Inserts

Can someone help me with these?

I know that a 1020 is a tray and that it holds "Inserts" or pots or, etc.

What I'd like to do is have "strong" trays that hold the inserts but don't know what to ask for or what to order. There are a lot of different kinds of 1020 trays.

Dazy Trays
Trays with holes
Trays with no holes
Web
Open
Center Rib
etc.

What I'd like to be able to do is put 6 packs in them and be able to water them and be able to handle them without them bending.

Another thing I need help with is the number for the inserts. I'd like 3" containers that I'll put Herbs in and sell them this spring. It seems to me that an 1801 is 18 - 3" pots that are an "Insert". Is that right?

If it's right, can I use the 1801 as my Insert and end up with 18 - 3" pots? Or am I going to have to buy 18 each, 3" pots and put them in the 1020, if I want to sell individual pots?

AND....is a 1206 Insert, 12 each 6 packs?

Thank you.

Darrell

This message was edited Jan 25, 2006 3:06 PM

Darrell,

I'm a greenhouse grower and in regards to your questions....there are a lot of product mixes concerning the 1020 trays and the tray inserts. I mostly use the standard 1020 trays - the trays that have the holes in them. I'm not crazy about the webbed styled trays as I kind of find them wimpy to say the least. These trays will hold the vast majority of tray inserts, single 3.5" pots as well as a larger 6" Jumbo pot.

The trays that have the center rib are for the jumbo type 606 trays - you know, the larger ones you're seeing more of these days that are taller and hold a larger capacity of soil? I use those trays for those for better stabilty. Although the standard 1020 trays work just as well for these inserts as well.

The 1801's are just that....18 single pots that are attached and pull apart. There is also an 1801 deep style insert with more soil volume per pot.

And, yes, 1206's are 12 six packs.

Everything depends on your preference and what you like to grow certain plants in.

Oh, and by the way - not supposed to be too specific in this regard, so I'm not telling you here - I do offer several of these items....just click on my profile and you can go from there for further info and to ck them out if you'd like.

Edder,

The problem I seem to have is that when I water, using the 1020 tray with holes, lets all the water thru and it makes a mess all over my floor. On top of that, it seems to be flimsy and bends when I try to pick it up when it has a 1206 insert in it. So, naturally, the 1206 starts to break up and fall on the floor too. Now I have mud. lol

How do you water 6 packs in a 1020 tray so you can lift the 6 packs out of the tray of water? I'm thinking I need something like the Dazy Trays that are all open. I could put the 1206 in the Dazy Tray and sit the whole thing down into a 1020 Tray with no holes that has the water in it so they water from the bottom up.

I'm probably making this more of a chore than is necessary. Any help would be great.

I'll check your profile and go from there. :) (hint hint) lol

Thanks.

Darrell

All 1020 trays that I use have the holes in them as I have a couple big greenhouses and there has to be the drainage thing going on there. There are also ones without holes that I use for starting seeds.

Yes, you could do exactly what you're thinking of there...and you can also use a tray with holes and put it in a tray without...you'll just have to make sure they get drained throughly....and, I can say, been there, done that also....what us gardeners will do to get our fix!!! :-)

Edder,

Don't I have to water from the bottom up? If I don't, then I could just get the trays with holes and water from the top.

I water from the top regardless...as with just planted seeds I have a misting head that I attach to my hose and with larger already growing plants I use a water breaker attachment. It all depends on personal preference as well as individual setup...just watering from a hose or faucet can be difficult. There's certainly no right or wrong way in how the accomplished task gets done, just as long as it's something that works for you in your specific situation.

You can water from the bottom, but when I did that in the past I never had any great results cause it always seemed as though the pack cells got over saturated. And, some posts that I've read here and there appear to have had sufficient results.

I don't happen to have any pics right off hand, but will try to take some when I crank up the greenhouse at the end of February to try to explain and help you to better understand how I do my seeding and so on if that'll help.

I'd really appreciate that, Edder.

I've been talking with the supplier for the greenhouse and he and I are tryhing to come up with a watering system that will work for me. The problem is, I don't know what to ask for. I don't want a hose that has a hole in it every 8 inches. I don't think that would work very well. I'd like a hose that is all wet from the beginning of the hose to the end of the hose. I just don't think a hose that has a hole every 8 inches will water everything right. Beans for example are planted every inch or so. When there's only water every 8 inches, it seems like it would miss most of the bean plants.

I know I want a "soaker" hose. What I think a soaker hose is and what a soaker hose actually is, are probably two different things. I know I want a long hose that has a lot of small ones coming off it that go into containers, but don't know what to call it.

On the plants that I'll be selling, I would like a long hose that is at the top of the greenhouse that has several hoses hanging down from it. It sprays water out over the tops of the plants that are on benches.

I wish someone was here to help me. Or better yet, someone here to tell me what to do. Once I learn how to do this and know what to ask for, I'll be ok. But right now, I feel like I'm wandering around clueless. I know in my mind what I want, I just have a hard time verbalizing it.

Basically what I'm gathering is that you're in need of something like a drip irrigation system....!?!

There are a lot of different systems out there including a new mat system that rolls out and holds water that is then taken up by the plants from the bottom....I have that info around here...I'll have to search for it as I can't remember the name they've given the thing off hand...

I'll get back on this tomorrow....and I'll get some further info for you on that...

Thank you so much Edder. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me with all this.

Like I said before, I am sort of feeling my way thru all this, in hopes of making it all come together in the end.

Gardening, selling vegetables at that Market I started last year, and my hopes of selling bedding plants this year, is the first thing I've been able to do since I went on disability. The extra income sure comes in handy. I'm using my savings to build this up and I have to do this right the first time out.

I'm slow, but I'm steady.

Darrell