Bottom watering plug trays

SEAMSFASTER · February 12, 2013

I raise thousands of tomato (and other seedlings) indoors on homemade lights stands under flourescent lights. I've found plug trays (I use primarily 288 cell trays) to be very useful for minimizing root disturbance when potting up.

Plug trays fit neatly over standard 10-20 trays when they are empty, but when filled with damp soil, they sag badly in the middle and are very prone to cracking. I want to bottom water and have the option of keeping the plug tray in the tray holding the water, without sagging or cracking.

Spacing on my light stands is very tight, so top watering is not an option.

What I use currently is a large plastic bin which I fill with an inch or so of water. Then I move each plug tray one at a time and soak them for a couple of minutes in the water. This is a real hassle - time consuming and quite messy. The biggest problem is that every time I pick up a loaded plug tray, it wants to crack and break some more.

What I really need is a rigid or mostly rigid plastic or fiberglass tray to both support the plug tray and allow easy watering from below while leaving the tray in place on the light stand. Tray dimensions need to be 20-1/2" X 10-1/2" X 1/2", but not much bigger in any dimension.

And the trays need to be cost effective - I've looked at dietary trays, market trays, display trays, etc., but they all cost way too much and finding the right size is difficult.

I've tried cutting off the top half of a 1020 tray. This leaves a rather flimsy watering tray which is too tight against the plug tray to do much good. Alternatively, I can arrange it so that one row and one column of cells hang outside the bottom tray. But that presents another hassle.

Another trick I've tried is placing a couple of small blocks of wood inside the standard 1020 trays and under the plug trays to prevent sagging. This works reasonably well, but having the plug tray sit on top of the 1020 tray leaves no gap for air circulation and makes watering a bit of a challenge.

Any suggestions on products, vendors, or other ideas?

February 12, 2013	#1
SEAMSFASTER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: American Fork, Utah Posts: 160	Bottom watering plug trays I raise thousands of tomato (and other seedlings) indoors on homemade lights stands under flourescent lights. I've found plug trays (I use primarily 288 cell trays) to be very useful for minimizing root disturbance when potting up. Plug trays fit neatly over standard 10-20 trays when they are empty, but when filled with damp soil, they sag badly in the middle and are very prone to cracking. I want to bottom water and have the option of keeping the plug tray in the tray holding the water, without sagging or cracking. Spacing on my light stands is very tight, so top watering is not an option. What I use currently is a large plastic bin which I fill with an inch or so of water. Then I move each plug tray one at a time and soak them for a couple of minutes in the water. This is a real hassle - time consuming and quite messy. The biggest problem is that every time I pick up a loaded plug tray, it wants to crack and break some more. What I really need is a rigid or mostly rigid plastic or fiberglass tray to both support the plug tray and allow easy watering from below while leaving the tray in place on the light stand. Tray dimensions need to be 20-1/2" X 10-1/2" X 1/2", but not much bigger in any dimension. And the trays need to be cost effective - I've looked at dietary trays, market trays, display trays, etc., but they all cost way too much and finding the right size is difficult. I've tried cutting off the top half of a 1020 tray. This leaves a rather flimsy watering tray which is too tight against the plug tray to do much good. Alternatively, I can arrange it so that one row and one column of cells hang outside the bottom tray. But that presents another hassle. Another trick I've tried is placing a couple of small blocks of wood inside the standard 1020 trays and under the plug trays to prevent sagging. This works reasonably well, but having the plug tray sit on top of the 1020 tray leaves no gap for air circulation and makes watering a bit of a challenge. Any suggestions on products, vendors, or other ideas?