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Making Seedballs: An Ancient Method of No-till Agriculture


Dried and Finished “Clay Dumplings”

What’s a Seed ball?

Seeds balls are an ancient technique for propagating plants from seeds without opening up soil with cultivation tools such as a plow.

The rediscovery and popularization of seedballs (or “Clay Dumplings” as he called them) in modern times is typically ascribed to Japanese natural farmer and philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka.

As with many natural farmers, Fukuoka believed that tillage over large areas is laborious, destructive to soil health, and ultimately not needed and thus a waste of time and energy. Thus, seedballs have become an important aspect of many natural farming and conservation enterprises around the world.


Bill Mollison and Masanobu Fukuoka — two great folks

After many years of observation and experimentation, Fukuoka developed a method of growing rice, barley, vegetables and fruit over his small farm with very minimal disturbance of the soil or need for fertilization. He referred to these methodologies and philosophical perspectives as “natural farming”, and wrote several inspiring and informative books on the matter. The One-Straw Revolution, and Sowing Seeds in the Desert being two of the most renowned.

The architecture of seedballs is pretty basic: seeds are combined with clay (preferably red volcanic clays) and organic material like compost, worm casting or well-decomposed manure. A portion of fibers such as paper mash, finely cut straw, cotton or wool can also be added to give the seedballs greater tensile strength.

The mixture is moistened and formed into compact lumps or balls, allowed to dry, and then cast out into fields at the appropriate time of year, depending on the seed mixture, climate and rainfall patterns.

Why are seedballs so great?

With knowledge, skill, and patience, seedballs can be as effective a way of establishing plants as plow-seeding or drilling, and they can be made by anyone anywhere in the world that has access to clay, soil, and seed — for no money.

Seedballs are commonly employed in urban areas where tillage is simply not an option. But seedballs can be just as relevant to people in broad-acre contexts such as at the Windward Education and Research Center where seedballs have been employed to establish perennial pasture on marginal degraded highlands where steep slopes, existing woodlands, shallow soils/exposed bedrock, and general rockyness make the use of seed-drills and rippers impossible.


Some young wheat grass from previous year’s seedballs

The complexity of seed species, guilds and companion plantings is infinitely complex — from a single crop to a successional assemblage composed of all the species for a mature ecosystem, along with all the pioneer and mid-succession plants needed to bring a degraded landscape back into productivity.


A mixture of dozens of perennial grasses, forbs and legumes

Seedballs can also be used to “over seed” existing ecosystems, without damaging the soil structure — or to seed productive plants into forested areas and steep hillsides where tillage is not possible. Seedballs can also be used in combination with animals such as pigs who will do the work of shuffling the mulch around providing seedballs extra cover.

Preparing your Materials

Seedballs are made from mixture of clay, compost, and seeds. Each of these materials need to be processed to ensure that the clay and compost are relatively fine textured, and that the seeds are winnowed to remove hulls and casing.



The dry sifted clay

Fukuoka and many others recommend the use of red volcanic iron-rich clays for seedballs, claiming that white and grey clays do not form the same kind of polymer as the red clays and tend to make more brittle seed balls. However, if white and gray clay is what you have on hand, I would recommend experimenting with it. Native clays are liable to be a more economical and wholesome resource than imported ones.

Sometimes your clay will need to be pulverized and screened to remove rocks, stubborn clods and vegetative material.

A bucket and mattock handle are simple and effective clay pulverizing tools. The process matters little, so long as the end result is a fine and relatively pure clay.

Both the clay and the compost may need to be sifted to achieve the desired result. For those familiar with making earthen plasters, the sieves used for that are generally well suited to making seedballs.

We typically use a series of three screens tacked to the bottom of 2ft by 2ft by 6in deep frames. The first is 1/2inch screen, the second is 1/4inch screen, and the third is 1mm screen.


Sifting

Sifting

If you do not have access to screens you can also use a centrifugal effect to separate out the finer particles from the stones and any hardened clods. Do this by placing the clay in a flat bottomed container and placing the container on level ground.

Move the container in a circular motion, keeping the bottom on the ground. You will see the sizes of particles separate out, and you can then scoop out the finer particles, and continue the process as needed.


Sifted manure compost

The compost also needs to be relatively fine and sifted. Any compost or finely decomposed manure will do, however the more biologically active the compost, the better an inoculant the seedballs will be.

Vermicompost is generally already very fine, and of you may already sift the compost in the process of harvesting. It is also very biologically active and contains ready-to-consume nutrients for the young plants.

Other things to add to your seed balls

Beyond this basic recipe you can add a number of other elements depending on the circumstances and desired outcome.

Pest deterring compounds such as those found in the capsicum genus are effective in deterring insects from breaking open the balls and eating the seeds. Artesemias, alliums, mints and black pepper, all have pungent aroma’s which may also deter insect predation.

Inoculating the seedballs with native forest soil can ensure that populations of diverse fungi are present for woody perennial development. Commercial mycorrhizae inoculants are also available and have a good track record.

Legume inoculant can also be included, whether a powdered or peat based. If you have collected from native sources, you can also take a small amount of soil from the rhizosphere of the parent plants. Be sure to check that the parents show evidence of nodulation, otherwise the soil is likely to be lacking the necessary bacteria.


Seeds of pioneering polyculture

Finely shredded paper, cardboard, and plant residues such as rice-hulls have also been incorporated into seedballs to help give them greater tensile strength to avoid breaking open. This is particularly common when seedballs are being dropped from high altitudes, or when the parent clay does not form a hard enough ball.

Making the Seedballs

Making seedballs is relatively simple, but like any craft it takes some time to get the hang of it.

The following ingredient ratios (in volume) is taken from Fukuoka’s suggestion:

  • 5 parts dry powdered clay
  • 3 parts fine sifted compost
  • 1 part seed mix

There are two ways that seedballs are typically made by hand. One involves hand-rolling each ball, and the other involves rolling the ingredients in a flat bottomed pan until they “cake-up” and begin forming round-ish clods.

The ingredients are the same, but the methods differ in their speed and precision. I will be describing the second method using the flat tray.



Rolling the balls around in a circle

First, combine all the dry ingredients (clay, compost, and seed) together in a large flat tray, and thoroughly mix.

Some people use large turkey broiler pans as the tray. I have used the ubiquitous 5 gallon bucket, and all manner of plastic soil mixing tubs.

The important part is that the bottom of the tray is flat so the forming balls can roll around. Also, the larger the tray, the more difficult and tiring it is to jostle and shake for extended periods, so scale is of ergonomic importance.

Next, add a few squirts of water to the mix, and rotate the tray in a circular motion. The goal is to start coating seeds with water, so the clay/compost sticks to them. Just like making a snow ball.

Keep adding small amounts of water to coat the balls as they form, so that the remaining soil can stick to the outside.


Add a little water


Roll some more

If you are using oblong seeds like those of grass, the “balls” may not be spherical. No worries, so long as the balls firm up, they should work fine.


In the end you may end up with randomly shaped, dumpling-like balls such as these

If the seedballs won’t be thrown out immediately, it is important to start drying them straight away.

Making the balls on a sunny afternoon can ensure that they have enough warmth to dry that day. Otherwise, many of the quickly germinating seeds will wake up, sprout and die before they are cast.

32 Comments

  1. Imagine a world where governments, instead of dropping destructive (and very expensive) bombs on people around the world, would instead fill their planes with place-appropriate seedballs, and drop those instead. Creating abundance would be far cheaper than creating misery – and would go a long way to engender peace, gratitude, and cooperation. Plus, it could help save our climate, and give opportunity for the birth of localised cottage industries.

    1. What a great idea simply the best idea I have heard for helping mother earth and her people .

    2. I dont know… do I want a stranger dropping seed balls on my little plot of land without my permission, or maybe even knowledge? Nope ! Maybe if its a scheme you can join, and choose your seeds yourself. But blanket seed bombing would be very one size fits all , which we know is an economic principle that hasnt worked well so far and is something I want to eliminate, be that from socks to plane seats, to questionnaires, to education, to seed bombs…

  2. seed ball is easy way to plant barley in dry climate so the seed ball must Prepared in summer Where sun gives much heat

  3. That idea of using a plane instead of bombs , etc, etc… Was said by fukuoka in one of its interviews and on his books isnt it Craig?

    1. Did he? I only recall Fukuoka saying he dreamed of having the opportunity to airdrop seed balls over the deserts.

  4. I would like to experiment with wet ingredients- soften clay up gradually, over a periods of days or weeks, add moist vermicaste and all. I will try mixing all other with vermicaste/ compost first as it will stick to the other ingredients and be easier to evenly distribute differnt densities and sizes of ingredients etc. . As it is a dark colour, you should be able to tell how evenly it is mixed through the clay mush ( the darkest clays are usually not that dark, esp not in Aust). could do the same thing with inoculates, smaller volume ingredients, put in dolomite lime or something, then into compost. Seems a good idea ( read and enjoyed both of M Fukuokas books) but potentially a bit labour intensive. Permies want to cut down work (yes, it’s all relative- a lot of the sites this could be used on are, as mentioned, a bit labour intensive anyway).

    1. Hi Amanda, I am working right know on using a cement mixer to make seedballs in the same way I’ve seen Fukuoka do it. It is significantly faster, but has variable which I am still figuring out.

    2. vermicompost works very well with powdered clay, egg sacs and all. Some eggs have even hatched with the bursting seeds. Instant ecology.

  5. Fukuoka and volunteers seed balled a desolate Greek Island, check out YouTube. The project looked so inspiring. However, the follow up feedback was that roaming goats had unfettered access to the seeded fields, and ate everything that ever germinated!

  6. Do you know if this works with date pits? There are a lot of areas in southern Arizona that are date palm deficient. Different mix you think?

    1. Hi pat. I have germinated all sorts of woody species with seedballs. I have little personal knowledge of dates, but I do not see why it would not work with them. I’m a native Senoran myself, and appreciate the sentiment that there are large areas that are deficient in date palms :)

  7. It’s a really nice idea, but in practice, what is the survival rate of seeds that are just chucked out into a barren field and left to sink or swim, at the mercy of established weeds, goats etc.? I know that my own (limited) experiments have given a miniscule survival rate. Anyone have data to compare this with other propagation methods?

    1. Hi Robert. My experience shows that germination is comparable to tillage and drilling BMP’s prescribed by organisations such as the USDA. But, no matter what method you utilize to provide the necessary soil cover for germination, if you let livestock eat the younglings, your F(#*ked no matter what. I have been battling voracious annual grasses (cheat grass primarily) with seedballing perennials. Success has been worth the investment. My concern with tillage is that those annual weed respond positively to tillage. All my attempts to dig-in seeds have only suceeded in making the grass that much stronger. In my climate (cold semi-arid savanah-ish) the perennials are winning out. But it takes two seasons or so for them to get a foot hold.

      1. interesting. The plants that currently grow therefore are used to tillage, and have adapted to grow with tillage being part of their life cycle?

  8. It is a brilliant Idea I will surely try it in my fields in Punjab,India.Thanks a lot……………………………………………………………………………………………………

  9. It sounds easy to do and much easier than trying to dig a hole in this hard ground. I’m going to try it.

  10. I’m sure this works, but there are some things I don’t understand. Does this work for any size or type of seed? I can’t imagine tiny seeds forming individual balls, like beebees or something. It looks like they would clump together. It also seems that the amount of water needs to be exact, and may be different for different size seeds and types of clay soil. Too much water, nothing will clump; too little, you have dust. Is this supposed to be less work than just pulling a row and dropping the seeds in? What about the depth some seeds need? I’ll have to try it and see what happens.

    1. Hi David. the seeds definitely clump together. you get several seeds in a “dumpling” usually. There’s slight variability with seed size and soil type, but not much. If it’s clay, it will stick. But you correct that the water has to be in the right amount. It’s easy to have something too dry to stick or something the consistency of pudding. I don’t consider it a science, but I have not had evidence to suggest it does not work well for all sorts of seeds. whether little poppy seeds or large oblong grass seeds. I’ve worked with larger tree seeds as well, such as honey and black locust, and they work as well. If you are aware that some of your seeds would prefer deeper soil cover, you can make seperate batches for them and make the balls larger by increasing the clay and water per unit seed. In my experience, the practice is solid with all sorts of species. remember that I am working with land which cannot be tilled because of topography, rockyness and trees. Hence the seedballs being the application of choice. If you want to establish vegetation on flat farm country, I recommend using a chiselplow with a seeder, or a seed drill. Much faster that way.

  11. Hi! I was wondering whether I could use this technic to regenerate a desert land with grass (for livestock). Our initial idea was to spread some seeds of panicum turgidum on the ground and wait for the rains.

  12. Battling with wind here in the west of Ireland but really trying to grow as much as much as possible to help the environment so will be trying this method as an experiment and hoping for some little miracles , I find it an exciting adventure really and will try and get my grand daughter involved , I imagine if it takes 2 seasons to the seeds to establish one would have to be patient and keep a log of sorts on when the seeds were cast , now to decide on what seeds to use , we can make believe we are birds as we cast the seeds into the garden here. Thanks for sharing this inventive idea. kind regards kathy.

  13. Hello! Nice to read this article.

    I intend on forming a large quantity of seed balls this season, and would like to dry them for storage so that they will last a long time.

    Any tips about doing this, rain or shine?

    All the best,

    Anna

  14. Finding seeds “in bulk” for very large area plantings with seed balls is pretty easy online. I found bulk seeds for dandelion for my whole back yard on eBay, but you can also find them on Amazon, I am sure. Buying in bulk is not that expensive, really, depending on what you are purchasing. My suggestion is to not try to plant large areas with just seeds from small packages, as it can be very expensive. Finding “expired” seed sources can also help, as they still are usually around 80% sprout rate even after a few years.

  15. Hi!
    How big are these seed balls as i need a few that are 3-4 inches big, if they are smaller than that how can i increase the size?
    thanks,
    Prithvi

  16. I’m really into this method this year. I just go to the garden on the days I wanted sow for example, lettuces or other leafy veg etc, and put a few handfuls of soil into a biscuit tin, along with the seeds and some spring water, and shake the tin (Lid on) in such a way as to roll the seeds from bottom to top and round again. A circular movement. In no time at all the seeds are in balls with the soil. I then sow them across all the beds, and let them choose when they will grow, and where. They’re all very happy to grow at the moment. It’s a great way to grow carrots it seems, as they have both food and protection as they take their time to germinate. (Never had much luck with carrots so far in underseeding them.)

    I’ve added biochar, worm juice, and green clay to some of the balls but it doesnt seem to be essential. I did have a big half of a calebash that I used to roll them in which worked well too and was more natural than the metal, but I’ve put it down somewhere and cant find it… This autumn I’ll be trying grains and green manure sown directly into the mown grass terraces I have, to see how that goes.

  17. I have actually wondered whether I could use my clothes dryer! I don’t have a cement mixer, and thought about putting the dryer on fluff/no heat. I just can’t think of what kind of bag or other enclousure I could use – it would have to be made from a very fine mesh so that particles couldn’t escape from the bag and mess up my dryer.

  18. I’m trying to use seedballs for germination of tree seeds in a dry German pine forest (500 mm precipitation/year), seedballs get hard too fast! I used 3 parts clay (not the red one), 5 parts compost. I put the seedballs on the soil. After a few days they are hard like stones! Even if some seeds germinated, they get killed by this effect. I tried it with less clay, and even without clay. The seedballs were still stable, but too hard for the seedling to grow out. Sure I could dig them into the ground, but I would like to find a solution for just spreading them over the soil surface. Any suggestions are very appreciated!

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