Propagation: Heat Mats, Perma Nest trays, Humidity Grids, 1 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
You can also use aluminum trays (15 pack at Sam's club for less than $10) for drip trays. These are the big deep pans (for lasagna) or you can get a 30 pack half trays for about the same price. Poke holes in the bottom and they become seed/cutting trays. You can move them outdoors without a drip tray but indoors you would need to use an extra tray for drips.

Also instead of adjusting the lights you can adjust your trays by stacking boxes, wood, Styrofoam blocks under your seed trays (six of one, half a dozen of the other).

Jiffy and Burpee seed starting trays are a cheap way to get started as well for not just seed but cuttings as well (buy at your big box stores now). They are divided into cells with either Jiffy pellets or you can find the empty cells where you add the soilless mix. They come with a low humidity lid to get cuttings and seeds started much quicker this way.

On the steel shelving (same set up I use) I'd recommend four shelves per unit since plants often get taller than you'd planned for - school of hard knocks). So if you get a unit of six shelves set aside two for future use. When you get another unit and set aside another two shelves you now have enough for another unit but you will have to buy the posts (legs).

Here is an example of a couple of my shelving units in the basement with the aluminum trays.