And now for something a little spiffy... (Flower Graffiti)

So, recently, I've been a little (read: enormously) political active. I won't talk too much about the specifics because this blog is NOT about politics, but rather about Art and Nerd culture. However, I have found out about a neat little movement that certainly files under the art section, and depending on your love of chemistry, might qualify as nerdy:

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Seed Bomb. In an urban world where the only green you might see is weeds, the Guerrilla Gardening movement aims to give power to the people in the form of tiny balls of clay, seeds, and fertilizer. The beautiful thing about this, like most pieces of art, they can represent anything that matters to you. You can choose to plant wild flowers in colors that represent what you're passionate about, or you can even plant herbs or small veggie/fruit plants for the community to share. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

Of course, if planted on private property that you do not own, this is technically illegal. I say "technically" because if someone wanted to be a total asshole about flowers being planted on undeveloped land, and could prove you were behind it, you could be held accountable. However, if you choose to do it in an area covered with weeds, it becomes increasingly unlikely that someone would bother raising a stink over some pretty flowers. But since this DOES cover an illegal subject, I MUST include this disclaimer:

Nerdspiffy.com and her webmistress does NOT condone any graffiti of any sort, be it with paint or flowers. This post is merely intending to inform people that this movement is out there. It is not telling you to go out there and do it. If you do it, get caught, and say this blog post did it, fuck you. You are in control of your own actions. Please try to get permission first before attempting any of these practices.


That being said, let's move on to the different types of seed bombs there are.

First up is the seed pill, my personal favorite.

Do NOT make me write a disclaimer against taking these.
God, there's someone stupid enough to swallow one, isn't there?
Fuck it, here you go retards: Don't do it.

These are a bit trickier to make, but they're the least conspicuous and probably the best ones to use. You can get the capsules at a vegan store or order them online (make sure they're biodegradable-- dissolving with water is a must! Fill them with the seeds of your choice, a little bit of eco-friendly fertilizer, and close it up. You can either toss them onto the lot of your choosing or pop them into the dirt.

The next one up is a classic: clay seed balls.

These seed grenades are awesome AND available for sale.
I totally want them. ;_;

The general rule is to do a 5:1:1 ratio of clay soil, compost, and seeds, binding the mixture together with water. You can get pretty creative with these-- one man pours them into gun molds! However, even those this is a classic, this isn't without its draw backs. If you use it in hot, dry areas, it could bake solid, preventing the seeds from growing. So don't use this if you live in an area as dry as Rosie O'Donnell. Texas, I'm looking at you.

Beyond these, there are other interesting methods, like using balloons to scatter/drop the seeds and clay balls, or putting the materials in egg shells of all things. These aren't methods that I'd use, so I haven't researched them very much-- if this post sparks your interest, definitely look into it. Desertification and deforestation has definitely become a problem, so even if there isn't a larger political message you want to get behind, there is nothing wrong with getting out and planting some wildlife. If you don't want to make these yourself, but just want to toss them around, definitely look into buying them-- but be careful! Several sites I've found don't make them right or let the seed bombs dry out too much, which runs into the problem I've mentioned before.

And if you do decide to plant these-- if you live in an area that doesn't get a lot of rain, be sure to water your seed bombs every once in a while! And if you remember to use fertilizer or compost, you'll see results in no time.

That concludes my spiffy update for today. If I manage to get around to this, I'll take some pictures and upload them for you guys! See you next time~