You have probably seen the memes showing you how to grow seeds in ice cream cones. There are lots of pictures on the internet, especially in places like Pinterest, showing nicely grown seedlings like the one pictured below.
The whole idea did not make sense to me, but who knows, maybe it’s a good idea and I’m just jealous that I didn’t think of it first.
I had to try it!
Growing Seeds in Ice Cream Cones
This is pretty simple. Take an ice cream cone, fill it with potting mix, add your seed, water and wait until things grow. I don’t know if you have to put a hole in the bottom? Most instructions that I looked at did not mention it, so I did not bother.
I took 4 cones and added some Pro-mix BX; my standard seed starting mix. I placed a bean seed in each of two cones and a pea seed in each of the other two. To keep them upright, I put them in a container. I then watered them just enough to wet the soil, but not enough to have water run out the bottom or over the top edge.
What To Expect?
The pictures on the internet are quite clear – see above. After a few weeks you have this nice clean cone with small seedlings growing in it.
It is even claimed that this is biodegradable – how nice is that?
A Myth is Born
The author of the above picture, Sarah Neuburger, contacted me through the comments section of this post. This picture is of a small concrete cast pot – that is why it looks so perfect. Whoever started this myth must have seen the picture and figured it could be used to start a false story about growing in ice cream cones. Other bloggers saw the story and ran with it, creating stories of their own. In no time at all, the internet was full of this nonsense.
I don’t know who started the story, but at least we now know that the pictures never showed real ice cream cones.
Growing Seeds in Ice Cream Cones – 24 hours
I looked at the ice cream cones 24 hours after planting. You can see that they all collapsed and are now laying on top of one another in the corner of the container. Ice cream cones melt once wet – after all they are mostly air.
Why did mine collapse and the one in the advertisement was still hard, even weeks later?
Growing Seeds in Ice Cream Cones – 1 week
I left them in the container under lights and a week later I have germinated seedlings. They are a bit tall – I guess they did not get enough light.
Wonder what all that white stuff is? Here is a closeup of all the mold growing on the outside.
This mold might be mycorrhizal fungi in which case they could be good for the seedlings – but I doubt it. It is just mold growing on the wet, starchy, sugary cones.
Can You Grow Seedlings in Ice Cream Cones?
YES! I just proved you can.
Is it a good idea? NO. It’s a stupid idea.
It’s just one more example of people being conned on the internet – or should that be coned?
Agree with you! Cones are made for one thing, ice cream. Why would anyone waste a good cone on seeds. 🙂
The mold is not mycorrhizal fungi. It would appear to be common saprophytic fungi: e.g. Penicillium, Aspergilus, and Rhizopus spp.The kind of molds that you would get on bread and bakery products.
I always love second-guessing what the results would be, and this one was a no-brainer…loved it anyway, keep up the great work. As a photographer, it was clear this was a mock-up, and as a slow ice-cream licker, the cone does not even last in my hand, lol.
It does seem so obvious, at least to anyone who has ever eaten an ice cream cone, but many people tried it and thought it was a good idea.
I’m not exactly surprised to find that this one is a myth, but enjoyed the entertaining write-up anyway. I don’t for a second believe that the clover and moss (!) in the photo were grown in the cone – dug up and stuffed in more like.
Great advice
Hmmm – it should be quite obvious to anyone that the pic at the top is a cone which has been planted up with a clover plant (NOT seedlings) and a nice clump of decorative moss – probably just before the photo was taken…
Well, you did say you didn’t poke holes in the bottom of the cones, so obviously that was what caused them to collapse and mould 😉
This was awesome. Thanks for testing this out. I got a good laugh out of it.
Fantastic article. I always thought that would happen, after all if a baby sucks and slobbers on a cone it soon becomes mushy, what else could you expect from damp soil mix.
I will certainly share this in my next monthly Newsletter for the Harriston Horticultural Society
Brilliant post.