Make a Seed Rakhi in 20 Minutes That Grows After the Festival
Cotton thread, a little clay and a few seeds. After Raksha Bandhan it goes into a pot and sprouts. A simple project to do with children.
The short answer
- You need: cotton thread, a little clay or soil-and-flour dough, seeds, and a bottle cap as a mould.
- Time: about 20 minutes, plus a day to dry.
- Do not post seed rakhis to Australia or New Zealand.
A seed rakhi has a small disc of clay at its centre with seeds pressed inside. After the festival, your brother plants it, and the rakhi turns into a plant. It is a lovely project to do with children, and it costs almost nothing.
What you need
- About 50 cm of thick cotton thread or mauli
- A walnut-sized ball of clay, or garden soil mixed with a little flour and water
- A few small seeds, such as tulsi or marigold
- A bottle cap to use as a mould
- A few dried flower petals or turmeric for colour (optional)
How to make it
- Press half the clay into the bottle cap to make a flat base.
- Lay the middle of the thread across the clay so both ends hang out.
- Scatter three or four seeds on top, not too close together.
- Press the rest of the clay over the seeds and smooth the top.
- Decorate with petals, or dust with a pinch of turmeric.
- Gently pop the disc out of the cap and let it dry in the shade for a day.
The best part is the message: this rakhi keeps growing long after the festival.
After the festival
Untie the rakhi, place the clay disc in a pot of soil about a finger's depth down, and water it lightly every day. Keep it somewhere bright. Most small seeds sprout within one to two weeks.
A word about posting it
Seeds are tightly controlled in some countries. Australia and New Zealand in particular have strict biosecurity rules, so do not post a seed rakhi there. For other countries, check the rules first, or send a regular rakhi and save the seed rakhi for family in India. Our types of rakhi guide has other ideas.
Frequently asked questions
Small, easy seeds like tulsi or marigold work well. They germinate readily in a pot on a sunny windowsill.
Not to Australia or New Zealand, which strictly control seeds. For other countries, check their rules before posting.
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From our family shops in Jaipur. Prices were checked when we picked them; the shop page always shows today's price.
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