Ladbrooke Soil Blocker

Soil blocks eliminate the need for plastic pots and trays, which reduces waste. More importantly, they promote 'air pruning,' where roots stop growing when they reach the edge of the block, preventing the root circling often seen in plastic containers and leading to healthier, more vigorous transplants.

These small blocks are ideal for starting seeds that will be transplanted quickly or for smaller seeds that don't require deep soil initially. Because of their size, you will likely need to transplant the seedlings into larger soil blocks or pots once they develop their first set of true leaves.

For the best results, you should use a finer-textured seed-starting mix rather than standard potting soil, which often contains large chunks of bark or perlite that prevent the blocks from holding their shape. A mix with a higher peat or coir content works best to bind the blocks together.

This tool creates 'mini-blocks' that are designed to fit perfectly into the indentations of larger soil blockers. This allows you to start seeds in these small units and then simply nest them into a larger block once the seedling has outgrown its initial space, minimizing root disturbance.

The Ladbrooke blocker is manual, so it does require a firm, steady downward press to compress the soil properly. While it is lightweight at 0.5 lbs, the effort required depends on the consistency of your soil mix; a properly moistened mix will compress much more easily than a dry one.