Seed Bombs

[Ceres]

http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2009/07/seed-bomb.html

I reckon this would be a (messy, but) fun activity! I don't think I'd bother with these in Adelaide in the summer - it would never rain enough for the seeds to germinate! But for winter, sounds like a great idea. (Obviously not the bit about aerial drops but for vacant lots perhaps!)


Bombs Away!

How have some decided to fight back against deforestation and desertification caused by humans?

With "Seed bombs!" a person named Jin Wook and some friends came up with the idea of seed bombs and the seed bomb mission. Mission seed bomb utilizes an aircraft carrying charges full of seed capsules. The capsules are dispersed over areas where natural vegetation has died due to deforestation and desertification.

The special seed bomb capsules that are dropped over these lands simply contain soil and seeds housed in biodegradable plastic. While the soil provides nutrients and moisture the seeds grow inside the capsule that is slowly melting away. By the time the capsule has melted the new life inside is strong enough in theory to continue on it’s own. Although these seed bombs are not being dropped quite yet botanists are currently researching the kind of seeds that will best be suited for the seed bombs. Pretty Cool!
To Make Seed Bombs

Combine 2 parts mixed seeds with 3 parts compost. (I think organic potting soil could work too.)
Stir in 5 parts powdered red or brown clay.
Moisten with water until mixture is damp enough to mold into balls.
Pinch off a penny-sized piece of the clay mixture and roll it between the palms of your hands until it forms a tight ball (1 inch in diameter).
Set the balls on newspaper and allow to dry for 24 - 48 hours. Store in a cool, dry place until ready to sow.

Seed bombing is also known as "Seed Grenades". A seed bomb can also be a compressed clod of soil containing live vegetation that may be thrown onto empty lots or ugly unused land. The first seed grenades were made from condoms filled with local wildflower seeds, water and fertilizer. The seed grenades were tossed over fences onto empty lots in New York City in order to make the neighborhoods look better. It was the start of the Guerrilla Gardening movement (http://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2009/07/guerrilla-gardening.html).

[Sarasvati]

They did this on that Guerilla Gardening show (fark how do you spell guerilla?). Looked fun!

[battlecrumpet]

Sounds like fun. I'm up for seed-bombing all the golf courses and sports ovals in Brisbane :D

[Ceres]

Sadly they might get mowed there :( I was thinking of the parks and vacant lots around here.

[battlecrumpet]

Yeah I know - didn't want to let reality get in the way of a good fantasy tho :D

[laura]

about 5 years ago I lived over the road from a train station/train line.

there was about 3 meter wide stretch of overgrown weeds between the tracks and the fencing.

I got a half kilo of white flowers seed mix (can't rememebr where i got it from... but it was in a big shaker thing). One night dh and I emptied the whole thing along the fence line. It was only about a 10 meter stretch right in front of our house, but we got lots of pretty flowers in our eye line rather than weeds.

I'd plan to make seed bomb bombonieres and put them in these tiny little silver buckets I found for DS's baptism.

thought everyone could then take them and throw them in the garden and when it grows, it would be a nice little reminder of our celebration.

[Ceres]

That's a lovely idea. One of my brothers had seed packets at his wedding with a nice shakespeare quote on the packet.. I still have the seeds even tho the marriage didn't last the year!

[Ceres]

Here's another blog post on seed bombs. I really want to do this as an activity one day. I love messy activities. :lol

http://networkedblogs.com/8GUXU


Seed balls are a method for distributing seeds by encasing them in a mixture of clay and soil humus and are great for seeding waste areas in your yard. Some native North American tribes used forms of seed balls. More recently natural farmer Masanobu Fukuoka has applied them, as have others inspired by his work.
Seed balls are simply scattered direct onto ground, and not planted. They could be useful for seeding dry, thin and compacted soils and for reclaiming derelict ground. This method takes a fraction of the time or cost of other methods to cover large areas and is also very applicable in small areas.
The clay and humus ball prevents the seeds from the drying out in the sun, getting eaten by predators like mice and birds, or from blowing away. When sufficient rain has permeated the clay and the seeds inside sprout they are protected within the ball that contains nutrients and beneficial soil microbes. Seed balls are particularly useful in dry and arid areas where rainfall is highly unpredictable.
STEP ONE: INGREDIENTS
A. Dry the terracotta clay, finely ground and sifted through a strainer to remove large chunks of clay. Amount: 1 1/4 cup You can purchase a lump of "sculpting" clay from a local art store or you can use local clay. You then dry the clay, grind and sift it to remove large chunks.
B. Dry organic compost. Amount: 3/4 cup
C. 1/4 cup assorted seeds. Various wildflower & vegetable seeds can be used.
STEP TWO: Mix B & C together. (Seed mixed with dry compost.)
STEP THREE: Add A to B & C mix. Blend everything together well. Next, mist water onto the mixture while stirring. Spray just enough water to allow the mixture to stick/bind together.
STEP FOUR: Take a pinch of the finished mixture and roll (in the palm of your hand) into penny-sized round balls.
STEP FIVE: Put seed balls in the sun to dry completely for a day or two.
STEP SIX: Broadcast seed balls onto dirt area. Water or wait for rain to allow seeds to germinate.
Makes approximately 30-40 balls
Suggested seeds to attract beneficial insects:
Clover, alfalfa, alyssum, nasturtium, yarrow, carrot, dill, daikon, celery, radish, fennel, caraway, chervil, gypsophila, coriander, calendula, mustard, anise hyssop, phacelia, agastache, and amaranth.
Note: Please be advised to check with your local nursery or agriculture agency to determine which beneficial, native plant species would best serve the habitat which you are trying to restore. Nonnative invader species that are proven voracious spreaders should never be used as a tool of ecological restoration.
Application rate:
A minimum of ten seed balls per square metre, a higher density may be required to reclaim derelict land.


I love the idea of using them to reclaim land but I just don't know if it would work here. In the summer the ground is rock hard and dry as chips, and in the winter there would be a lot of weed competition.

[Janet]

I love this idea too. Sydney is green so no probs there. Why not come over here and do it? I admit I was also fantasising about other "seeds" that could be "planted" - feminism, social justice, revolution.... :lol

[Blossomtime]

Great idea. You'd have to be careful to find local/indigenous seeds though, or really these are just weed bombs and could be quite destructive. Of the plant list above, many of them like fennel, alyssum, nasturtiums and clover are environmental weeds in most parts of Australia.

[gecko]

cool idea. Think I will investigate this - there are lots of "ugly" areas around my town - - -

[Morph]

Ceres, if you're up for it, perhaps we should do a seed bombing here amongst the new orchard trees. If all the children bring a pot to mix it in, I'll happily supply the seed if it's for our property.

[Ceres]

That sounds like fun Morph. We have plenty of clay here.

[Ceres]

We're doing this today. We just dug lots of wet clay out of the ground and will add some dry seed raising mix, so it's not exactly as the instructions describe, but I think it should work anyway.

[Ceres]

I noticed that some of the seed bombs have sprouted in the front yard. Seems to have been a success!

[GreenGully]

Was there coriander in them? If so I think they've started sprouting here too!

[Ceres]

There was.. and parsley and alyssium (the thing I couldn't remember the name of the other day).