DIY Eco Polybags from snake fruit leaf (daun salak)
It’s always important to be resourceful, with what you have around you especially when you have a need. In this case we had hundreds of seedlings to transfer and needed just as many polybags. So having had lots of practice we thought to share this little technique on compostable eco polybags.
At our permaculture demonstration site here in Central Kalimantan one of the things we do have alot of around us is snake fruit palms, locally known as ‘salak’. However you can make these eco polybags with any leaf of similar size and strength that you may have available around you.
So here’s a step by step on how to make a eco-seedling pot:
Step 1: Identify your tree. In this case we have the salak (snake fruit) palm. Be careful of the thorns.
Step 2: Cut branch of the selected tree and cut the smaller palm leaves of the main stem, making sure to be very careful of the thorns.
(Safety tip: wear gloves.)
Step 3: The tools you will need for the task. Leaf, scissors, stapler.
(Tip: You can use a small bamboo skewer to replace the stapler)
Step 4: Cut the leaf to size and bend.
Step 5: Holding the round shape of the first leaf carefully in place,
choose a second leaf and bend into a ‘U’ shape in side the original round leaf,
thus making a base for the pot and staple both edges to hold in shape.
Step 5: Trim the edges
Whalaah! And then we have our eco-polybags made from snake fruit leaf.
Last but not least, now it’s time to fill and plant!! Use a good quality soil
Then fill the poly bag with soil loosely to about the 80% mark, and make a hole in the middle.
Plant your seedling in the middle and gently fill the hole in with soil stabilising the soil around the seedling, but being careful not to compact it.
So here you have a compostable eco-polybag made from snake fruit leaf…!!
Credits: Thank you to Randika Purna Dawa one of budding permaculture youth leaders from the Parkour Hornbill in Flight community for the excellent footage and our BCU school garden coordinator and educator Wulan for the eco-polybag making skills.