Let's look at how to make recycled tube pots which I call R-pots. R is for “repurposed”. The narrow cylindrical shape of R-pots is ideal for propagating native plants. R-pots are a size that's difficult to find at the retail level. R-pots produce well-rooted “plugs” that are the standard size used in professional ecological landscaping. R-pots can be used for propagation year after year thus repurposing single-use plastic containers.
First, go through your recycles and find a plastic about 8 in tall and 4 in across– one quart yogurt containers are perfect. With a permanent marker, draw a line dividing the container in half. On the bottom of the container draw two circles. These will serve as the bottoms of your R pots. Cut up the side and along the bottom rim of the container to the point of one circle. Cut out the circle leaving about ½ inch attached to container, then continue cutting the rim until you reach the halfway mark. Then cut down the side of the container. Do this again for the other side.
Curl each R-pot into a tube and encircle it with a rubber band. Your R-pot is ready for planting. The rubber bands last about as long as the plant can stand to be in a pot. If the rubber band is breaking, then it's probably a good indicator that this plant needs to get in the ground. Or, you can simply replace the rubber band. One of the greatest advantages of the R-pot comes at transplanting time–there is no need to tap out the plant which causes further transplant shock. Instead, simply remove the rubber band and uncurl the R-pot and gently transfer the plug to its permanent home in the garden.
Pots for trees and shrub seedlings need to be deeper. For these, repurposing 1/2 gallon milk cartons and 1-liter soda bottles works well as they provide the needed depth but require less potting mix than larger nursery pots. Plus, they don't contribute to the generally non-recyclable ubiquitous black plastic pot waste crisis. Be sure to punch holes in the bottom of the container, and if the milk carton has a plastic pouring spout, cut it in half with scissors. (This is a good thing to do even when not repurposing milk cartons so that wherever the cartons end up in the trash/recycling process, animals will be protected from sticking their heads through the ring and strangling.) If some of your seedlings' taproots are extra long, these containers can be doubled up by cutting the bottom out of one and using it to extend another to create an extra long tube. Unlike R-pots, these pots don’t open up easily for transplanting unless you split a side, snip the bottom, tighten the cylinder and secure with several rubber bands. Doing this has the added benefit of using less potting medium.
Here’s a super interesting podcast about how plastic use in our landscapes contributes to the plastic crisis: https://rootsandall.co.uk/podcasts/.
I hope R-pots help you to propagate professional-quality plugs. Let me know if you have any questions. Find these directions and other native plant propagation tips in Nature's Action Guide: How to Support Biodiversity and Your Local Ecosystem, a companion to Doug Tallamy's Nature's Best Hope. We hope you'll join the movement and help support wildlife and biodiversity where you live, work, and play. Let's show the world it can be done!
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