Article by Angie Mohr from Associatedcontent.com
Seed Bomb Step #1: Decide what type of seeds you will be planting. Make sure that you choose native flowers or trees that will survive with little intervention (i.e. hardy). Be careful to not introduce an invasive plant species into the mix that will spread and choke out natural vegetation in the area. Flower seeds that work well in a seed bomb are sunflowers, bachelor's buttons, poppies, and cosmos.
Seed Bomb Step #2: Gather your ingredients. You will need 1 part seeds, 3 parts compost, 5 parts dry red clay, and 2 parts water. If you have rivers or streams nearby with red clay, gather from there and let dry. If not, you can buy dry red clay in a pottery supply store. Make sure to use red as it contains minerals necessary to the growth of the flowers. Other types of clay are sterile.
Seed Bomb Step #3: Mix the seeds well with the compost.
Seed Bomb Step #4: Mix in the clay with the seed/compost mixture until completely blended together. At this step, you could add a few teaspoons of cayenne pepper to the mix if you think you will have problems with ants or other creatures hauling off the seeds when the seed balls start to break down. If you are adding cayenne to the mix, use gloves to do the mixing.
Seed Bomb Step #5: Add water, a bit at a time, mixing with your hands continuously. You want to get the mixture to almost bread dough consistency but not wet and sticky.
Seed Bomb Step #6: Form the seed bombs. Pinch off a marble size piece of the mixture and roll between your hands until rounded and outer shell is smooth and has no cracks. This will protect the seed bomb from predators until germination. Continue to make seed bombs until all mixture is used up.
Seed Bomb Step #7: Lay seed bombs in sun to dry. Continue drying for 24 hours until clay is hard and set.
Your seed bombs are ready to deploy. If you are covering a large area, disperse them about one per square foot. In smaller areas, group 5 or 6 seed bombs to get a more lush look. Don't worry about how the flowers will end up being arranged. Nature will decide which of your seeds will flourish best in that spot. At the end of the first growing season, birds and other creatures will disperse the seeds from the first year flowers elsewhere, and the growing cycle will begin again.
Making seed bombs is a great activity for children or community groups to carry out. Have fun and try some illicit planting soon!
Video with seed bombing demonstration:http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/can-you-dig-it/throw-a-seed-bomb.phpI can't wait to try.
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