polypots

Poly-Pots

Poly-pots are simple containers used to hold and care for seedling trees in a nursery. The main advantage to poly-pot use is that the trees can be removed from the nursery and transported to the transplant sites without disturbing the tree's root system. Poly-pots can be gotten from agricultural supply stores, NGO's and peace corps sources, but buying poly-pots can be expensive, and simply throwing donated materials at a project will do nothing to aid the overall life expectancy of the project. As an alternative to commercially made poly-pots, PCV's can make their own from local resources.

Rice Bags

Rice bags are easily turned into polypots. It is a matter of simply cutting the polypots to the proper size and then sewing them with the excess plastic fiber.
A rice bag can be easily cut into 16 small bags, 6 small and 4 large bags, or 8 large bags, with a 1 inch strip left to used as sewing fiber.
The center portions of the strips cut for the small bags are twice as long as the side portions. This way the portions are all folded in half so that only 2 edges need to be sewn.
When sewing, first fold the edge of the bag twice, so that the bag does not fall apart when you are sewing. Most people use a straight stitch, but I prefer a loop stitch as its holds better.

Plastic sheeting

Plastic sheeting from sugar bags of from large heavy duty bags can also be used to make poly-pots. The sheet can be sewed like a rice bag, but it is easier to heat the edge with a candle and pinch the edges together. Holes need to be cut into these bags for proper drainage to prevent the roots from rotting.

Other sources for poly-pots:
            Juice boxes
            Pringles cans
            Sturdy cardboard
            Sturdy plastic bags (such as Juiceman liter bags, or the bags NATCO uses to package its beans and lentils )

Again, you need to poke holes in the bottoms of these poly-pots to allow for proper drainage. Otherwise, too much water may cause the roots to rot.

When using poly-pots, it is often encouraged that you fill the bags with a good mixture of soil and compost to allow for soil drainage, adequate fertility, and easier root growth. Please see the Peace Corps Agroforestry Manual for more information on composting and soil mixtures.

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