Plantable Seed Paper D.I.Y
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Follow this D.I.Y to make your own plantable seed paper at home, perfect activity for your little ones to make & an eco friendly gift idea for those special people in your life!
What is seed paper?
Seed paper is an handmade plantable paper with seeds embedded. It's an eco-friendly alternative to traditional paper because instead of being thrown away after use, seed paper can be planted in soil where the seeds embedded within it germinate and grow into plants or flowers depending on what seeds you use! It's super easy to make, you can use seed paper for birthday cards, invitations or even gift tags - you can substitute any paper with seed paper!
What you will need:
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Recycleable paper - think tissue paper, egg cartons, old newspaper, paper scraps, paper shopping bags.
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2-3 tablespoons of Seeds such as sunflower seeds or any that are your fav!
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Water
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Blender or food processor
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Fabric - cheese cloth, old fabric, towel whatever material you can find.
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Sponge
Steps to make your seed paper
1. Prepare the Paper
Tear the paper into small pieces and soak them in water for a while. You can do this the night before or a few hours before you start.
2. Blend the Paper
Once the paper is soft, drain the water and put the paper pieces into a blender or food processor. Add a little warm water and blend until it looks like mush. There should be no visible paper pieces, it should look like a papery pulp. You might need to add more water to get the right consistency.
3. Add Seeds
Stir your chosen seeds into the paper mush. Make sure you only stir the seeds, we don't want to blend them! Make sure the seeds are spread out evenly throughout your paper mush.
4. Strain
Next, you will need a strainer, tip your paper pulp into the strainer and strain as much water as you can out of the pulp. You may need to use a spatula or spoon to press the pulp against the side of the strainer to squeeze as much water out as possible.
5. Drying
You will need a piece of material such as cheese cloth, old pillow case or any old cloth or fabric you can find. Lay the fabric out of a flat surface and tip the paper mixture onto the fabric. Use a spoon or spatula to spread the pulp over the fabric, try to spread it out as thin as possible into any shape you desire. The thinner it is, the quicker it will dry. Once you have spread it out thinly, use a cloth to pat the top of the pulp to remove any excess water.
Leave until completely dry, once one side it dry flip the seed paper over so the other side can dry. It may take a day or two to dry depending on the weather, to speed up the drying time you may want to place the paper in the sunshine!
6. Using Your Seed Paper
Once the paper is dry, you can cut it into shapes with scissors or leave it as it is. Now your seed paper is ready to be used! You can write on it, draw on it, or give it to friends as a gift. When you're ready to plant, just bury the paper under a little bit of soil, keep it watered, and watch your flowers grow!
Remember to keep your seed paper in a cool, dry place until you're ready to use it so the seeds don't start growing too soon. Have fun making and sharing your eco-friendly paper! Feel free to comment below if you have a go at making seed paper, we'd love to hear from you!
Happy Seed Paper Making,
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