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  • From: pam AT twinoaks.org
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Re: Soil Blockers
  • Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 11:28:25 -0500

I have used the 2" soil blocks for some years,
mostly for cucurbits. Soil blocks are nice for eliminating
transplant shock, and allowing a lot of flexibility about
when you transplant - they seem to hold longer than
you would think possible. They are very quick and easy
to transplant.
Now for the buts - I tried one of those mini-
blockers (3/4") and hated it. The compost had to be
very fine or else good blocks would not form. They
dried out very fast and had to be watered very carefully
with a Fogg-it nozzle, or else the blocks disintegrated.
For the 2" blocks I use a mixture of screened
home-made compost and peat-moss. I don't like to use
peat-moss because of the issue of renewability. I come
from Britain where peat-moss is a no-no for organic
growers because of the degradation and disappearance
of the peat bogs. I understand the situation in Canada is
different and peat may be growing at a faster rate than
it is being extracted. Still I am uneasy about it. Coconut
fibre works as well as peat for blocks, but it's even less
bio-regional.....
It takes a lot of time to make a lot of soil blocks,
and my main assistant hates the job, so I've been trying
plug flats instead. Winstrip make a 2" cell one. I can
use all home-made compost in those, and avoid the
peat-moss/coconut dilemma. They're much quicker to
fill. However, in a direct comparison with cantaloupes,
the plants in the cell-flats could not sit as long waiting
for transplanting as the ones in soil blocks. (Yes, I know
it's better not to delay transplanting, but things
happen.....)
Pam Dawling, Twin Oaks, Louisa, VA





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