Seed bomb aka Seed ball (Guerilla gardening)

Seed balls, also known as earth balls or , consist of

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s rolled within a ball of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

and other matter to assist gemination. They are then thrown into vacant lots and over fences as a form of 'guerilla gardening'. Matter such as

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

and

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

are often placed around the seeds to provide

microbial A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

inoculant Inoculation is the act of implanting a pathogen or other microorganism. It may refer to methods of artificially inducing immunity against various infectious diseases, or it may be used to describe the spreading of disease, as in "self-inoculati ...

s. 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.

Development of technique

The technique for creating seed balls was rediscovered by Japanese natural farming pioneer Masanobu Fukuoka. The technique was also used, for instance, in ancient Egypt to repair farms after the annual spring flooding of the Nile. In modern times, during the period of the Second World War, this Japanese government plant scientist working in a government lab, Fukuoka, who lived on the mountainous island of Shikoku, wanted to find a technique that would increase food production without taking away from the land already allocated for traditional rice production which thrived in the volcanic rich soils of Japan.

Construction

Activities for making Mud Seed ball in Bhopal (9)

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 10mm and 80mm (about " to 3") in diameter. After the seed balls have been formed, they must dry for 24–48 hours before use.

Seed bombing

Seed bombing is the practice of introducing vegetation to land by throwing or dropping seed balls. It is used in modern

aerial seeding Aerial seeding is a technique of sowing seeds by spraying them through aerial mechanical means such as a drone, plane or helicopter. When the purpose is reforestation, it is known as aerial reforestation. Aerial seeding is considered a broadca ...

as a way to deter seed predation. It has also been popularized by green movements such as

guerrilla gardening Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening – raising food, plants, or flowers – on land that the gardeners do not have the legal rights to cultivate, such as abandoned sites, areas that are not being cared for, or private property. It enco ...

as a way to introduce new plants to an environment.

Guerrilla gardening

The term "seed green-aide" was first used by Liz Christy in 1973 when she started the

Green Guerillas The Green Guerillas are a community group of horticulturalists, gardeners, botanists, and planners who work to turn abandoned or empty spaces in New York City into gardens. Formed in the 1970s, the group threw " seed grenades" into derelict lots ...

. The first

green-aides were made from condoms filled with tomato seeds, and fertilizer. They were tossed over fences onto empty

lot Lot or LOT or The Lot or ''similar'' may refer to: Common meanings Areas * Land lot, an area of land * Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *Lot number, in batch production *Lot, a set of goods for sale togethe ...

s in New York City in order to make the neighborhoods look better. It was the start of the guerrilla gardening movement.

References

External links

* "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. * Masanobu Fukuoka's patent for advanced seedballs * Making Seed Balls, by Jim Bones, he learned personally from Fukuoka Masanobu and from his books. * The Seed Ball Story, a video by Jim Bones about desert habitat restoration using seed balls in Big Bend National Park, Texas. * 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.
* "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
* * A discussion of the pros and cons of different seed ball recipes * a website dedicated to seedballs * * * Wikihow.com * * Gardenista.com
Articles.washingtonpost.com
* * * * * * * {{refend Horticultural techniques Ecological techniques Organic gardening Seeds Reforestation