desperation is the mother of invention

Living in a one bedroom cottage which is no larger than a glorified studio has it's problems when it comes to growing out next seasons crop of seeds. Today I had to remove some seedlings from a heated seed dome because they had outgrown it. These are some interesting Creamsickle x Rubirosa crosses and some crosses with New Orleans Lady.
Well, being pressed for space, I decided to use an end table i have to house my seedlings. First i took a cardboard box. cut it open and then lined the bottom with aluminum foil ( for more reflectivity and light) and clear plastic wrap. I drilled two holes underneath and placed a 24 inch grow light. Then i removed the seedlings from the dome and potted them up. Although I would have liked to have had one to a pot the space would not allow it at this time. Seedlings were watered and sprayed and viola!! With any luck these will be large enough to pot up individually this spring and then placed outside in early march or april.
When pressed for space there is always a solution!!

Are you a handler?? Is the blond judge named Roxanne?? I cannot see her clearly, and I cannot remember Roxanne's last name. Great idea re your seedlings!!!

Sherry, in March I finished my first dog. It's my own dog, a silky terrier. I did all the training and showing myself. I'm now going to show a black mini schnauzer for a friend of mine. As far as the judge goes i really don't remember her name. Here is a closeup of her pic.

Great idea, Gary. I need room for about 100 seedlings. Guess I need to bring the coffee table back up from the basement.

I think we are all struggling with the same problem. Where are we going to put all these new seedlings for next season.

Wow, x, that's impressive and your silky is adorable, well groomed and in excellent condition!!! It's not Roxanne, more like her daughter. I've got to hand it to you, finishing you silky, yourself, is past WOWZERS. The dog world is so competitive and competing against the pros is no easy job. Many congrats!!!!! BTW, I guess you already know but it's as addictive as the flowers...

Gary what a neat idea. Just be careful to turn the light off when you are not home in case of fire with the light being on the cardboard

Just an optical illusion...the light isn't actually touching the cardboard. If it were, i would just carve out a chunk of cardboard.
The light is actually suspended from two screws.

Good idea Gary! Your dog is adorable, by the way.
Mary

LOL!! I did something simlar with my sofa table. How did you mount the Grow light with out damaging the table? I would love to put Grow lights on this but I don't want to mess up the table.
I love your little dog! I could brush that hair all day!

Cute pooch Gary!!! I use postal bens and I just set the light on top.

the width of the table was the perfect length to be able to drill 2 screws into the the underside frame of the table. That way the screws don't protrude thru the top and the drawer is still usable. The light is not heavy. I supposed a good sized strip of 2 face tape or even a long velcro strip would do the trick!

I actually put two eye hooks on the underside of a table I made for this purpose and hung the light from the two hooks. They really are light weight. Here is my indoor "atrium" . It is 5 ft long and 27 inches wide. I have it full of plumeria cuttings and seedlings. The entire thing is covered with clear plastic from the fabric dept. at Walmart to keep in heat and humidity.

Congratulations on your little champion. I showed two of my Lhasa Apsos but never finished ... one lost her coat the another has all but one major and we just don't have enough shows around here to be able to finish her so I turned her into another 'house mouse'.

Tammie

gary,

by an chance is the name of the judge of you beautiful baby, michele billings? she here and is a friend of my daughters. in fact i had dinner with her one time when we were both in Chicago.

hap

Since i lost the program for that day i really don't remember. I do owe her a big thanks because she awarded my dog Best of Winners that day for a 5 point major (his 4th major) and that was the day he was finished as a champion.

I don't think it's Mike Billings, but I haven't seen her in 4 years. x, you must find out her name and take your pup back to her when you special him, if it is Mike Billings, she will not forget you or your pup...

That is such a great picture of you and your dog, Gary. I bet you are so proud. Do you now get to make champion babies?

I have to laugh at all the pictures of how people incorporate brugs into their households for the winter. I should show these pictures to my husband so he knows I am not the only nut out there. He seems to think I am uniquely mad. LOL

I will have to remember the tip on the silver foil, Gary. I had never thought to use it so increase the light reflected.

Using the foil will help disperse the light within the box. This eliminates tall scraggly seedlings that are reaching towards the light up above. Seedlings will be more robust not necessarily real tall which is also a plus when space is limited.
Believe it or not i learned about this on a TV special where they exposed marijuana growers who set up farms in their basements! The things you can learn on TV today!!

was this on the educational channel? LOL

the pix of your plant stand above made the dailey news!!!

Very inventive everyone. The things we do to grow our plants. Gary, your dog is beautiful.

My gh is a 'shed' type attached to the garage, so on that side I use survival blankets found where they sell camping gear. Don't remember the dimension but 2 of them covered the wall for about $4. It's been up for at least 2 years and reflects light very well. I'll try to remember to find a pic and post it this evening.

sherry, so you know mike, i see.... great lady.

Hey, Hap, yes I know Mike. In about 1988 or so, she judged the Golden National Specialty and there was a huge BOB entry, really big. She breeze through them and before no time, it seemed, she lined up, say, 50 Goldens, in order and they were absolute cookie cutters, she didn't move around a single dog. It was amazing & she has some talent to be able to 'see' them so clearly...I had another person, HI!!, that posted me and asked what she likes - I said I can tell you about Goldens but I'm not sure I've seen her judge another breed, except maybe at the Garden and i cannot for the life of me remember what it was...she is a nice person, as well as a good judge and beautifully dressed...quite a lady!!!

Then I guess I should be honored to have gotten a 5 point major from her!!

I really don't think the judge in the photo is Mike Billings, but I could be wrong; however, an owner handled, 5 point major is past impressive, regardless of the judge!!! What you did is a big, BIG deal in the dog world, did you ever get off to a GREAT start, or what??!!

Wow, x, look at you, a 5 point owner handled major and championship & photo of the day!!! You are on a roll, congrats!!!!!

Gary, you and your baby are looking fabulous! Congrats on your 5 pointer.
You are all so clever! Great thread.

Congrats on finishing your silkie owner handled. I remember when I used to show back in the early 80's and put a 5 point major on my German Shorthairded Pointer on the January Circuit. I couldn't believe it. Although I couldn't afford to continue showing, I will never forget the feeling of pride in my girl that day.
Jan...

I have had great success with Apollo. His first time out of puppy class I got a three point major and he took the breed. He has two three point majors under his belt, a four point major and he was finished with a five point major. He has two best of breeds. I am giving him a year to mature. He's just gong to be 3. Then in the spring I will start to special him. Nothing big. Anyone who has ever shown dogs knows how expensive it can be, but I'll try to do my best with him. If nothing else the challenge is exciting and the satisfaction can be worth it and a lot of fun.

This message was edited Dec 1, 2006 10:24 AM