I "took the bull by the horns" read a couple of posts by Dennis (DMForcier), and created this thread, thank you Dennis, you were a great help. I have saved my pics in "my clippings" also so they can be reviewed.

Pete

I started using My Clippings. Worked great. Then they all disappeared. I don't use My Clippings any more.

Why not re-post the messages and pictures about your grow bottles here?

Dennis

Here are the pics of my grow box setup that I use. The box itself has curtain rod brackets with the lights screwed to them, screwed to the storm door window frames, for removal of light assembly as a unit. The curtain rods pictured are kind of butchered because the plant light bulbs stick out lower than the fluorescent bulbs, which I plan on refabricating. The 2 liter bottles I use are coke bottles that I cut approximately 1" above where the curved part starts and I cut the tops right below of other ones where the straight part starts. Doing this enables me to "snap" the tops into place for transport, bug protection, and create a "greenhouse". I also have tops that I cut out a space for a screen for air circulation as I have fried some seedlings with the tops on them. I use a timer to control the lights, using them overnight to keep electric bills down.

Inside of grow box

2 liter bottle setup

2 liter bottle setup

2 liter bottle setup in coke bottle holders, using bottles makes keeping track of plants very easy, especially with adhesive labels. BTW I drill 5 holes in bottom of bottles and they drain extremely well! When I transplant I dig hole deep and wide enough to cut the bottle away from seedling and roots.

These pics are the results I achieved by using my growing system, I use soaker hoses that are controlled by a programmable timer to save the worry if my plants get watered or not. This garden is behind my kids' house as I don't have room at my place.

jeeper reapers!

Here are some pics of insect resistant cages that I made to offer some protection for seedlings. They are 16" wide by 18" tall and I am still working on ways to improve them. Since I bury my soaker hoses these cages sit right over top of everything after transplanting. They can also be used to plant seedlings outside earlier for protection against the cold as you can throw whatever you want, old sheets, blankets, tarps etc right over them. Quite a few of the materials I use can be obtained cheap if you search hard enough for them i.e. reduced bins at big box stores, habitat for humanity restores, and I obtained some "old" stock insect screen that had been sitting on thier shelves for years at a replacement window/door store. After talking with the salesman at that store he told me that if I got there in the early spring I could get a better price on new screen when they placed bulk orders for their store as well. The insect screen is the most expensive part of everything, but the results are worth it!

First question, if below correct, how high with media?

Chileman,
I try to leave at least 1" below the top of the bottle so that if the soil doesn't absorb the water right away, you're not creating a mess by the overflow. I always "hill" the soil around the seedling and pour the water around the bottles edge so I don't disturb the root system and cause the seedling to fall over. The holes that I drill are shown in the 2nd pic, if you look at the bottom of a coke bottle, there are built up spots the bottle sits on, it's at these ridges that I drill the holes. The holes are 1/4" in diameter and if you drill where I do, the plastic is thinnest there and are very easy to drill. I also drill 1 or 2 holes on the flat part of the bottom assuring that drainage is good. I NEVER use any kind of rocks in the bottom as well draining potting soil drains well. If you start plants early, you want as much soil for the roots that you can get, especially for longer maturing plants.

drilled holes, (hope this helps)

Went to habitat for humanity restore yesterday and got a 4' 2-light fixture for $3.00! Also ran across a light setup that will allow raising 4' lights up and down very easily that will be super cheap to make. To busy right now to make one but will share when I have the time to actually make them. The materials are all pvc, and the restore had most of the materials there priced well below buying them at a "bigbox" store.

So rather than using rocks in bottles you put them in racks?

{{gwi:1215880}}

That's right, I don't use rocks in the bottles for drainage or for stability, the racks (like the ones you have pictured) provide the ability to hold the bottles, and move them if need be. I get my racks from the local grocery store from the permission of the vendor for free, all he said was not to be too greedy and take stacks of them, if I took 3-4 at a time,it would be fine.I have never been stopped or questioned by anyone at the store, and if I ever am, I will tell them to check with the vendor he will back me up. The racks sure due provide easy transport to the garden when it's time to transplant, and watering while still under the lights.

What about when you want to remove the plant from the coke bottles and into big pots (or actual dirt)? Does the pinched "waist" make it hard to get the root ball out? Do you have to cut the bottle?

Dennis

Hey Dennis,
That is the main problem I came across when I started using the bottles. So yes I had to cut the bottles to get the plants out of the bottles. First I dug a hole deep and wide enough so that after I made the cuts I could unwrap the bottle. My first cut was made from the "pinch" down to about an inch above the bottom of the bottle. Then I would cut off the bottom of the bottle starting and ending up where I made the "pinch" cut. Then I place the the bottle in the hole, push some loose dirt around the bottle, then finish the pinch cut to the top while the bottle is in the hole. Then I "unwrap" the bottle and pull it straight up with caution as to avoid damaging the plant. There is an alternative to this, Pepsi and generic pop bottles do not have the pinch, thier sides are straight, so you don't have to cut anything. We drink Coke products exclusively in my house, so I just had to do what I had to do, we won't make the switch. Hope this helps.

Pete

Hello all, my apologies for not posting for awhile. but I have been experiencing quite a few medical issues. Not enough space here to go into them all, but I have been able to start work on an easier lighting system as I stated in my last post. Let me know if you're still out there and interested in seeing what I have been able to get accomplished so far. Until then I'm going to keep working on it when my body lets me able to do what I can.

Pete

Sorry to here of your medical issues & I hope you continue to improve!

I always read helpful threads & often research the forum for older ones, post away!

Pete, great to hear from you. Keep going.

I'd like to say hello to everyone and thank you for all the get well comments. This has been a roller coaster of a ride for me health wise and chore wise. Successfully got 2 gardens going a 12 x 25 already established 4th year garden and a 25 x 50 1st year garden. The latter of the 2 was kind of hellish to get going as I had to put up posts, fencing and the tilling, had to have a relative bring in his small tractor with a pto driven tiller just to get through the established grass that was there. After that just getting the ground tilled good enough for planting was still a chore as the ground has alot of clay in it, but I did get it done, Had to do the tilling, then planting in sections as time,

Any pix?

I have some pics of the bigger garden to share. Kind of unhappy by all the weeds. Now have the time to work on getting them eradicated, if I can just stop getting eaten up by the skeeters, they're terrible any time of the day I go out there. I bought the clip on fan by OFF that helps, but then they concentrate on my head and face LOL. Will get pics of other garden later today, I hope you enjoy the photos!

Well all I finally got pics of 4th year garden to share with you all, I hope you enjoy

Sorry for the repeat photos, they are 2nd year reapers