loved, many of us are beside ourselves with worry.

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  13. i certainly do not want loose blocks--already too many loose screws.

    yes m'am, i will go scrub out under my fingernails with a brush. thanks much granny! i am glad your poopyhead wrote to you. it is interesting the relationships we build via blogs.

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    1. LOL, Donna, I don't even have fingernails left to clean! I managed to break off nearly all of them in the garden building process. For tighter blocks, just leave out the vermiculite. The potting mixes usually have perlite in them anyway. I used the mix straight from the bag last year (sifted out the chunks) and it was fine. I just had vermiculite handy, so I was experimenting. I haven't watered those blocks yet!

      My poopyhead became one of my dearest cyber friends. I was really missing him, as were others who know and love him.

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  14. thanks granny I just had the man make me one a square one at that managed to find 2 square bottles in this whole house :D it will make a great start for my seedlings this year Rosiepie and the babies thank you!

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    1. You're welcome, Gaby. I just found a larger (but still round) bottle for next year's blocks. The small one I showed here was fine for starting small seeds, but with the larger ones, like squash, the roots were out the sides in about three days! I had to plop them all into cups and add more soil. At least the plunger is interchangeable for all sizes, you just have to make a new disk for the end. I think I found a metal washer that will fit the larger pill bottle.

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  15. That's a neat tool you made, Carol!

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    1. Thanks, Loretta. It was a bit small for some of the seeds, so I found a larger bottle and will make a new one next spring.

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  16. Thanks for this Granny, this is so much cheaper then buying a soil blocker for a 184.00. Thanks again, I might put a link from my post to this article if you don't care.

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    1. You're welcome, Gordon. I would suggest you use a larger medicine bottle for large seeds, such as squash, pumpkin, cucumber, etc. This smaller one was great for the smaller seeds, and for tomatoes and peppers that were potted up into larger containers early on.

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    2. I added the link to my post, my readers will appreciate it. I have also added your site to my blogroll. Thanks for letting me do that.

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