Drainage system/Drip tray recommendations - Orchid Board

orion141 · #1 03-22-2015, 10:14 AM

Hi all!

I am trying to figure out the best way to be able to water my orchids without having to take them one by one to the sink. I currently have a 72x48x24" wire shelving unit that hold my orchids (with t5 lights above them). I was thinking of putting a tray below each self of orchids with a drainage home drilled into the corner and flexible tubing inserted into the hole. This would allow me to insert the tubing into some sort of collecting device. Has this worked for any of you? Or are there different, more sensible solutions available?

Also if you used the tray technique where did you buy 48x24" trays from? I am having a hard time locating these online.

Thanks a lot!!

DelawareJim · #2 03-22-2015, 12:17 PM

Many hydroponic stores carry trays with or without holes for drainage. They're generally used for an "ebb and flow" technique where the tray and media are flooded then allowed to drain back to the reservoir. So basically, you'd be using and "ebb and flow" system without the flooding. Hydrofarm is the main supplier for these setups and they are available at any hydroponics store.

I'm deciding if I want to go this way myself or build a greenhouse right now.

Cheers.
Jim

Orchidgirl83 · #3 03-22-2015, 01:39 PM

You may want to check out the post in this thread by Katrina:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...r-orchids.html
She has done something similar to what you want.

Paphluvr · #4 03-22-2015, 09:30 PM

When I was growing under lights my benches were made out if redwood with hardware cloth stapled to the top for the plants to rest on. Inside the framework I mounted teacup hooks. I then cut heavy duty vinyl to fit inside the frame with allowances for some sag and a folded over edge. I inserted grommets along the folded edge on the spacing of the teacup hooks. With a small hole cut in the center of the sag I could set a bucket under the plastic to collect drippage and overspray. Still had to empty bucket in the bathroom, but better than hand watering 300+ plants.

Your idea of a drip try with a drainage hole and hose sounds like a similar idea.

RandomGemini · #5 03-22-2015, 10:33 PM

What Katrina did is cool and way more complicated than what I did. I water each pot by hand, but I have a plastic boot tray that I cut to fit my shelving units, and then I water the plants, sitting right there in the tray. I have a fan in the room for air movement. Evaporation happens pretty fast. Whatever overflow I get sits in the drip tray and dries off before I go to bed at night. Provides humidity for the plants and because the bottom of the boot tray has a raised texture for water to drain off of shoes... the plants don't sit in whatever water overflows when I water them.

This is the boot tray I bought:

Manor Wrought Iron Boot Tray - BedBathandBeyond.com

Ray · #6 03-23-2015, 09:49 AM

I used to achieve that with standard nursery trays, which I adapted with "tray drains" to a 5-gallon bucket.

More recently I did as Jim mentioned, using ebb-and-flow trays outfitted similarly.

By the way - look at the Hydrofarm website. I am a discount reseller, so can usually chop 10%-20% off of their suggested retail prices.

jmmehler · #7 03-23-2015, 10:45 AM

If money is no issue, then the ebb and flow trays with drainage sounds like the best idea.

...However, if you need to consider a budget, and not a very small one, here's what I've done.

By far, the best deal on the stainless steel shelving, is Costco. You get a 5 shelf unit, with wheels. I like the wheels, because I sometimes shift them a couple of inches, for maintenance and or cleaning. I only install 3 of the shelves, top, bottom, and middle so right now, I have a surplus of about 5 or 6 extra shelves. I have found some special stainless steel hooks, specifically designed for this shelving. They allow you to hook your extra shelves onto existing units, giving you additional shelf space.

I found some very porous 12 x 12 tile at a building liquidation store, and together with my $89 tile saw from Home Depot, cut them to perfectly fit the shelves, even cut out round notches in the corners, so they would fit around the poles. I mist every day, sometimes twice a day. Mostly the roots, and the tiles. All my cattleyas have bloomed under lights this year.

I rigged up a single pulley on one end, and a double on the other, below the top and center shelves. Using 1/4 inch para-cord, I can raise and lower my T5 HO lights.

I have two parallel rows of shelving. I've used the stainless steel hooks to attach a top, and center shelf between two units at one end. I've also used those hooks to hang a shelf sideways, creating a grid-wall, on which I can hang orchids. Instead of rigging the pulley system, which takes up about 6 inches, I have an 8 lamp T5 HO unit sitting on top of the shelf, and I hang orchids underneath as close to the light source as I wish. On the shelf underneath the hanging orchids, I place orchids that need less light.

Watering is a challenge as I have industrial carpeting and no drainage in the basement. To overcome this, during the winter, and for all my indoor orchids, I only fertilize 3 or 4 times a year. all the pots sit in saucers, and I water sparingly and often. My cats are in tera cotta pots, and love that I spray the roots and pots every day, sometimes twice a day. I water the cats with about a 1/2 a cup twice a week, and pour out what accumulates in the saucer.

My Phals are in sphagnum, and they are kept moist by a twice weekly watering and daily misting schedule.

cbuchman · #8 03-23-2015, 10:48 AM

I have essentially what you describe. I have humidity trays on wire shelving that have flexible tubing that connect to PVC pipe that drains into the benches below which in turn drain into a dry well. My husband made them for me. You could just as easily drain into a container.

He used silicone caulking to make the tubing connection secure and water tight. I think I would do only 1 thing different and that is to ensure that the trays can retain some water by attaching the tubing about 1/2 to 3/4 inches up on the side of the tray. Although mine attach on the side, the first one or 2 have the attachment almost flush with the base. We learned from our mistakes and made the later ones retain more water.

orion141 · #9 03-23-2015, 10:19 PM

Thanks for all of the replies!! Does anyone have specific links to the trays they have used? I am still having a hard time finding 4'x2' (or 2'x'2') suitable trays. The boot trays that Random Gemini look good, but they don't seem to have the sizes I listed. I have checked the hydrofarm website but don't see any trays of that diameter (but I might have missed them). Thanks again!

RandomGemini · #10 03-23-2015, 10:41 PM

I'll measure the shelves. They are made
of recycled rubber and require a dremel and safety glasses to cut.