Long overlooked, the micro-soil-block maker turns out to be a remarkably effective tool for professional market gardeners — especially for the early production of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. With it, you can start hundreds of plants while optimizing space and energy.

1. A tool designed for professional market gardeners

The micro-block maker produces tiny soil blocks, so small they look unusable for direct planting. And that’s normal: they are not intended for the field, but for potting on.

Tray of micro-blocks ready for nightshade seeding

This mini-block is specifically designed for nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers), demanding crops that are started very early in the season — sometimes as early as February.

Constraints are then numerous: need for warmth to germinate, lack of space on heating mats, high energy consumption, sometimes finicky germination.

To start 200 to 400 tomato plants in classic pots, you’d need a huge surface and a much higher energy bill. The micro-block maker becomes a clever tool.

2. How to use the micro-block maker properly?

The operation is simple: fill the tool from above with very moist potting soil (about 25 L of water for a 70 L bag). A few presses are enough to obtain small, clean and well-formed blocks.

Maintaining moisture: the main difficulty

Micro-blocks dry out very quickly, especially on a heating mat. Daily vigilance is essential.

Recommended watering:

  • soak the tray to avoid washing the seed away;
  • or water very gently over a thin layer of sand, potting soil or vermiculite.

Massive savings on space and energy

On a small heating mat 1 metre wide, you can place four trays.

3. From sowing to potting on: the Spidmot 16

Once the seeds have germinated, it’s time to pot them on into larger blocks. This is where the Spidmot 16 comes in, equipped with adapted square pegs.

Potting on a micro-block into a Spidmot 16 block

The advantages:

  • 32 blocks per tray;
  • always well-moistened potting soil;
  • quick demoulding;
  • the micro-block fits perfectly into the planned imprint.

Conclusion

The micro-block maker may not be the most intuitive tool at first glance — but it is remarkably effective once you understand its logic. For early nightshades, it offers an incomparable saving in space, energy and time.

Buy the Micromotte 20 Ladbrooks at Spidplant