Ladbrooke Micro 20 Soil Block Maker - New Handle

It is tiny and way too expensive for what you get.

I have had absolutely no problematic issue with this blocker. It has made seed starting in volume very easy, and very affordable with the use of far less seed starting mix. Perfect size blocks for seeds such as lettuce, cole crops, zinnias, marigolds, and especially petunias. Also great for tomatoes and peppers though they benefit from being potted up or planted out much earlier than crops with smaller seeds. This blocker is excellently made and will pay for itself in soil savings. Durable, easy to use, convenient.

I had never used a soil block before. This product is very well made and easy to use. Do not use potting mix for it has to many larger chunks. If you do sift it first and mix with good compost and worm casting and moisten well with warm water. Also when loading the soil blocker load it tight and thick so the seedlings will have something for the roots to grasp to. I made over 1300 square blocks and it only filled 3 of my 4’ shelves. After the seeds pop and about 1/2 have sprouted move them off the heat mats to the grow lights. Water EVERY morning, they are so small they dry out in 24 hours. On occasion I have sprayed with water the top of the block where the seed is to keep them moist until sprouting when on the heat mat.

Love the size of the blocks because I know what germinates before potting them to bigger pots. Takes way less water, soil and space so think small when planting in them because all that germinates needs to be potted up and that can get out of hand quick. So so efficient. I can put my whole season's plants in 1 to 1 1/2 10x20's. The price felt reasonable for the sturdiness. Very easy to use because they don't use that much soil. Also the soil is so wet when packing the blocker that the seeds have all they need for most of the germination process. Do yourself a favor and try it out. I like this process better than germinating seeds on wet paper towels because it eliminates the destruction of the roots that grow into the paper towel fibers and get ripped when removed. I also like this better than the seedling trays but that could be because I can never get the plant out properly without it falling apart. I probably keep it too wet (that's a me problem) ;) Anyway, very worth the money.

beginner gardener, new to soil blocking. not new to using tools! this is a tool that's a good design overall, pretty self explanatory, and simple enough to use. i've started 1000 seeds using this blocker this season. tiny seeds like gomphrena or lisianthus, to zinnias and carrots... all my carrots even germinated and transplanted well; i live in montana and frost kept putting off my transplanting! i was absolutely bewildered that everything could survive for so long in a tiny micro soil block. amazing. specific tool experiences: one side of the handle popped out of the plastic base, somewhere around the 20th block set made. quite frustrating because of course it only breaks when you're in the middle of the mud. after thorough cleaning and the application of some two part epoxy, it works well again, and held up through the remainder of the season. the base and cube form is made of plastic. it would be such a massive design improvement if it were metal. the plastic assembly has some very weak points that i feel don't have enough material and will crack over time even with careful use. therefore (and in consideration of the cost of the item) i don't believe it can be considered a very long term investment. also, each cube edge has a bit of a lip of plastic from the manufacturing process, which can cause issue if larger bits of twig or bark get caught on the lip. i shaved the edge off the worst ones with a hobby knife and it seems to have helped as the blocks release better now. do follow their advice and use a very fine soil blend to avoid stuck and crumbling blocks. my last suggestion and a caption to my photo added: get some "friendly plastic" (moldable boil and set pellets) and smash some around the metal handle if you're going to do more than a few sets of blocks. it really makes a world of difference having a bigger ergonomic handle. overall i certainly wouldn't call it a piece of junk as i've seen in some of the other product reviews, but it is a tool that does require a bit of patience to use. after consideration now that the growing season is over, i've updated my review to 4 rather than 3 stars. if you need a micro blocker, you will be happy enough with it. i would love to see this being manufactured with a sheet metal base instead of plastic, because then it would be worth 5 stars.