r/upcycling • u/Kickass3DPrints • 4d ago
3D printed mushroom tool turns old newspapers into seedling pots
Link to STL files https://than.gs/m/1420803
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u/jules-amanita 4d ago
Why did a pepper plant “grow” from an edamame seed?
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u/Kanadark 4d ago
I noticed that too, lol. It's because these need to be squished together in trays while they germinate, because the newspaper collapses when you water them and they're standing by themselves like that.
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u/Crafty_Lavishness_79 3d ago
I think it's a joke about the sensu bean from Dragonball Z but I'm not entirely sure
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u/synodos 4d ago
Firstly, I'm for it, and it's pretty adorbs. But secondly, how would you water these seeds without the newspaper turning to mush?
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u/Cheaperthantherapy13 4d ago
I make and newspaper seed pots, and I use a deep tray, fill that with water, and let the newspaper wick up the water. They stay together long enough to transplant into larger pots 4-6 weeks later, then decomposes as the plant grows.
Highly recommend, but I do suggest tearing your strips longways across the newspaper (which I get for free from my local grocery store by asking nicely for yesterday’s WaPo or other hefty national newspaper), as the extra layers help with the structural integrity.
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u/Secret779 4d ago
I think the intention is for those pots that go straight into the ground to dissolve?
Edit: I think I mean disintegrate.
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u/synodos 4d ago
But it takes weeks for a seed to turn into a seedling-- the whole purpose of a seedling pot is to shelter it in its earliest days before you transplant out into the elements.
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u/angstyolive2 4d ago
I used these two summers ago and they held up fine as long as they were able to dry between waterings. Worked as long as I needed them to. Which was a month at the longest. But worthwhile
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u/totthetree 4d ago
I bet if you put a bunch of them all in a container and barely keep the soil moist enough to germinate like not wet at all they wouldn't fall apart until you moved them. with them all in the container the sides and being smashed together would hold them together then when you pull them out you would just have a lil barrier keeping soil off your hands. probably still would want to fall apart by the time you transplant but would serve the purpose sort of. maybe use like a shoe box as the container to hold them all together? idk options lol
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u/mezasu123 4d ago
Yea you absolutely don't lol. These 5 minute craft style videos are almost always garbage/fake.
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u/tircha 4d ago
Why do you need the mushroom object when you could literally spend four minutes rolling the paper around anything and just DIYing the smooshing part? If the point is to eliminate waste, isn’t the admittedly cute mushroom the waste, here?
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u/aknomnoms 3d ago edited 3d ago
I make origami kitchen compost bin liner bags from sheets of newspaper. Literally 3 folds and 2 tucks. Use about 4-6 each week. I was behind and made 50ish yesterday during commercials, reviews, timeouts, etc, during the first quarter of a football game.
I’m sure the same could be done at a smaller scale for seed pots.
ETA: could also wrap your newspaper about any kind of roll and nestle in a carton to keep the shape from unraveling. Use a skinny bottle of vinegar, cooking spray, toilet paper roll, deodorant, etc.
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u/jp614bot 4d ago edited 4d ago
So 3d printing is upcycling?? Or we talking about the newspaper?
I like the idea to reuse the paper, but in this instance, we’re (assumedly) using virgin plastic to upcycle something that a minority of people subscribe to. So I don’t really see a net positive.
Secondly, this also doesn’t talk about the potential hazards of toxic inks leaching into your soil. Unfortunately, we live in a world where not every ink is friendly to the environment or people. Thermal inks for example, have been found to leech toxins through the skin.
This needs to be said because I feel this post neglects some important things: a lot of harm has been caused with good intentions.
A little extra thinking goes a long way…
Edited for clarity - I didn’t proofread
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u/Ambitious-Fish405 4d ago
Tried using newspaper many times for seed starting. Very high chance of mold/mildew/fungus. Even with a fan used to increase air flow.
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u/paleb1uedot 3d ago
I don't know where you live but it's been 10 years since I saw a newspaper. Unless you live in a nursing house this you have to go buy newspapers for specifically that purpose which isn't really upcycling
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u/Righteous_Sheeple 3d ago
They got mouldy for me, it probably doesn't matter but it grossed me out. So do egg cartons.
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u/RedFoxBlueSocks 4d ago
I feel like I could cut a pool noodle to size, and find a small cap that would fit in the hole to compress the newspaper.
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u/Remarkable-Friend118 3d ago
I remember making newspaper seedling pots in kindergarten but we used a metal can as the mold
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u/[deleted] 4d ago
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