Is Planting Seed Bombs A Good Idea?

If you’re associated with a scout troop, work with school groups or maybe even an avid gardener, chances are you have heard of seed bombs. Over the last few years, this form of guerrilla gardening has been touted by proponents as a way to beautify the environment by seeding barren or unattractive areas with flowers. However, does this method of planting really work, and furthermore, are we really doing ourselves and our environment a favor?

The Theory Behind Seed Bombs

For the uninitiated, seed bombs are little balls made primarily with compost and clay, or sometimes with a covering of papier machine, that have seeds embedded inside. The idea is to throw them in a neglected green space, such as an empty lot or field or by the side of the road and let nature take its course. Seed bombing is a human-assisted form of seed dispersal, something that occurs in nature. The clay keeps the seeds moist until they receive sufficient water through rainfall to germinate, while the compost nourishes the young seedlings.

Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? After all, what can be better than providing food for birds, bees and other beneficial insects while also beautifying the environment? That’s the theory. In reality, seed bombs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Seed Bombs Don’t Always Work

The very places where people are encouraged to throw them, in places such as abandoned industrial sites, grassy wastelands, trampled playgrounds, roadsides and the like, are the least likely to produce results. That’s because many of these areas have heavy compaction, making it next to impossible for seedling roots to penetrate the soil. Often seedings germinate and then die and get washed away by heavy rains.

In other instances, seed bombs may end up on land that has been poisoned by chemicals or waste that inhibits growth or prevents germination. Roadsides are a good example of a bad environment for seed bombs as many governmental bodies spray these areas with herbicides that also prevent the seeds from germinating.

Danger also lurks in the do-it-yourself seed bomb creation movement. Many recipes for seed bombs call for a variety of seed types to be included in the mixture. If plants native to your area are used and the bomb takes hold, that’s a good thing, yet mixtures that contain non-native species can become invasive if they take hold, choking out beneficial vegetation.

How to Use Seed Bombs Properly

The drawbacks in herent in seed bombs doesn’t mean you should avoid them at all costs. Instead, think seriously about where you plan to disperse them, and more importantly, that the seeds they contain will actually grow in and benefit the environment in which you place them. If you’re making your own seed bombs, make sure you use native plants.

Seed bombs are a great way to populate your own backyard, teach school children about nature and help repopulate prairies. The key to making them work is to think like Mother Nature. Think before you bomb.