Celebrate Earth Day with DIY Recycled Paper Wildflower Seed Bombs

Learn how to make Wildflower Seed Bombs and feed the bees and other pollinators throughout the growing season. This easy craft project uses recycled paper destined for the landfill and is a fun and meaningful way to celebrate Earth Day.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day comes around every year to remind us about the importance of conservation

so we can do our part to help our planet stay healthy

and I’m sharing a fun craft project in celebration!

If you’re a gardener, every day is Earth Day when you go out

to dig in the dirt, cultivate and care for nature’s gifts.

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Many pollinator populations are in decline attributed to a loss in feeding and nesting habitats.

Somewhere between 75% and 95% of all flowering plants on earth need help with pollination.

Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species

and more than 1200 crops.

That means we have pollinators to thank for one out of every three bites of food we eat.

Pollinators are also responsible for half of the world’s oils, fibers and raw materials.

Most pollinators (about 200,000 species) are beneficial insects such as bees,

beetles, wasps, ants, butterflies, moths, and flies.

About 1,000 of all pollinators are vertebrates such as birds, bats, and small mammals.

In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air,

stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.

Are familiar with seed bombs?

If you’ve ever planted wildflower seeds, you know how light they are

and tend blow away in the slightest breeze while planting!

With seed bombs, the seeds are embedded in paper pulp (or clay) and

designed as a “throw and grow” method to plant flowers,

ideal for hard-to-reach places to plant, such as hillsides or roadways.

The paper pulp (or clay) acts as a carrier for the seeds,

which germinate as the pulp breaks down from the rain and sun.

Wildflower Seed Bombs make a fun project, gift or party favor,

providing a little beauty, pollen and nectar

for pollinators as they grow and bloom.

Paper seed bombs are a lot less messy to make than clay-based seed bombs

and a fun way to plant or share wildflowers in celebration of Earth Day.

Best of all, you can recycle paper or junk mail that most of us have in abundance,

destined for the landfill.

You can customize these seed bombs using the molds of your choice.

Flower molds seemed ideal for these seed bombs, so I used these molds

that I used to make my tea party Flower-Shaped Sugar Cubes.

 They make flower seed bombs about the size of a quarter.

This is a fun DIY and craft project that little hands would enjoy helping make

while learning about the importance of our pollinators!

Here are materials you’ll need to make Wildflower Seed Bombs:

🌸 Wildflower Pollinator Seed Mix

🌸 8 to 10 sheets of paper; cut, torn, or shredded from junk mail or documents

🌸 1 to 2 sheets colored tissue paper, colors of choice

🌸 Water

🌸*Immersion blender or regular blender

🌸 Bowl

🌸 Flower Molds or molds of choice

*Note: I love my 10 year old Kitchenaid Immersion Blender that I use for soup and quick and easy whipped cream. If you’re in the market for an immersion blender, this newer Kitchenaid immersion blender has a pan guard to help protect your cookware.

Here are the easy steps to make paper seed bombs:

🌸 Cut, tear or shred your paper into small pieces.

Note: The paper can be printed with black or colored ink, but the more ink used, the more it will affect the color of your seed bomb. Add a sheet of two of colored tissue of your choice if you want color. Avoid using paper with waxy paper envelope windows or paper with staples.

🌸 Add the shredded paper to a bowl and pour in very warm water to cover the paper. Allow the paper to sit in water about 15 minutes to soften. Use a blender to turn the paper into pulp, blending just a minute or two, until it’s the consistency of oatmeal.

🌸 Pour the pulp through a fine mesh strainer (or colander lined with a kitchen towel) pressing the pulp with the back of a spoon to remove excess water. Transfer pulp to a kitchen towel, squeezing out as much remaining water as possible.

🌸 Mix the paper pulp with the seeds (approximately 1/2 teaspoon – 1 teaspoon of small seeds if filler is included in seed packet). Using your hands, press, pulp and seeds into molds. Alternatively add the seeds directly to your molds, and press in the paper pulp on top of seeds. 

🌸 Remove excess moisture from the pulp by pressing the molded mixture with a dry dish towel. Press firmly to help create the impressions of the flowers from the molds and to the speed up drying time and discourage seed germination.

🌸 Allow pulp and seed mixture to dry in molds. Drying time will vary with the temperature and size of your molds. It was 85 degrees when I placed my molds out to dry on the porch. The pulp mixture was dry in a day. I was in a hurry to photograph my second batch, so I placed the molds in the sun and they dried in a few hours.

Note:  Flexing the silicone molds to remove the seed bombs before they’re completely dry will cause the pulp to break. You may have some breakage when dry, but the seed bombs can still be planted. I had the best results with the shallower design flowers.

Wildflower seeds are typically planted at a depth of no more than 1/4 inch below the soil line.

In addition to throwing them, you can plant paper seed bombs by placing them directly

on top of the soil in a garden bed or container.

Roughen up the surface of the soil first with a rake to a depth of 1 1/2 inches

and remove any weeds from your bed. Water well and keep moist as you would newly planted seeds.

As the paper pulp breaks down with water and sun, the seeds will germinate.

Beware of invasive wildflowers flowers:

The idea of this fun project is to help re-induce species of flowers they would grow

naturally or are native to your area. Many seed companies sell wildflower and pollinator mixes

that are perfectly suited for seed bombs. Source seeds from a local seed company that specializes

in species of plants that thrive in your area or mix your own blend of seeds.

Trusted seed companies will not sell invasive species, that could damage habitat.

I found these Floral Burlap Drawstring Bags Gift Bags

that would be make festive party favor bags

for the gardener, filled with seed bombs!

🐝 Bee Kind to Pollinators!

🐝 Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides. If you must use them, use the most selective and least toxic ones and apply them at night when most pollinators aren’t active.

🐝 Plant in clusters to create a “target” for pollinators to find.

🐝 Plant for continuous bloom throughout the growing season from spring to fall.

🐝 Select a site that has shelter from wind (by trees and shrubs), has at least partial sun, and can provide water.

🐝 Allow material from dead branches and logs remain as nesting sites; reduce mulch to allow patches of bare ground for ground-nesting bees to utilize; consider installing wood nesting blocks for wood-nesting natives.

🐝 Support farmers and beekeepers by buying local honey and locally produced organic foods.

You might also like:

Make Every Day Earth Day with a Garden + DIY Easy Pollinator Container

Create a DIY Pollinator Container to welcome bees, butterflies and hummingbirds

to your garden with plants they love and brighten your patio or deck.

DIY ‘Bee Happy’ Wreath and Happy Earth Day

Create a ‘Bee Happy’ Wreath to celebrate gardening season and in honor of Earth Day.

You’ll also learn what you can do to keep the bees and other pollinators happy.

Create a Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard

Learn how to create a habitat garden to attract birds, butterflies, bees

and other neighborhood wildlife.

It’s fun, makes a positive difference and easier than you might think!

🐝 🌸 🦋

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch