Propagation: Heat Mats, Perma Nest trays, Humidity Grids, 2 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
Moving shelves on these steel units is quite a job though. Often I have to use a mallet to loosen the friction between the shelf and the plastic cones so I try not to adjust shelves once in place but will move plants about as the need rises.

Pin holes in aluminum trays can develop after a few years of use (probably because I used gravel at one time and fertilizer) but again pans are cheap. The Perma-Nest trays are a lot more expensive and can (and will) break which turned me off on those years ago.

I have about 15 steel shelves and 5 wooden shelves (twice as long - 8 feet) running around 75 shoplights. Each steel shelf is capable of holding 3 to 4 pans under a four foot light, wooden shelves hold 7 pans per shelf (two lights). So 75 lights times say 3.5 pans would be a lot of Perma-Nest pans. Anyhoo, I have my seven or so Perma-Nest pans sitting idle as dust collectors. The high humidity domes I got for the Perma-Nest pans are cracking and I rarely use those anymore.

Jiffy pellets are a good way to propagate a lot of plants and the trays are cheap (72 cell for less than $10). Here is a photo of a more expensive tray with a wicking mat and only half the size of the longer 72 cell tray.