UNDER LIGHTS

[Jeannine]

My triple high light garden is up and running, the plants sit on black plastic trays held in a steel frame  which hold the 3 four foot light fixtures each holding 3 flourescent growlights,4 foot canopies over each. What should I put on the 4 foot long plastic trays please,matting or gravel

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[goodlife]

Either...my preference would be gravel..it doesn't dry out quite as quickly and it is heavier and roots will anchor themselves into it...gravel you can use again and again...matting doesn't have long life and it becomes "soiled" quickly..and if you have any problems with it you'll have to throw it away...as disinfecting would not be easy.. 

[Vinlander]

If the trays can be made watertight, then with a raised platform (slates on spacers) you can set up a capillary system with matting - then you can upend 2L or 5L plastic water bottles around the platform as reservoirs - hey presto an automatic watering system that will run through a fortnight without supervision.

The bottles need to have two notches in the edge to stop them sealing to the tray - a shallow one to let the water out and another 2-4 mm deeper to let the air in and  - or a notch and a hole 3mm higher is perfect and easier to close off while placing them.

But do put landscape-type fabric over the mat or the roots will penetrate the mat and ruin it.

Cheers.

[Jeannine]

Thank you.. the trays that sit on the frame are like the long plastic trays folks use in greenhouse, about 3 inces deep and ridged at the bottom slightly and are watertight.

Each tier of the light fixture is about 18 or 20 inches when the lights are fully raised.

I have tried for a couple of weeks now to get the whole thing very balanced but am finding it impossible, probably because it is sitting on carpet.  If I pour water into one of the trays it pools in some areas.

The light fixtures are on a pulley system which is not easy to keep putting up and down and individually watering things is hard unless I raise the lights  so I was hoping for something that I could put on the bottom of the trays that would absorb water all over and act as a wick to the plant bottoms.

The lights are set 3 inches above the plants and there is no place to fix the bottles as the lights are as long as the trays, so not enough height with small plants.

The idea is excellent but I don't see a way I could use it,unless you might and I would be grateful if you can.

I think I have a picture of the fitting in my pooter somewhere so I will try and show it.

XX Jeannine

Found it, this is the picture from the gardening catalogue it came from, these are not my plants .