Content
The traditional place for growing seedlings is the windowsill. Boxes here they do not bother anyone, and the plants receive daylight. The inconvenience of this method is associated with the limitation of space. Little seedlings fit on the windowsill. Paul is not the best place. To grow a large amount of planting material, illuminated seedling racks are made, installed against the wall near the window or on the windowsill.
Varieties
Easier to purchase seedling rack in the shop. However, the cost of the product is high and the quality is not always good. A wobbly structure can collapse at any time. It is easier to make a rack on your own according to individual dimensions, but first you need to decide on the design.
Stationary
It contains usually a stationary seedling rack 5 shelves and is installed on the floor. The design is not collapsible. For reliability, the rack is fixed to the wall and floor. The model is suitable for people who are constantly growing planting material in large quantities. Due to the inability to disassemble the structure, it will be necessary to find an empty room for installation. The sizes are calculated individually. The optimal material for manufacturing is wood.
Collapsible
The most convenient to use is a collapsible rack. The structure can consist of 3, 4 or 5 removable shelves, installed as needed. The material of manufacture is a metal thin-walled profile with a galvanized coating. The collapsible model is installed at the time of growing seedlings, and then it is folded and stored in a barn.
Window
Accommodates a seedling window rack 3 shelves due to height limitation. The width of the windows is also different, so it is better to make such structures yourself with individual dimensions. The distance in height between the shelves can withstand a maximum of 50 cm. The rack can be made collapsible and non-collapsible, but the first option is better. After growing the planting material, the structure is disassembled for storage until the next season.
With case
On sale you can find a seedling rack with a cover, consisting of 4-5 shelves. A similar design can be made at home. The material of manufacture is a thin-walled pipe with a diameter of 15 mm, an angle or a profile. The cover is sewn from a transparent film or agrofiber. The purpose of the shelter is to create a microclimate for seedlings. The cover forms a mini-greenhouse, which allows you to install the rack in a cool room.
At first, lamps will be a source of heating for plants in a cool room. Secondly, the shelter partially reduces the intensity of daylight from the window and without artificial lighting, the seedlings will be dark.
Materials for self-fabrication of the structure
The frame is the basis of the rack. The racks and lintels bear all the load from the shelves and boxes with planting material. The structure is assembled from a wooden bar, metal corner, pipe or profile.
The shelves are likewise subject to heavy loads of earth boxes. The material for the production is any high-strength sheet material: multilayer plywood, iron, chipboard or other plates. Shelves are folded from board scraps. When using any material, cover with a film is required. During the watering of the seedlings, water gets on the shelves. Wood in dampness begins to rot, and metal begins to rust.
The nuances of self-manufacturing
Having decided to assemble a rack for seedlings with your own hands, you need to think over all the nuances in advance:
- the size depends on the free space where the structure is supposed to be installed, and also take into account the number of grown seedlings;
- the material is selected that is available at home, but take into account the strength and resistance to moisture.
Having decided on the materials and dimensions, they draw up a design drawing. The diagram provides for mounting points for backlight lamps.
The video shows the assembly of the rack:
Wooden stand on the windowsill
The simplest shelving on the windowsill for seedlings will turn out from wooden bars with a section of 30x30 mm. For shelves, thick tempered glass or plywood is suitable. The size of the structure depends on the dimensions of the window opening and the width of the window sill. There must be a gap of at least 5 cm between the rack and the side walls of the opening.
The height of the window usually allows 3 shelves. The distance between them is at least 50 cm. A similar gap is provided between the upper shelf and the wall of the window opening.
To make a frame from a bar, 4 racks, 6 long and 6 short jumpers are cut. The workpieces are connected with self-tapping screws. To strengthen the corners, it is advisable to use overhead metal plates. The assembled rack for seedlings on the window is treated with a protective impregnation, opened with varnish. Shelves are laid on the jumpers and fixtures for lamps are adapted.
Stationary timber construction
Stationary home racks for seedlings are most often also assembled from a bar, only blanks are used with a larger section - 50x50 mm. The manufacturing instruction consists of the following steps:
- According to the dimensions of the drawn drawing, blanks are cut from the bar. Stationary racks for growing seedlings are made with five shelves. You will need 10 long and 10 short jumpers. There are enough 4 racks for the frame. If you make a rack with a length of more than 2 m, it is advisable to put a couple of additional supports in the middle. The uprights will prevent the long shelf lintels from bending under the weight of the seedling boxes.
- On the racks, the locations of the jumpers are marked with a pencil. The workpieces are connected with self-tapping screws and must use overhead mounting corners made of metal.
- The assembled frame is installed in a permanent place. For better stability, the rack is fixed at several points to the wall.
The shelves are cut out of plywood or made of type-setting boards. All wooden elements of the rack are impregnated with an antiseptic. After drying, the impregnation can be opened with varnish.
Five-tiered metal structure
It is possible to make a metal rack for seedlings of a collapsible and stationary type. A folding structure is best done from a corner. Holes are drilled for the bolted connection in the workpieces.
A stationary seedling rack is made from a pipe or profile. The workpieces are joined by welding.
The finished metal structure is painted. The steel rack is stable due to its weight. If there are doubts about the quality of your assembly, then it is better to provide additional fastening to the wall or floor.
Backlight options
When making a stand for seedlings with your own hands with lighting, you need to choose the right lamps. Not every light source has a beneficial effect on plant development. There are the following backlight options:
- Traditional incandescent bulbs are the worst lighting for any seedling. Plus only in low cost. The lamp emits little light, but gives off a lot of heat, which is dangerous for young plants. Another disadvantage is the high power consumption.
- Low-power fluorescent lamps emit light up to 100 lm / W. Not a bad option for seedlings, but little red radiation. The light is too cold.
- LEDs are great for illuminating planting material on shelves. The shops have a large selection of lamps, lanterns, ribbons. You can choose a light source of any configuration. LEDs emit maximum light of different spectrum and minimum heat.
- Metal halide lamps are considered economical and efficient. Emit light up to 100 lm / W. The disadvantage is the lack of blue spectrum.
- Gas discharge lamps emit up to 200 lm / W of yellow light. For their work, you will need to buy a regulator.
- Mercury lamps emit normal daylight.
- An excellent result is shown by racks with phytolamps for seedlings, which provide plants with the most comfortable conditions for growth. The light source will not burn the leaves, even when you get close to it. Phytolamps are economical, environmentally friendly, and their glow has all the spectra necessary for seedlings.
There are xenon, halogen and other lamps, but they are rarely used for seedlings.
Self-made LED backlight
Considering how to make a backlit seedling rack, it is worth focusing on LEDs. It is advisable to refuse lamps, since they emit a limited spectrum. Red and blue ribbons work well for homemade backlighting.
The basis of a homemade lamp will be a wooden beam. The length of the workpiece and the shelf must match. Two aluminum profiles are screwed onto the beam in parallel. They are needed to remove heat from the LEDs. The LED strip on the back has an adhesive base. A blue tape is glued to one profile, and a red glow on the other. The backlight will work from the power supply. The finished luminaire from a bar is suspended above the seedlings, fastened with a rope to the lintels of the rack.
Plants need their own microclimate, so moisture is always present, especially after watering or spraying. Having decided to manufacture a rack with lighting for growing seedlings, we must remember about electrical safety.
