Ladbrooke Authentic Soil Block Maker Mini 4 Hand Held - Most Popular Soil Blocking Tool, Made in England

Bought this for a first attempt at soil blocking after reviewing the options. I was expecting the Ladbrooke to be nice based on reviews, but was still happy to see how well made it is. After a little bit of tweaking the soil mix I was churning out perfect soil blocks with ease. 2" size was perfect for my needs starting a variety of seeds.

Starting seeds in soil blocks is the best method for the majority of what I grow and this soil block maker is the one to get for the job. The 2x2" blocks are the perfect size for starting indoors in trays and can easily be planted up into pots or directly transplanted into the ground outdoors. This block maker is built solidly making it easy to use, easy to maintain and the ideal size for home gardeners. I've been using mine for 9 years and it works as well as the day that I got it. Also makes a great gift for the gardeners you have in your life!

I love this and have been busy making my soil blocks for my veggies, flowers, and herbs! You won't regret buying this product! It might seem a little pricey, but it will soon pay for itself!

LIke the title says a must have all you need is some wet soil and you have planting cubes, this a great way to stop using the cardboard trays. Never again, I have had mine for the last month and it works great and using the last of my cardboard trays forever!!Pros: Great cubes for plantingHow I would update this product: would have put in a spring loaded handle with a soft grip, my 8 yr old daughter help out making cubes and she had a bit more difficulty with releasing, I would also add a cube press, so you can pack the dirt in to tighter cubes without having to put so much weight on the handle. Just some design feedback from a customer.

I like to start seeds for my vegetable garden in the Winter, so they are ready to plant out in the Spring. Got tired of all the plastic pots and trays, so I thought I would give this a try. I love it. You have to plan ahead a bit to get the soil mixed just right, but once you do it's easy to make these soil blocks. I think the mix is about 50/50 ratio of water to seed starting soil, and you let it sit awhile until the water is soaked in pretty good. I put the blocks on a grid tray and they are ready for seeds. The cool thing, is when you are ready to plant outside, you just plant the whole block. Worked out well in my garden.

Works great!

I cannot tell you how pleased I am with this product. It is made in England and is very durable. I was very impressed with the construction of the tool. I give it 4 stars for ease of use, because it took me several attempts before I was able to get the results that I wanted. I watched several videos on how to use, but none seem to explain it well enough for me. My biggest issue was having the tops of the soil blocks come off when I removed the tool. I ended up throwing several soil blocks back into my bin because of this (which is actually a nice thing to be able to reuse any blocks that do not turn out correctly). Once I figured out a technique that seemed to work for me, I was getting consistent results and everything was great. I ended up making over 100 blocks in one sitting (I would advise against this, as I was actually feeling a bit worn out toward the end). Another piece of advice I would give is to measure your trays that you are putting the blocks in so that you can get the most blocks into the trays as possible.Overall, very good product and I am sorry that I hesitated to buy it all these years.

Soil blocks are amazing, and I wish I'd just pulled the trigger on this device when I first heard of them. Last year, I made a cheap "soil blocker" out of an old Crystal Light container. I didn't want to spend money on this contraption before I was sure soil blocks would work. Well heck yes they work! My seedlings love them. I'm not sure if it's the dense soil (recipe below) or the even moisture or what, but my plants consistently grow better in blocks than inserts. Plus transplanting is simplified (just put it straight in the ground) and easier on the plants roots.You do need to use special soil to get the blocks to stay together, but it's easy to make:Soil Recipe:- 1 part peat moss or coco coir- 1 part pearlite or vermiculite- 1 part finished compostMix it all up dry, then put on some rubber gloves (the kind you'd wash dishes in) and start mixing in water. Better too much water then too little, but ideally you want to be able to squeeze a handful, open your hand, and have it hold its shape. It's a messy affair, like making mud pies. Don't make my mistake of running straight to the garden after work without changing into grungy clothes - apparently mud stains :/I can fit 50 of these 2-inch blocks in a standard 1020 tray, and it makes bottom-watering easy. I can get away without humidity domes because these hold so much water. These are more work upfront than inserts or pots, but less work at transplant time, and less seedlings lost to shock.I also bought the "micro" blocker (the one with 20 tiny blocks) and I would say don't bother with it. It's too hard to keep the tiny blocks moist. They are really only good for germination, and it is way easier to just germinate in a tray of soil and prick out the baby seedlings than go thru the hassle of the itsy bitsy blocks.