Have you ever made seed bombs before? Do you know what they are? I have to admit I didn’t when Renee from About the Gardening Magazine told me about them…and now I do, and they are so easy to make and so cool.
There’s nothing more fun then gifting a garden full of sunshine and smiles, that’s why my daughter and I love making Sunflower Seed Bombs.
What are Seed Bombs?
Seed bombs are literally small balls of air-dry clay, potting mix and seeds that you can throw into an existing garden bed or a dirt patch. No digging or special care is required as the idea of seed bombs is that they germinate when the weather is ‘just right’.
Seed bombs make for fantastic birthday party favours and school Christmas gifts (we made ours to sell at the School Carnival Plant Stall); best of all they are incredibly cheap to make and are a great nature play activity for children.
Supplies
Air dry clay (try your local craft shop or discount store)
Searles Seed Raising Mix
Sunflower Seeds (we used a mix of Sunflower Seeds from the produce Store and Searles Sunrise Sunflower Seeds as these have GIGANTIC flower heads)
How to Make Sunflower Seed Bombs
Step 1: Air Dry Clay
I’ve found that each seed bomb requires approximately 2cm square of air dry clay. There’s no exact science, just pinch it off with your finger tips or use a piece of clean fishing line to cut through the clay. Reframe from making the balls too small, as they will not retain enough water for the seeds to germinate or too large, as the clay may not breakdown but remain a hard ball of clay.
Step 2: Potting Mix
Before you roll the air dry clay into a ball, knead in the potting mix. I usually aim for about a teaspoon of Searles Seed Raising Mix for each seed bomb, as this mix;
- Provides nutrients for the seeds during germination.
- Assist in breaking the clay down so the seedlings can grow.
Reframe from adding too much potting mix though, you need the mix to take on a spherical shape, if it’s too dry it may just fall apart in your hand.
Step 3: Sunflower Seeds
The easiest way to add seeds to the bombs is to roll the clay balls in the seed packet or in a container holding the seeds. Work the seeds into the clay, folding and kneading with your hand. Once the seeds are distributed throughout the clay ball, give it a quick ‘crumb’ in the potting mix for a nice earthly coating.
NOTE ON SEEDS: I use Sunflower Seeds because they are cheap, but also as they have a high germination rate, which means positive rewards for little nature lovers. You can use any seed really, herbs, vegetables, flowering annuals.
Step 4: Packaging
We choose to package our Sunflower Seed Bombs in little seedling pots we’d recycled from a past gardening project and made a little label to explain how to use the bombs. If packing into plastic bags, it’s a good idea to give them 48 hours to dry out, so they don’t go moldy inside the bag.
To use: toss a seed bomb into your garden and watch it grow!
Here are some great packing ideas from Pinterest .
The beauty of Seed Bombs is that they can be made days, weeks or even a few months from when they are required. Just store them in a cool, dry location and you’ll have a store of sunshine and smiles to share.
Happy Gardening.
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