TreePots trays

[Kelby]

I've got a load of TP49 TreePots coming soon for various projects. Anyone have ideas for a cheap/easy tray for them? The trays they sell are overpriced!

Last year I rigged up some bulb crates, but I am hoping for something I don't need to modify beyond adding drain holes or trimming a bit. Not enough hours in the day! Maybe I'll hit the dollar store and find something there...

[COGardener]

Milk crates.

Tim Clymer uses pallets.

[Kelby]

I was thinking about milk crates. Maybe I can find some on Craigslist...

[WillsC]

Have started making my own.....wood and twinwall. Will take a picture.

[WillsC]

The plastic tree pot trays just don't hold up so started making my own out of PT lumber. Wire bottoms and the dividers are made of twinwall recycled from Hershell.


Each tray holds 40.




This was just the prototype.




Pat just mean pattern. What it is sitting on was just a prototype. I ended up making the cross pieces shorter. Can't see it in the pic as the prototype doesn't have it but there is hand holds rabbited in to the short sides.

[Kelby]

Very nice, thanks Wills. Do you have a bottom on them?

[WillsC]

Kelby,

Yes have bottoms, look at the first picture, you can see the wire where it wraps up the side.

[Kelby]

Ahh, missed that, thanks. Are they still easy to move at 40 pots per tray? Or are they stationary for you.

[COGardener]

That is a great idea Wills, I'll have to make some as well.

[TorontoJoe]

Those are some pretty sweet trays you guys made up. Would it not be easy just to stack them into cheap, discount-dollar store plastic bin? ....Like the ones others are using for humidity chambers? Definitely not as slick as those above but maybe less work.

Or - If you can find a large cell seedling tray like in the pic?

[Kelby]

I haven't found any trays the TreePots fit into, plus they are quite top heavy and need something deep. I may resort to cheap plastic bins if I can't build enough or find another solution, but they will likely photodegrade pretty fast. Hate to be that wasteful!

[WillsC]

Joe,

For me bins won't work as when the plants start to grow I want them to have an open spot between each plant, and the wind would blow them over. I could put an empty pot between them I suppose but the trays are easy to make. Those plastic trays just don't hold up.

[TorontoJoe]

Fair enough.... I'm not operating anywhere near on the scale you are. I can see how dozens and dozens of bins wouldn't be very practical... My frugal side creeping out again....

[WillsC]

Well.........all that I really paid for was the wire. The wood was re-purposed and the twinwall is free.

[TorontoJoe]

LOL..... So technically cheaper than the bins or seedling trays... Nice work! I'm guessing the twin wall keep them nice and light?

[zone5figger]

I use produce bins which are made of black plastic and are collapsible for storage, found a source for these on Craigslist for 2 bucks apiece.
Similar to milk crates but larger, they hold 24 of my deep tubes I start cuttings in.

[Kelby]

I think I've seen those, if they are what I'm thinking of the size is the same as a bulb crate. Works OK, but not snug enough so the pots (at least my size) wobble and fall over. What size are you using?

[zone5figger]

Crates are just under 16" x 24 x 10 high. My containers are around 8 x 3.5 diameter round, I pack them in so no tipping?

[Rewton]

Could you show a photo of the produce bins you use? Thanks.

[growcrazie]

I use milk crates, 9 fit just right. I can get them for $6 at Rural King

[WillsC]

I love that store But you still have to pack the crate full or they fall over, that for me is the biggest issue. Would be ok if they were inside where there was no wind.

[growcrazie]

yes, I put empty pots to make ihem full. It's my favorite place now, they just opened here a few months ago

[HarveyC]

The MT49T trays sold at Stuewe for $2.60 each hold 12 trees and work fine for me, just wish they were a bit thicker plastic. They sometimes split when I pick them up if they are not completely full. I often pick up my trays and dunk them in a tub of water to water from the bottom. Wills trays look good but those are too dang heavy for me to pick up and too big to fit in my tub for watering.

https://www.stuewe.com/products/minitreepots.php

Wills, what are you growing in those pots? Seedlings? Tissue culture plants?

[Kelby]

For my tiny scale the freight is just outrageous to order those trays, wish I could justify it.

[WillsC]

The MT49T trays sold at Stuewe for $2.60 each hold 12 trees and work fine for me, just wish they were a bit thicker plastic. They sometimes split when I pick them up if they are not completely full. I often pick up my trays and dunk them in a tub of water to water from the bottom. Wills trays look good but those are too dang heavy for me to pick up and too big to fit in my tub for watering.

https://www.stuewe.com/products/minitreepots.php

Wills, what are you growing in those pots? Seedlings? Tissue culture plants?

Harvey,

Same issue I have with the Stuewe trays though the ones I use are 20 count. Get about a year out of them before they are not of much use.

The pots I have are smaller than the ones you use I believe? The tray full of 40 plants isn't light about 40-50 pounds I would guess but I only move them once Could use same principle and make them any size a person wanted. Original idea was to make the sides out of UHMW until I had sticker shock at what a sheet of that goes for I can dunk those in a tub, cement mixing tray from Lowes. I also have just the internal setup (no wood) but on a larger scale in front GH just to keep the pots upright that are sitting on top of the tilapia tanks.

Those are seedlings, future grafting stock.

[PA Figs]

I just tape 4 tree pots together and move them as one.

[HarveyC]

Harvey,

Those are seedlings, future grafting stock.

Wow, that's a lot of grafting. Maybe we can start a pool to guess which finger comes off next! :P

[WillsC]

Wow, that's a lot of grafting. Maybe we can start a pool to guess which finger comes off next! :P

I need a LOT of practice I will grow some out and see what they are, those are Preto X? I want to grow maybe 100 out to fruiting just to see what I get, just an experiment. Far as the finger comment BOO bad Harvey

[Fygmalion]

Memo to self... no grafting figs in the nude and keep ALL appendages safely tucked away....