Thanks for the info, Linda.

Larry

You're welcome, Larry.

Just to give you an idea: When I posted about the Episcia with the browing center I put it in a Ziploc bag. That was January 4. I have added air around three times. The Kroger baggies I inflated at 1:00 this afternoon have already almost completely deflated.

Linda

That's a ridiculous difference. And as you say it would hardly be any more effective with food. Appreciate the information!
Nancy

And yet, I always use the generics. I have noticed that they are made of thinner plastic, and I guess the zipper is not so well constructed. But, then I never inflate the bags. I put the little pot with cuttings or seed in the bag with the zipper on top and stick under lights. Then, my lightstand becomes the "sea of ziplock baggies". The baggies, at least stand up and don't colapse over the cuttings. But, lately I have been using the domes a lot. Domes work very well for rooting in small pots. When I once took home from the convention a suitcase of bareroot plants in CVS brand baggies, they all deflated in the cargo section of the plane, to the point of looking like vacuum packed plants. But, it didn't hurt the plants at all. If anything it helped to keep them from drying out. When I packed, the suitcase was stuffed full; when I got home it was almost half empty. But, of course, it all is a matter of what works best for you.

I start seeds in square 3" pots, more or less. These fit nicely in a sandwich size ziplock. There isn't enough height for my regular 5" labels so I make little half size labels for them. I planted up some home made kohleria seeds a few weeks ago (3 or so?). Last night, I took a look. I didn't see anything, so I took off my glasses and used my good close up vision, peered for a few seconds until I saw them--lots of tiny tiny leaves. One pot, a species selfing (allenii) was coming up like crazy. But, the hybrid that I made and which I didn't think I had gotten seeds in the pod, hadn't produced anything. I will wait on that pot though--ya never know. The seedlings are just clam happy in those little baggies. Soon I will take the pot out of the bag and give them a very light feeding, using my tiny seedling watering can, that pours a very gentle stream of water. Then they will either go back in the bags or be moved to the domes.

Jon

I put my some of my episcias in one- and two-gallon baggies so they'll stay in a humid environment over the winter (we run a woodstove). I keep them inflated so the leaves don't touch the sides.

Like Nancy, I think it speaks to how well they *don't* keep our food. BTW, I took mine two boxes back to the store today and bought good old Ziploc. :-)

Linda

Come to think of it. I try to keep my generics out of the kitchen. My cousin who does the cooking and such, sometimes finds my bags and I just hate that--;). "Don't put food in my baggies--they're for the plants!". So, he buys those high priced ziplocs for the food, which is a good thing. Dale Martens always suggests putting bamboo skewers in the pots to keep the plastic bags up. Another suggestion is to let the bags dry out just enough that the foliage doesn't rot if it touches the sides. This could be accomplished just by opening them for a short while and also draining out any standing water. For a while, I was cutting off the bottom corner of my bags so that I could water without taking the plants out of the bags. The escess water will run out into the tray and evaporate. That works pretty well. I am always looking for low-tech solutions to things. Another technique that light stand growers use is to enclose the whole stand in plastic.

IGS, I think, still sells clear plastic covers for their stands with a opening in the front for access. It has either a zipper or velcro closers. I enclosed one stand with white plastic. It really worked wonders in that I not only increased the humidity but also the light, as the white surfaces reflected back much light that would otherwise be lost to the room. But, I was using cheap table covering type plastic--the stuff that comes in 3' wide rolls. It was amazing to see how fast the plastic rotted from the light. On the front I made a very rinky-dink clear cover, that I would lift up and over the top or roll up and tie, so that I could somewhat see the shelf. But, just having that much of a barrier meant that I sometimes would.....ahem.....ignore those plants a bit. One suggestion which I have always meant to use but haven't is to make a front cover with a window shade roller and clear thick plastic, which is often sold in hardware stores by the foot, for use as covers for things. That way one could raise and lower the cover to get to the plants without much effort. Every once in a while I tackle my sea of ziplock bags to see what's in them. I find all kinds of treasures I forgot I had. Once I gave a program for our local club by bringing in a couple of boxes of unexamined baggies and opening them up one by one to take out and show what was in there. Then I passed out leaves and cuttings with labels to everyone that wanted them. The plants got a pruning and I was able to share. Some of those plants I recently found and put down lots of leaves, for the upcoming July convention. I have the pots of leaves under the domes and the leaves are not rotting but rooting and sending up tiny new shoots. They include nautilocalyx, petrocosmea, chiritas, my only aglamyla, kohlerias, and of course, lots of episcias. So far, I have no idea where I will find room to grow on these props. I'm actually seriously contemplating putting up another 4 level stand and replacing a two level stand with a 4 level one. I much prefer 3 level stands but I need the room and am tall enough at 6-0 to be able to see and work on the top shelf.

But, I digress,
Jon

I found a wonderful metal/chrome stand at Lowe's today. It is 4" wide and 18" deep and costs $73.00. You can adjust the five shelves or eliminate one to make the distance between larger. I can't remember the height but it's taller than I and I'm 5'2".

I don't know how to describe it but it's a very nice chrome unit. I'm thinking about buying some 4" fixtures and making my own stand. The shelves are angled-iron (I think that's the word). Seem to be very stable and would look nice in the den.

My husband doesn't steal my baggies; he steals my homemade plant carts (I made them out of plastic shelving units) if I take down the lights or they are bereft of plants! I have to be verrrry careful. :-)

Linda

Linda,
They are only 4" wide? Better be careful the dancing dwarves don't step on them! (obscure movie reference.)

Seriously, that sounds like just the thing I'm looking for to expand my light garden into the spare bedroom. Do they have wheels?
Andy

I was an English major so I get ' and " confused :-)

I don't remember if they have wheels but I'm going back to Lowe's tomorrow and will get the full measurements. The display had towels and other bathroom gear on it.

They are really nice and would make neat plant shelves with 4' lights. RBG :)))

Linda

My newest and best light stand uses Metro shelving, which sounds like it might be like what you saw. The shelves are metal with holes--I guess its called perforated metal. It is very sturdy and the shelves can be adjusted when you set it up. A standard 4 shelf unit, standing 7 feet tall costs about $100. I bought an extra shelf for $30, since I wanted four levels. The top shelf (the fifth) is at the top of the unit and is used to hang the uppermost light fixture. Plus I put plant stuff on the shelf, nicely out of the way and above view. But, a four shelf unit would work for most people and really is a better way to go. You just need the shelving unit to be tall enough so that the top fixture is high enough for the top shelf. Then, you want the upper growing shelf to be at a nice level for working and seeing. Since I have 4 levels I tried to set each shelf as low as possible so that the top shelf would still be below my eye level. But, though it is low enough and I can see the plants well, it still is on the high side for easy viewing, and thus easy working on, of the plants. The metro shelving units come in chrome, white or black, but the chrome is slightly more expensive. I like this system very well and plan to replace an old 2 level home-made light stand with one of these in the near future--I need more grow room! The 18" depth I find, works very well.

I used to think that one needed a 24" deep unit to handle the typical 24" long trays, like the ones that Park's sells. But, I use the slightly shorter 10/20 trays, which are a little longer than the 20" inside dimension. They only slightly overhang, and really fit perfectly--with four trays side by side on each shelf. Because the 24" units need extra reinforcing on the shelves, as well as more metal overall for the larger size, they are much more expensive than the 18" deep units--maybe 50% more (??).

So, I am glad I went the cheap way, and ended up with a better unit. Come to think of it, I need to go upstairs and water now....its been a few days---hmmm, I wonder what new things are in flower?

Jon

Went to Lowe's and found the shelving unit abouth which I wrote. Is this Metro shelving?

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Shelving Unit

Hi Linda, yes this looks similar to mine. I was wrong in describing the shelves--mine have that open pattern of parallel rods welded together. I imagine that Metro may be the very same or a better made version or who knows./

Jon

Hi Linda and Jon,

I have always like the Metro shelving. I like them much better than the flora carts. They are much less expensive and I think less industrial looking. If I decide to expand into the basement I would seriously consider getting the Metro shelving. My basement is finished so I would want something that looked nice.

So, Linda, did you decide to buy this shelving?

Larry

Hi, Larry:
I'm in love with your baker's racks so I may get both: Use my 2' lights on the baker's racks and put them in the den and get the Lowe's shelving for my office and buy some 4' lights.

I'll give my husband my plastic shelves for the barn and garage :-)

Linda

I have discovered clear plastic cake boxes (the quarter-slab birthday cake size) make perfect containers for rooting and growing on young streps. I even prefer them to the few domes I have and so do the plants. They are tall enough to house the plants to bud size.If you can find the kind with clear bases you can use them upside down for easier handling. They are much less fiddly than Ziploc bags (once you master the art of opening them without cracking the plastic - i.e. pull apart gently at the corner) and really save on watering as they maintain a microclimate.
They are shorter than most trays so would be ideal for some of the shelving mentioned above. Downside is you have to eat all that cake!