rayinpenn,
I have one of the pot makers. It is wood, you roll a piece of newspaper around the cylinder and then tuck the bottom in and press it into the mold. I use it every year. It works well in my opinion. Jiffy pots and those plastic cell starters don't work well for me. I use a ruler to tear the paper into strips.
Keski

I haven't used the paper pot maker, but this year I did make folded newspaper pots and they worked really well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Origami Pots

I've had my elem. students make them from strips of newspaper cut a little wider than you want the pot to be so you have room to fold under. As I recall we use 3-4 layers of newspaper. You don't need the wooden form, you can use any appropriately sized can. We use fish food containers, just wrap the strip around the container and fold the newspaper edge under to the bottom of the can. I had the kids use a bit of scotch tape on the side and bottom just to be sure they didn't try to unfold.

I tried them a few years ago, but they seemed to breed some kind of bugs that I was not familiar with ??. Also I have saved enough yogurt cups that just seem to keep on serving time after time, without mishap. Also, it is easier to insert a plastic knife around the inside edges at time of transplanting for ease in removing the root ball.

Bejay

I've used the same origami pots as pluto. They are really fun to make if nothing else!

They tend to grow molds and fungi. Not that they aren't better than peat pots - most anything is - but they aren't problem free either. You'll find some discussions about them over on the Growing from Seed forum here.

Dave

One season I made newspaper pots using a glass. No need to waste money on a pot maker. Now I just save old tp rolls and start seeds in them. A lot easier than making dozens of pots.

Coralb -- what do you use for the bottom of the toilet paper roll?

Deborah-

I've seen people cut and fold them but I just leave them open. I put a bunch of empties in something like an old cake pan or empty plastic lettuce container. I then fill with potting mix and plant. Since I fill them in situ the bottom of the pan holds the potting mix in. By the time they are ready to transplant the roots hold the mix in when you take it out. The only issue is that the roots will grow through the cardboard so don't let your seedlings sit too long or the roots get tangled up. One year I did not plant out my lettuce when I should have and had to deal with this. The plants did fine when I planted them out, I just had to tease apart and tear some of their roots when I did it.

And you planted the roll too?

Thanks!

Yep! The cardboard breaks down quickly plus the roots grow through it. Sometimes if the roots have not started to grow through I may peel the cardboard off but to be honest I rarely get my transplants out when I should so I usually have some roots peeking through the cardboard so I don't peel it off. I have done this for 3 years now and I love it. The only pain in the neck is filling 40 tubes with potting mix, a chore I pay my son to do.

I make mine out of 1 in or 2in( really the size is your preference) pvc and I wrap the paper around that and then tuck in the hole tap it on the table and pull it off.. works great sometime I put a tiny piece of paper tape on it. if its a pepper or a longer germ plant as it will break down a bit if you leave them too long without transplanting them I have four sizes of paper pots all the way up to a 2 liter bottle size then I just put that in to the garden no messing with roots or plastic pots . I think its wonderful and saves alot of money. and you can transplant them a 100 times if you need to and the plants never get shocked.

I love my paper pot maker. Use it every year. I use the paper pots to start lots of seeds and for individual pots for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants that I sell at the farmers market.

I use a small plastic vitamin bottle. The paper can be newspaper or used brown lunch bag. I use new brown lunch bags, which can be purchased at 99 cents store and cut them to proper size using a knife or scissors. Wrap them up around a the plastic bottle, and fold the ends and put one piece of tape on the bottom and one on the side. Stuff garden soil inside. It's a poor man's way of making paper pots. I don't like to use newspapers because of leaching of the ink. When the plants germinate and grow enough, I remove the paper carefully and plant the batch of dirt. It is easier to remove the paper when the soil is wet.

The Origami Pots are fun to make and if you only need a few or have lots of time then they work perfect. If you want to make a lot of pots faster then it might make sense to buy a Paper Pot maker. Make sure you check the size of the paper pot maker before ordering. They all appear the same size in an online photo but they vary.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paper Pot Maker Video

I've used one for years and really like it. The only problem I've had is that they sometimes dry out a bit, but not as bad as peat pots.

There seems to be a few pot makers to choose from after doing a search. This seems to be the most popular Paper Pot Maker but is it good? Has anyone tried it? I'm looking for a high quality one that will last for years. Thanks

As others have said, just wrap a strip of newspaper around anything cylindrical and then fold the bottom shut. No need to buy anything.

I tried newspaper pots once and didn't like them.

Rodney

If I understand it correctly, that Paper Pot Maker gives you a "pot" that is pretty much one sheet of newsprint thick. No side support. I'd also much rather have a pot that you can slide the whole root ball and soil out of as a coherent chunk. I don't want to have to unwrap a roll of newsprint to get it out. Coated paper or thin plastic cups work fine for that and are incredibly cheap. Just punch a few holes in the bottom of them. Whyever would one want to make pots?

Kurt, that paper pot maker is very much like the one I have that a neighbor made for me. Mine is somewhat deeper, but otherwise looks the same. I make mine with at least 2 layers of newspaper so they're sturdier than 1 layer. Most of the time I can plant the entire thing, but sometimes I tear off the bottom when planting out. It's quick and very easy to do. One milk jug holds 11 of them when wintersowing.

I buy those small plastic cups that are supposed to go in a bathroom dispenser. I poke a hole in the bottom. Then I cut a paper milk carton long ways and put the soil filled cups in there like a tray. Cups are reusable for next year. This works really well. Any larger cup is good for larger plants. Just don't use clear cups because the sun can burn the roots. You can also write with a permanent marker on the side of these cups and milk cartons (inside) to say what the seedlings/plants are.