Metro racks spill trays

[Pilot]

Hi all,

Does anyone else grow on metro racks? I do and I am looking for trays that will contain spills. I have the 48" long , 18" wide racks and have been able to find the liners but not something that will actually contain water from falling on the racks below. My plan is to have a tray that is able to contain water but have a drain on a low end so that it empties into a drain. Anyone have any ideas?

[billc]

You could look into those long under bed plastic containers. The one's I got at Target aren't quite 48" and I did have to utilize another shelf to put it on because it does get heavy when there's a couple of gallons of water in it. It is also a good humidity source.

Bill

[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.

[Orchids4ever]

LOVE your set-up Katrina
wish i could do that-but i grow mine in the Kitchen

[jeremyinsf]

That is QUITE the setup! I think your husband must really love you!!!

---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:41 PM ----------

Ryan, I grow on Metro Racks too and DO have the liners. They help quite a bit, but I also understand why you are looking for 'more'. We have this store on the west coast called "Tap Plastics". They will make just about anything out of plastic you can dream up. Perhaps you have something similar where you are in Colorado? Taking a liner or really good measurements, they could cut plexi and build up a lip, add a drain hole, etc.

Would love to hear what you come up with!!!!

[rosemadder]

I have small metro shelves, and I'm just using plain old regular seedling trays for the moment, with heat mats tucked below on top of a layer of foil-lined styrofoam insulation. If I feel like draining them, I use a little siphon hose-- but I like to leave them with standing water. The drain holes or saucers on the S/H pots just need to be above the water line. I water each till they overflow a bit.

The temperature in the middle of these S/H pots is 80 degrees.



I am using transparent trays right now, but I think they're actually lids, and they don't have the many grooves the black trays do, so I'm getting nastiness under the pots. I'll switch back to the black ones soon.

[cbuchman]

My husband also built me trays from the standard humidity trays that have drainage tubes that empty into a drain in the floor that leads to a dry well. Nothing as elaborate as Katrina's! That is amazing!

[Pilot]

Some great ideas all! Thanks! Ill report back with what income up with.

[Oscarman]

Nicely done! Good set up.

[seaj]

Originally Posted by Pilot

Some great ideas all! Thanks! Ill report back with what income up with.

Did you find your solution yet? I have been wanting a shelf with catch trays so I could water the plants in place. I would love to have something like what Katrina has. Most of my plants are in semi-hydro and they have suffered due to my laziness. With so many plants, it's a chore to water/flush them as often as I should, and then find a way to reassemble them on the stand.

This won't work for your metro racks, but this rabbit cage system could be adapted to work for indoor growers.
Stacking Rabbit Cages, Stackable Rabbit Cages - Rabbit Cages, Rabbit Hutches

Something similar could probably be made with corrugated polycarbonate roofing panels and gutters under mesh shelves.