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Blue Peter Moment! Reusing bottles
* Red Dahlia *
Posts: 694
in Talkback
Anyone out there save and use pop bottles to made propogators, cloches etc?? I have for the first ever time. I have also used one to put over a fresh dahlia cutting. Do throwing it out there, good, bad, uses. Does it help in rooting cuttings?
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i do, i have also used old milk 4 pint bottles and kept the handle on and cut the front off and hung my strawberrys in them
Cut the large bottles in half and you have two cloches all be one has a cork in it.
If it is cold leave them on if warm lift them or tilt them open with a pebble or stick, yes they work.
When using a tray put a stick in each corner and maybe a couple in the middle and drape clear plastic over the tray, pebbles on the bottom overlap of the plastic holds it in place a bit of tape round the top of the stick stops it puncturing the plastic, lift one side if warm and remember to turn the box each day if possible. Food bags make very handy cloches over single pots with four sticks round the edges to hold the bag up and one of those elastic bands the postmen throw away round the base. It all helps.
Frank.
My two little ones drink Vimto like it's going out of fashion! Yes, I use the squash bottles as cloches, they're the big two-litre ones, so cut them in half and use both halves - have to be careful with the bottom half as it has no ventilation hole in it!
I also use the bubble wrap that comes with the various car bits OH uses, to line big pots to insulate them against the cold and (hopefully this year) the heat in summer. Also use it to help line the raised planter I have near the door for salad crops, but make sure there are lots of holes punched in it for drainage.
Fizzy pop botttles I save as I have some of those Watering Spikes, so my sister-in-law only has to come around a couple of times a week during summer to do my baskets and pots. Otherwise she'd have to be around every day, and I don't think I've got enough strawberries/cherry toms/runner beans to tempt her to do that!
Egg boxes I also use for seedlings, the plastic type are ideal propogators, and the cardboard type can be torn into individual bits and planted straight into the ground.
In fact, I think the only thing I pay for are seeds and potting compost/growbags!
I also save the plastic tubs that meat, fish and mushrooms etc come in! I can either stand things in them or make holes and use as seed trays etc!
Why spend more than we have to! Just wish my bottles were more so similar size to my pots. I have round cloche on a square pot, but I'm trying!!!! The cutting seems to have perked up since I put in the bottle!!! Tx
aaah Blue Peter - we're not showing our age at all really
More ideas please everyone, lets share and inspire each other. Especially if it saves us money!!!
Tootles, the things you've seen at your GC are lots cheaper on Amazon. Others have posted on here that they buy the used flower buckets from Morrisons, cut off the bottoms and use these, lots cheaper, I've never seen them in Morrisons - then again, I do most of my shopping on-line at ASDA!
Another thing to save money is to plant potatoes in a couple of old tyres. You can stack the tyres and earth up as they grow, and it saves having to dig (bonus).
Isn't Blue Peter still on?