Seedballs

[bagusnyamuk]

Seedballs have a huge potential in restoration ecology.
The information regarding seedballs is very scattered on the web.
I decided to collate all I can find on seedballs and to consolidate the info on one webspace.
http://sites.google.com/site/onseedballs/
Check it out,and give me feedback, please
Take care
Anthony

[MindFreeza]

This is the first time I have ever been exposed to the idea of seedballs. Merci, monsieur. As for actual feedback, I think that the webspace is very rough but rich in information. It accomplished your stated goal of propagating information regarding this single subject, but perhaps it could grow to include other related topics. My one bone to pick is the fact that you listed seedballs' association with guerilla gardening as a "con" instead of a "pro". Très mauvais.

This may fit into your plan to dominate teh seedz:
http://www.imaginify.org/organicgallery/index.html

[bagusnyamuk]

Hi
Thanks a lot for your input.
I really appreciated your feedback.
Just a note on why I wrote 'Seedballs are associated with guerilla gardening not enough with farming and restoration ecology...' on the cons of seedballs:
I am just reporting the fact that people mostly associate seedballs and guerilla gardening, not enough with actual environmental restoration and farming.
I agree with the fact that local isolated actions (as rolling seedballs on your dinner table, with some friends and good music) can have an interesting impact on the whole system. Nevertheless, I deeply feel that seedballs have a tremendous potential in urban edible/medicinal landscape design, restoration ecology and farming.
What I complain about is not the fact that seedballs are associated with guerilla gardening, but that they are mainly associated with it.
It makes of seedballs a very marginal propagation method, used by people that think alike, dress alike and vote alike.
Extracting seedballs out of the stereotypes generated by the words '[b]guerilla gardening[/b]' is what I try to do.
When you propagate seeds outside of your property (although that could also be discussed) you become responsible of the consequences of that ecological alteration.
Besides, one have to be very careful when changing things around without the awareness/consent of the other beings sharing the same space. It think that it is not polite.
I will edit the sentence on the webspace to reflect those thoughts.
Thanks a lot

[dlollard]

On Midwest Permaculture's ning, someone has posted about what they call "Speedy Seedballs"--trying a method quicker than individually rolling countless little balls. Sounds promising. This was just posted this morning; check the link to see if discussion has occurred. Here's the recipe:

1. Mix the seed, clay, and garden soil in the prescribed amount.
2. Wet the mixture with a ratio of 2:1 soil mix to water - this will make a thick, heavy mud that is somewhat shiny.
3. On a sheet of cardboard, spread the mixture around and press it down to the desired thickness.
4. Wait for the mixture to dry a little bit. It's about ready when enough water has evaporated that the mud is no longer shiny. This won't take too long, because the cardboard will absorb a lot of the water.
5. Using a machete, knife, or some other hard edge, cut the mixture in a grid. The cuts don't need to be deep, maybe half the depth of the mixture. Make the size of each square the same as the depth. If the mud sticks to your cutting edge, stop and wait for it to dry a little longer.
6. Let the mixture dry some more, then break the mud into cubes. The mixture shouldn't be completely dry, because the cubes will become brittle, but the cubes should be dry enough to retain their shape when you pull them apart.
7. Let the cubes finish drying, then scatter them around.

This makes the process of making the seedballs much quicker, because you don't need to pay individual attention to each ball. Also, since the "balls" aren't round, they tend to stay near to where they land, instead of rolling down and collecting in shallow places. If you carry them around in a bucket, the corners of the cubes will tend to break off, leaving you with a "seed dust" that can be scattered around or used in your next batch.

The size of the cubes can be varied depending on the size of the seed you want to sow - small cubes for small-seeded plants such as alfalfa, or larger balls for things like vetch or grains.