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So I Need to Invest in a Grow Rack...

Vbkid

Getting There...
So my collection has essentially tripled in size over the past few weeks and I'm running out of window space for my neps...I need a grow rack.The local lowes still has a few indoor greenhouses similar to this:
http://www.amazon.com/Indoor-Outdoo...MTSU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316628923&sr=8-2
They are $40 at Lowes and I will ask about getting their display model for cheaper.
It would be inside, and I'd try to put just a 2 bulb 2' fluorescent light fixture above at least 3 of the shelves.
Thoughts?
Can I do something similar for cheaper? Easier? I've never had a grow rack before, so and advice is new to me really!
Thanks for the help,
Kyle
 
i would argue that wire shelving is just as good if not better....surround with styrofoam lined up with mylar. instant win---look at Jeremiah's heliamphora set-up to get the gist....
 
I definitely wouldn't mind setting something like that up, it seems like I should be able to fund a metal rack cheaper than the $40 he listed. I mean, the grow rack is practically the same thing but with plastic covering for $40, then I'd just have to replace it with foam board....thoughts?
 
If you have the space for it, I would highly recommend going for 4ft shelving. You will save a ton of money on lights and bulbs. $50 shelving will get you more space for your buck, too.

I wouldn't recommend using those indoor greenhouses unless you leave the front completely open. Even then, the trapped heat will bake any highland species and the stagnation will promote rot.
 
I appreciate the feed back!
After looking at Jeremiahs setup and with Phys' recommendations I was thinking about this:
4 foot shelving, in front of a window (which direction would be best?!).
On the very top, in open air, I'd have the easiest neps (miranda, ventrata, etc).
the two side walls and back would have styrofoam and mylar surfacing. I would mount a light fixture to the top shelf and probably the shelf 2 below it.
I'd connect a fan (or 2) to blow through a hole in a side. I'd seal the bottom and front with plastic, and probably try to use velcro to open the front plastic kinda like a fridge door.
I think I could do this all cheaply enough.
One thing, I don't have a humidifier, maybe my parents have an old one, idk. Would a sterilite container of water in the bottom be good enough to keep humidity up? I'd be growing a number of mirabilis hybrids, some pure mirabilis, and just easy neps in general in this.
Also, will 2 light units in it be good enough? I'd use just 2ft 2 bulb fluorescent fixtures with some 5000k bulbs.
 
So been thinking a lot about this. If I did get the grow rack from Lowe's, would it be possible to just line the inside of that with mylar and connect a fan near the bottom? What would be the pros and cons of this maybe?
 
My first grow rack I spent a whole 20-25 bucks on (minus lighting). It was ghetto, but it worked. I even duplicated it when I needed more space.

I bought one of those solid white plastic things you put together. I then had a 6 foot section of 1" x 2 " board laying around and cut it in sections to match the length of the shelving with just a little overhang.

I took a steak knife (because my tools have been pillaged by my 14 year old), and cut out a section in the shelves to place the 1" x 2" board in and screwed it into the underneath of the shelves securely. I then took a set of hook screws and screwed them into the end of the boards so I could hang my lights with the small section of chain they came with.

That was about it...

Here was the finished product...
growracks.jpg


Another nice thing I liked about these cheap racks is they had a small lip so if you overwatered, it was unlikely it would get on the floor.
 
Could you show us a picture of the plants you are planning to put in the grow rack? I'm sure you will keep expanding, but knowing what you're dealing with will help us inform you about what direction to go. Personally, I've got my 48'' wire shelves full of plants, with a 4 bulb t5ho fixture above them, and I don't feel the need to enclose them at all. Mylar will help with reflection, but if you're just dealing with highland nepenthes or plants that don't need quite as much light, enclosing your rack with mylar will just require more maintenance than some of us are willing to invest our time in. Plus, there are less chances of mold and bacterial growth with an open rack. On the other hand, if you are one of those who feel high humidity is essential, than enclosing the rack is probably for you.
 
  • #10
The Lowes 4' shelf is definitely the way to go if you ask me. Mine cost $78, but it's definitely worth it. You said your collection recently doubled in size... but I'm sure before long, it'll double in size again!! Plus, as someone else mentioned, having a 4' rack lets you buy 4' light fixtures, of which there is generally a greater variety with not much, if any, extra cost.

Have a look at my "grow rack re-pimping project" thread - it might be helpful. I recently re-configured my rack yet again to make use of all the shelves. I'll post pics this weekend.

The way I have it set up right now, I've got two 2' tall shelves for Neps, a shorter 1' tall shelf for dews & pings, and another 1' tall shelf for germinating seeds and growing sphagnum--or trying to grow it, at least. I'm not using the second Nep shelf, but I'm sure before long I'll have to expand out to that shelf... at which point I can just buy a few more light fixtures and mount them to the shelves.
 
  • #11
This is what my wife bought for me:

Picture001-2.jpg


Picture001-33.jpg
 
  • #12
That is nice a tidy little setup Jim. I could see one of those in my upstairs bedroom real soon :) Thanks for sharing!
 
  • #13
I wish I could double the wattage output, though!
 
  • #14
I always loved how clean that rack looks, Jim. What sort of bulbs does it run?
 
  • #15
Always plan on having more room than you need. I recently just about doubled my nepenthes collection in one trade recently. I need more room for sarrs now andneed to expand the bog. Also my GH needs to be expanded. Always go bigger if you can manage. And the 4 foot selves are what I would do when I setup my workshop and can also do a grow rack plus the GH.
 
  • #16
So after lots of searching and planning, I have decided on the following and want some final input. So with the limited space in my apartment, and my resolution to not purchase more plants than the rack can handle until after I finish college this year, and the fact that my current finances are a little strict, here's what I'm planning:
I'm going to purchase an indoor greenhouse/growrack from Lowe's for $40. It is much like the one in my original post. I am going to install my current light fixture, as well as an additional one (perhaps 4 ft instead of 2ft). All my plants should fit on just 2 shelves, so I still have a little room to expand. I plan to line at least the 2 side walls, and possibly the back wall with mylar.
The few problems I need to address:
It's already been mentioned this can build up heat on the inside. I know leaving the front open should solve this, but what about just one fan drawing air in near the bottom and one pumping air out near this top, could this be enough?
Also, I currently don't have a humidifier, would a large tray of water on the bottom rack help with humidity?
Feel free to point out anything I missed!
 
  • #17
I've found from my own experience that standing water isn't enough to keep up humidity. Best thing to do is MIST MIST MIST!! Mist the entire inside of the enclosure (walls, ceiling, etc.) once in the morning, and once at night. That should do the trick. Your still going to want fans moving the air inside of the enclosure though.
 
  • #18
Ok, I figured I cut on flap in the bottom, one in the top, put fans in em and run them all day
 
  • #19
Also, I currently don't have a humidifier, would a large tray of water on the bottom rack help with humidity?!

Get more plants - I hear that helps :banana2:

But yeah, what mass said. If you can't humidify, then mist. The air flow from one set of fans should be fine, too, as long as it doesn't stagnate. Good luck!
 
  • #20
I have had great results with the metal wire grow rack from lowes as well. In my experience however, it is completely unnecessary to fret over humidity for anything but Heliamphora and a select few Nepenthes (some lowland neps like bicalcarata and untra-highlanders like raja or villosa, etc). I live in Utah, with low humidity and my Neps are growing great, as long as they have the right temps and enough light. While I'm sure there are more extravagant ways of doing it, I just drape a white sheet over the rack to reflect more light back on the plants. Simple is best, I think.
 
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