Quote:
Originally Posted by katrina
Or, you could build it.
My husband built these for me last Fall....plexiglass trays w/drainage...a long shot of part of the grow space showing the hoses and buckets for catching the water...you can also see my mount station watering catch thingees that also drain into buckets. W/these things I'm able to water all nearly 300 orchids in a fraction of the time it used to take when I had to carry everything to the sink.
A close up of the inside of one of the trays w/the plastic drop ceiling lighting egg crates so the pots aren't sitting in water because not every drop of water drains out...some usually sits in the bottom for a day or two after a heavy watering.
Up close of the drain and hose attachment...
We ordered the black plexiglass in pieces to make the trays...my husband put them together w/aquarium sealant and some super strong glue. He also used some sort of black tape around all the edges so there were no sharp bits anywhere...plus it helped to add stability to the sealed areas. He drilled a hole for the drain (w/shut off valve) which is a hose-end/faucet piece that you use w/outdoor hoses and attachments..sealed w/silicon caulking used for plumbing. The hose is just that...outdoor hose...and it drains into a 5 gal bucket. I wanted them to drain to a sink but there wasn't enough back pressure to sufficiently drain out so we went the short hose and bucket route. Worked great all Winter long. You just have to watch the bucket and dump it before it gets too full to move safely.
All the shelves have to be pitched slightly toward the drain side or you end up w/too much watering sitting in the bottom. Even w/a pitch, there is a little water that doesn't drain out but w/the heat of the HO T5's it's usually dried up in a day or so...not a big deal.
We'll have to do a few fixes here and there...a couple of leaks around the drains that just popped in the last week or two of use...before the orchids come back inside this Fall but overall I was very pleased w/how they worked out. Definitely a huge time saver over carrying everything to the sink. |
I wish I have a large house with extra space at the basement, so I could have a growing space like yours.
I'm jealous!!! what a great husband too!
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