Seed ball
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Seed balls, also known as earth balls or nendo dango (Japanese: 粘土団子), consist of seeds rolled within a ball of clay and other matter to assist germination. They are then thrown into vacant lots and over fences as a form of guerilla gardening. Matter such as humus and compost are often placed around the seeds to provide microbial inoculants. Cotton-fibres or liquefied paper are sometimes added to further protect the clay ball in particularly harsh habitats. An ancient technique, it was re-discovered by Japanese natural farming pioneer Masanobu Fukuoka.
History
[edit]The technique was used in ancient Egypt to repair farms after the annual spring flooding of the Nile.[citation needed]
The technique for creating seed balls was rediscovered by Japanese natural farming pioneer Masanobu Fukuoka.[1] Fukuoka developed his technique during the period of the Second World War, while working in a Japanese government lab as a plant scientist on the mountainous island of Shikoku. He wanted to find a technique that would increase food production without taking away from the land already allocated for traditional rice production.[2][3]
In 1973 in New York, Liz Christy, co-founder of the Green Guerillas, developed seed bombs she called "seed green-aide".[4] The first seed green-aides were made from condoms filled with tomato seeds, and fertilizer.[5] They were tossed over fences onto empty lots in New York City in order to make the neighborhoods look better. It was the start of the guerrilla gardening movement.[6]
Construction
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To make a seed ball, generally about five measures of red clay by volume are combined with one measure of seeds. The balls are formed between 10 mm and 80 mm (about 1⁄2" to 3") in diameter. After the seed balls have been formed, they must dry for 24–48 hours before use.
Seed bombing
[edit]Seed bombing is the practice of introducing vegetation to land by throwing or dropping seed balls. It is used in modern aerial seeding as a way to deter seed predation. It has also been popularized by green movements such as guerrilla gardening as a way to introduce new plants to an environment.
See also
[edit]- The One-Straw Revolution
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, a 1982 children's book emphasizing public seed scattering
- Seed dispersal
- Johnny Appleseed
- Diggers
References
[edit]- ↑ Adler, Margot (April 15, 2009). "Environmentalists Adopt New Weapon: Seed Balls". NPR. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
- ↑ Fukuoka (福岡), Masanobu (正信) (May 1978) [1st publ. in Japanese September 1975], Larry Korn (ed.), The One-Straw Revolution An Introduction to Natural Farming, translated by Chris Pearce; Tsune Kurosawa; Larry Korn, Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press, ISBN 0878572201
- ↑ Fukuoka (福岡), Masanobu (正信) (December 1987) [1st publ. in Japanese December 1975], The Natural Way of Farming The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy, translated by Frederic P Metreaud (rev. ed.), Tokyo: Japan Publications, ISBN 978-0-87040-613-3
- ↑ "Our History | Green Guerillas". www.greenguerillas.org. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
- ↑ "How Guerrilla Gardening Works". How Stuff Works. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
- ↑ Robinson, Joe (29 May 2008). "Guerrilla gardener movement takes root in L.A. area". L.A. Times. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
Further reading
[edit]- Smith, K. (2007). The guerilla art kit. Princeton Architectural Press.
- Huxta, B. (2009). Garden-variety graffiti. Organic gardening, 2009.
External links
[edit] | This article includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2022) |
- "横浜アートプロジェクト". "What's a clay ball?" and "Clay Ball Method" advice derived directly from Fukuoka Masanobu by The RainMaker Project, a major project in Africa by Yokohama Art Project, Japanese NGO.[dead link]
- "Paper/Seed-unified planting seed unit and preparation process thereof" (PDF). Masanobu Fukuoka's patent for advanced seedballs
- "X1seed~1". Archived from the original on 2006-04-11. Making Seed Balls, by Jim Bones, he learned personally from Fukuoka Masanobu and from his books.
- "Seed Ball Story". YouTube. 4 January 2008. The Seed Ball Story, a video by Jim Bones about desert habitat restoration using seed balls in Big Bend National Park, Texas.
- "6seedpa". Archived from the original on 2006-01-07. The entire "Lost Seed Ball Pages" by Jim Bones, An early overview of seed ball production and uses, including instructions for making a von Bachmayr Rotary Drum.
- "Seed Balls R Us" A crossroads website dedicated to sharing seed ball information links and videos.
- "Masanobu Fukuoka Makes Seed Balls". YouTube. 15 January 2008. "Seed Balls by Masanobu Fukuoka 1997" YouTube 18:43 long video, caption: "Natural Farmer Masanobu Fukuoka conducts a workshop for making seed balls at his natural farm and forest in Japan."
- Making Hay with Clay - Greece
- "Seed Bomb R&D". Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- "How to make seed bombs". Los Angeles Times. 16 September 2014.
- "DIY: Make Your Own Wildflower Seed Bombs". 16 May 2019. Gardenista.com
- Articles.washingtonpost.com[link removed]
- "Guerrilla gardening | Permanent Culture Now". Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- "How guerrilla gardening took root". 15 March 2010.
- "Tending 'Defiant Gardens' During Wartime". NPR.org.
- "BBC News | E-CYCLOPEDIA | Guerrilla gardening: Resistance is fertile".
- "Seedbombs are weapon of choice in war against wastelands | Leo Hickman". TheGuardian.com. 11 April 2011.
- Domokos, John (24 April 2008). "Video: The guerrilla gardener's seedbomb recipe". The Guardian.