Rootrainers - Versatile plant growing cells - from George Pilkington

Another article sent in from www.nurturing-nature.co.uk - thank you George.

Rootrainers I wholeheartedly recommend. It’s not often that I would recommend a product or sing its praises. Every now and then though, a product comes onto the market that I buy and try. Many are, to be quite frank, rubbish. Rootrainers are different.

Designed by a Canadian professional engineer, Henry Spencer, in which to plant forest tree seedlings - it is obvious that he knew what he was doing and what was needed to achieve a genuinely first rate product. Rootrainers have been designed to open and close like a book. Each book contains 4 or 5 cells and each cell grows one plant or tree.

The hinged book allows for easy root inspection, moisture checks and seedling removal. The closed books fit snugly together and several can sit side by side inside a clever little tray which holds them securely. Each cell contains vertical ridges which encourage roots not to spiral, and to form a good fibrous downward growing root system, whilst protected in the rootrainer prior to planting out. Upon reaching the aeration hole at the bottom, they are ‘air pruned’ which basically means that the roots stop growing downwards when they meet air, thereby encouraging more lateral roots inside the cell. If they were not air pruned, they would continue growing downward and along the bench, floor or wherever they were being grown. This would make it very difficult to remove from the cell.

Initially, they are expensive (as many patented products are) and a bit fiddly to clean. However, when you consider that I have had some rootrainers for 6 years, then the price pales in significance.

They are so versatile, from acorns to peas, runner beans to onions all of which can be successfully grown in rootrainers. They do represent excellent value for money. Several sized cells can be purchased to cater for different plants, trees etc.

Get your Rootrainers here, and have a look at other information from George on his website, www.naturing-nature.co.uk

Rootrainers for over-wintering onions - by George Pilkington

Thanks to George Pilkington of Nurturing Nature Ltd, who sent us this article.

I have been using Rootrainers for years to grow overwintering onion sets, garlic and spring planted onion sets. Onion sets ( small immature onions) allow me to have onions all year round. Originally manufactured to grow tree seedlings, why would I use rootrainers for onion sets?

Growing onions from seeds can be a hit and miss affair, with weather, birds and the like all affecting the young seedlings’ growth outdoors, particularly those seedlings that have to overwinter. I am not after prize winning onions or even huge onions, reasons why people use onion seeds. I prefer sets. However, whenever I planted sets direct into the soil outdoors, within a few days,  I would find many of the sets had been pulled up from where I had planted them and scattered all over the soil. Who or what was responsible?

Some detective work - root zones and rhizospheres...

When plants grow, the region of the soil around plant roots is called the root zone. The roots produce secretions that help and protect them as they force their way downwards through the soil. The immediate area around the root is called the rhizosphere. There will be many rhizospheres within the root zone of a plant. The rhizosphere is the most dynamic environment in the soil, or a microbe ‘hot spot’, the fast food areas of the soil! The roots are also continually shedding old tissue and sloughed-off plant cells. The root secretions and dead plant cells are food for microbes living in the soil. In return the soil microbes provide nutrients for the plants, which encourage plant growth. More plant growth means more roots. A win-win situation! Hence soil microbes themselves congregate around the roots. Microbes in turn are consumed by earthworms, who sense the root secretions and microbes in the soil and target such ‘hot spots’ to feast upon them!

The Culprit!

Blackbirds deliberately pull up the onion sets to seek out earthworms and other such tasty morsels, living and feeding in the root zone underneath the onion set. Thus by planting onion sets in rootrainers, waiting for the roots to grow in and around the compost, binding it altogether, before planting them outdoors in the soil. Now unless the blackbird has fed on at least 3 Weetabix (!) that morning, it will not have the energy or strength to pull out the onion set and well rooted fibrous compost ball, which is a lot heavier than an onion set on its own. No more scattered onion sets!

Onion sets are great for school kids!  They are easy to handle, no fiddly seeds to sow, less skill is required when planting and together, sets and rootrainers make the exercise easy and interesting for children to do for themselves. One mayor advantage for schools is that the children can grow AND harvest them all within the school year.

Check out George's website, which offers a wealth of advice and information - www.nurturing-nature.co.uk.