My newly built Grow Shelves

Howdy Y'all, I recently recieved a large Paph St. Swithin, and didn't have much room to grow it. I was growing on a 2 shelf system I had built, now I am on a 3 shelf system I have built. I know I could have saved alot of time and bought racks, but this way they are totally customizable, and fun to create. The pictures show the hole unit, then each shelf top down. I will probably need a little more light for the Paph St. Swithin, but I'll have to figure that out later. Enjoy the Pics!
Peace,
Tadd

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Looks like you,ve put a lot of thought into them , well done m8.

Are they all grown in gravel trays ?

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Who the smeg is Dwayne Dibbley ?

Looks very professionally done. Really nice work!

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Louis J. Aszod

I was told after I had used rocks, that the light crates would be better. I do get occasional algae(looks kind of scummy), but I just use a diluted bleach or physan solution. Each of the trays has a drain with hose built in, so it drains when I water, no need to haul all of them to the sink.

when i saw your post on what you should do about the growing conditions for your new st swithin, i knew that you would come to the right conclusion on your own!!

you definitely needed this new shelf....for your st swithin and for all of the new plants! so get busy ordering!

the shelf looks great (but a little bare).

by the way, happy birthday!

Tadd,
Your setup looks great! I've got a bunch of paphs that I want to try indoors and am about to buy a shelving system from a local industrial supply store. I have a few questions...

Where did you find the Tupperware-looking trays that you have the plants in? I like the clear trays and they are bound to keep the air humid where it counts.

I know you said you have hoses connected to drain away water but is there some water remaining to enhance humidity?

How long do you keep the fans running at the lower shelf per day? Constantly?

How warm is the air from the light tubes at leaf level? What is the distance from the tubes to your plants?

How often are you watering?

Thanks in advance!!! VERY nice setup and photos!

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Garland
Midlothian, VA
"You know, the only people that are weirder than us are the dog show people...and we are not a distant second by any means." Joe Kunisch

My current setup is composed of underbed storage bins. I purchased mine at BigLots the discount store for like $2 bucks a piece. I have attatched the drains on the side of the bins about an 1 1/2 - 2 inches from the bottom(see the first and second pics) Then I used a vinyl hose and marine/aqua glue sealant. I covered the drain(hose end) with a 2 inch net cup to keep my gravel out of it. I then fill in around the drain with gravel(next photo) When I water, I let gravity pull the excess water into a bucket on the floor. I water in the bins, no more running back and forth to the sink.
I keep my fans running 24/7. The lights are on timers, but the fans stay on. The max temperature during the day with lights on is 85 degrees. I actually close the A/C vent to this room during the day to help raise temps. At night I open the A/C vent to help cool it down. The lights do not raise the temps to much for me. I get down to about 70 degrees at night. My lights are on for roughly 15 hours through october, then 14, 12, etc... (16 for july and August).
My lights are roughly 4-6 inches away from the plants, I adjust alotof the plantsto get the lights as close as possible. I have actually had plants touching the lights without being burned. I alternate warm and cool lights from Lowes(the cheapies). I haven't moved up to the fancey wide spectrums from philips yet. The bottom shelf is a little higher due to the size of my Paph St. Swithin. I wish I could get the lights a bit closer, but the top 2 leaves are straight up right now.
I water roughly twice a week right now, I will probably move back to just once a week in the winter. It all depends on how the medium looks. Right now my phals are in sphag so they are staying alot moister than my paphs in bark. So they get skipped once a week. It all depends on your culture. I have seen great growth in mostly all of my plants, and even some blooms. I am pretty new to growing under lights, but my results satisfy me. Hope this helps a little! Good luck!
Peace,
Tadd

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THANKS a million for the info. I hope to have a similar setup by next weekend!

I have a nice marine hardware store nearby. I'm thinking a plastic thru-hull fitting would be a nice way to connect the hose to each tray. These fittings are commonly used to allow water to be pumped from the bilges in boats. They make for a clean installation.

It would provide a fitting to push the hose onto from the outside. You would still have to provide protection to the fitting opening like your plastic pots.

Attached is a photo of a stainless thru-hull WITH a screen to keep out particles. This type is commonly used in bait tanks to keep the smaller bait fish from being drained out of the tank.

I'd like to hear of other's experiences with similar setups and pitfalls. I like the idea of having a number of plants inside the house!

Good growing!

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Garland
Midlothian, VA
"You know, the only people that are weirder than us are the dog show people...and we are not a distant second by any means." Joe Kunisch

That looks awesome, like if you had it made, you would have paod big buck for it. Great job building it!

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OrchidTraci

Tadd,
Regarding your fans that are running continuously, I see the two at the bottom shelf pointing up and toward the wall at the back of the shelving. Are they the only two you have?

Do they provide air movement at each level? They don't look like they are doing much good for the St. Swithin on the bottom shelf. Perhaps deflected air off the edge of the lighting unit?

Where did you get the fans and how much were they?

Most importantly, are they quiet?

Thanks in advance!

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Garland
Midlothian, VA
"You know, the only people that are weirder than us are the dog show people...and we are not a distant second by any means." Joe Kunisch