Every Year Department of Botany prepares Seed Balls in the month of March- April. Students and faculties collect seeds of different plants eg. Bauhinia purpuria, Nyctanthus arbor-tritis, Acacia, Tamarindus etc. and prepare seed balls
WHAT IS SEED BALL?
A seed ball is a seed that has been wrapped in soil materials, usually a mixture of clay and compost, and then dried. Essentially, the seed is ‘pre-planted’ and can be sown by depositing the seed ball anywhere suitable for the species, keeping the seed safely until the proper germination. They contain a combination of mineral soil, humus and three types of compost for all the nutritional requirements of the plants.. These are placed around the seeds, at the center of the ball, to provide microbial inoculants.
SEED BALLS GO WHERE NO ONE ELSE CAN
Seed balls are amazingly versatile. They can be tossed over fences into abandoned lots, or out the windows of cars and buses onto median dividers and roadside wasteland. They can be left alongside parking lots and bike paths, in unused planters and gardens that have fallen on hard times. In short, anywhere there is land to grow them – provided that the soil isn’t too dry, compact, or dense with other vegetation.
SEED BALLS ARE DIVERSE
There are many types of seeds you can use in your seed balls. You can try wildflower seeds, necessary for the survival of pollinators (such as bees) on which our ecosystem depends. You can use seeds for herbs or edible crops. Or you can put together a combination of seeds. Such ‘companion’ plants are chosen because they grow well together, assisting in pollination, pest deterrence, and soil conditioning.
SEED BALLS GET PEOPLE INVOLVED
Planting is satisfying but hard work. You have to dig holes, weed, water and prune – and most importantly, you need permission to cultivate the land. But with seed balls, all you have to do is make (or buy) and throw! It’s a great way to get people of all ages and backgrounds involved in the greening process, including those who might never have considered themselves gardeners.