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Making A Milk Bottle Propagator

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This little recycling project is a great way to get free propagators to start your seeds. It is a speedy job and works surprisingly well.

All You Need
All You Need

What You Need

All you need to get this job done is a milk bottle and something to cut it with, a marker pen to draw a cut line makes things easier for you.

Step 1 – Mark your cut line on the milk bottle.

Mark a cut line with the sharpie
Mark a cut line with the sharpie.

You want to have a sort of staggered cut like the above. Also, make sure you leave plenty of bottle attached at the back.

This back section will work as the hinge for the bottle and allow you to open and close it.

Step 2 – Cut

Cut
Cut

I used my needle nose fruit pickers – available in my store – but any sharp scissors will work just as well.

After all, we are only cutting through thin plastic here.

What You End up with
What You End up with

Step 3 – Fill with compost and seeds!

Filled With Seed Compost & Pepper Seeds
Filled With Seed Compost & Pepper Seeds

Use some seed compost and fill your propagator up.

I sowed some sweet pepper seeds in mine as you can see above.

Because of the large top of the milk bottle, you even have enough room to fit a plant label in there too.

Closed Back Up
Closed Back Up

And there it is, closed back up with my seeds inside.

I will now pop this on a windowsill indoors for early seed starting.

So, Does It Work?

Yes, it works really well.

I popped some sweet pepper seeds in and put the propagator on a windowsill above a radiator.

Next news, seedlings, lots of seedlings.

The seeds in the propagator germinated weeds faster than the same seeds I put in a module tray!

Sweet Pepper Seeds In My Milk Bottle Propagator
Sweet Pepper Seeds In My Milk Bottle Propagator

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Rehana javed Javed

Sunday 12th of March 2023

I’m going to try this This is a lovely idea

Sue

Friday 10th of March 2023

Love all your tips everything is so easy to follow x

Daniel

Friday 10th of March 2023

Thanks Sue :)

Val garlick

Saturday 4th of March 2023

I love your tips I’m totally NOT. Green fingered … wish me luck

Michael Adler

Friday 3rd of March 2023

Milk bottle propagator, you don't mention drainage holes

Daniel

Friday 3rd of March 2023

You dont need any

Tanya Taylor

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

Thankyou for brilliant tips looking forward too planting

Daniel

Wednesday 1st of March 2023

thank you for the nice words :)