To grow seedlings in an apartment or your home, you will need a specially equipped rack. It can have lighting, consist of a different number of tiers. In this case, it will be possible to grow seedlings even in a small one-room apartment. It will not be difficult to make a rack for seedlings with your own hands. How to assemble such a design will be discussed later.
Features of homemade shelving
Plants need certain conditions. If you make a mistake, the seedlings will start to hurt and die. Therefore, the creation of a rack for seedlings with your own hands (a photo of the finished work is presented below) must be approached responsibly.
It must meet certain requirements:
- construction must be strong and stable, withstand the weight of containers with seedlings;
- material from which the rack will be made should not collapse under the influence of moisture;
- design must be reusable, durable;
- plants should be comfortable on the shelves of the product;
- seedlings should be freely accessible so that they can be watered, loosened the soil, etc.;
- shelving should be aesthetic, as most often it is installed in an apartment, in a residential area.
Before starting the assembly, you need to carefully develop the drawings of the seedling rack. In this case, it will be easier to make a design with your own hands. On the drawing, you need to indicate the exact dimensions of all the elements of the rack. It can have 3-6 shelves, the length of which must correspond to the dimensions of standard fluorescent lamps. Their parameters need to be known in advance.
The width of the shelves should be no more than 60 cm. Otherwise, seedling care will become more complicated. The distance between the shelves must be at least 40 cm and not more than 50 cm.
Some gardeners doubt whether it is worth equipping the backlight on the rack. Experts say that you can not do without it. Therefore, it is worth indicating on the drawing the places where the lamps will be located, as well as considering their connection to the network.
Varieties of designs
How to make a DIY seedling rack?
When developing a drawing, you need to consider what features the design will be characterized by. She can be:
- stationary;
- collapsible;
- mobile.
Stationary varieties are fixed to the wall or ceiling. It is strong and therefore durable.design. This type of shelving is suitable for a large apartment. Stationary varieties are characterized by significant dimensions. After transplanting seedlings into the garden or vegetable garden, the rack can be used to store household items. Here you can arrange a flower garden or arrange children's toys.
Mobile structures are equipped with wheels. They can be moved around the room, rotated if necessary.
Collapsible structures are dismantled in the spring, when plants are planted in open ground or in a greenhouse.
There are other types of shelving. They can be placed directly on the windowsill. The dimensions of such a product must correspond to the size of the window opening. The advantage of the seedling rack on the windowsill is its compactness. It won't take up much space in the room. Therefore, this option of shelving is most often chosen by owners of apartments and private houses. But at the same time, there will be less light in the room. Therefore, you need to consider in which room it is best to equip such a rack.
Materials
DIY seedling rack with backlight can be made from different materials. The most popular options are wood, metal and plastic. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages.
Wood is one suitable material for shelving. It does not emit harmful substances into the environment, it is easy to process. Even a novice master can assemble a structure from wood. This does not requireuse special equipment. The disadvantage of the material is its insufficient resistance to moisture, which can cause it to rot.
Also, wood is easily destroyed by insects. Therefore, it needs pre-treatment with an antiseptic. Wood is a fire hazardous material. Since there will be electrical wiring in the immediate vicinity of the rack, it is necessary to impregnate all structural elements with flame retardant.
Shelves for seedlings are also assembled from metal with their own hands. It is a strong, durable material. So that the rack does not deteriorate under the influence of moisture, it is assembled from pipes made of stainless steel. In this case, it will not be necessary to constantly treat the structure with protective compounds, it will not rust.
It is a little more difficult to assemble a rack from metal. Structural elements are mounted by bolting or welding. In this case, you need to use special equipment, which not every master has.
You can assemble a rack of plastic pipes. Installation in this case will not be difficult. They acquire a sufficient number of pipes and fittings, which are simply assembled, like a designer. Such bookcases will complement not every interior. But the material is resistant to negative influences. Even a child can assemble such a structure. To improve the appearance of such a rack, it is painted in a suitable color.
Wooden rack
There is a simple technology that allows you to make a seedling rack. If ait is planned to use wood for these purposes, it is best to stop at a stationary type of construction. This will be a pretty heavy rack. If necessary, small wheels can be attached to its legs. You need to prepare the necessary materials and tools:
- bar with section size 4.5 x 4.5 cm, length 3 m;
- beam with a cross section of 3 x 6 cm;
- sheet of plywood or plexiglass;
- self-tapping screws with a length of 4 cm or more;
- grinder with appropriate nozzle or jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- hammer;
- chisel;
- tape measure and pencil.
A beam with a cross section of 4.5 x 4.5 cm is used to create the supporting posts of the structure. From it you need to make 4 racks of the same length. With the help of a grinder, you need to qualitatively align the places of the cuts. Otherwise, the rack will not be stable. The transverse strips on which the shelves will be attached are cut out from the second type of timber. The number of crossbars is calculated using the drawing.
Markings must be done on the support posts. Indicate the places to which the transverse strips for the shelves will be fixed. Here you need to cut the recesses. To do this, use a hammer and a chisel.
Next, you need to process the wood with appropriate impregnations. The material must dry properly. This will extend the shelf life of the product, and its operation will be safe. After that, you can proceed to subsequent work.
Finishing installation
When considering how to make a seedling rack with your own hands, you need to pay attention to the assembly processprepared structural elements. The crossbars are screwed to the previously created grooves. For this, self-tapping screws are used. To make the design smooth and stable, you need to pay great attention to the markup. The final result depends on the correctness of the measurements. Therefore, you need to double-check the location of the marks on each rack several times.
Next, you need to cut out the shelves from the prepared material. They can be made from the same bars as the crossbars. They are installed with frequent steps at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from each other. For such crossbars, cutouts are also made on the racks. They are installed using self-tapping screws.
Often shelves are made of moisture-resistant plywood, plexiglass or plastic. It is necessary to cut the selected material with a jigsaw. The cut edges are treated with sandpaper. Shelves are laid on prepared crossbars. The sheets are fixed with self-tapping screws to the wood.
Further, the seedling rack can be covered with a layer of varnish or paint. The choice depends on the features of the interior. Varnish must be chosen on a water basis, as the rack will be located in the living room. With it, you can give the wood the desired shade. The paint for processing the structure is chosen odorless. Latex or acrylic composition is best suited for these purposes. You can cover the shelves with self-adhesive film. So the design of the rack will be more effective. Film, paint or varnish will additionally protect the wood from destruction.
Metal structure
DIY seedling rack with backlight can beassemble from metal corners. The design is strong, but at the same time quite light and maneuverable. You also need to create a drawing according to which the structure will be assembled. From a metal corner create support posts, crossbars and edges for shelves.
Having drawn up a drawing, you need to purchase the necessary materials and tools:
- metal corner with 3 or 4 cm shelves;
- plywood or plexiglass (lining) for shelves;
- bolts and nuts;
- metal drill;
- welding machine;
- grinder with appropriate attachment
- electric drill.
When everything you need is prepared, you can get to work. To make a backlit seedling rack, you need to cut the corner into four identical racks. Further, in accordance with the prepared drawing, the required number of crossbars is prepared. Usually there are at least 6 of them.
After that, the bearing horizontal boards are cut, which will serve as edges for the shelves. There will be twice as many of them as there are shelves. For example, four shelves will require eight boards. To fix all structural elements, holes must be drilled in the appropriate places. Their diameter must match the bolts selected for fasteners. You can assemble the structure by welding. But for this you need to purchase a welding inverter and practice using it on unnecessary metal blanks.
Metal structure assembly
After preparing all the necessary structural elements, you need to start assembling the seedling rack with your ownhands. Support posts and crossbars must be connected with bolts. Welding will still have to be applied. With the help of an inverter, the joints of the crossbars and the sides for the shelves are connected.
When the frame is ready, you need to cut the shelves of the required size. The edges, if necessary, are treated with sandpaper. The shelves are placed on the base of the prepared structure. They are attached to the sides with bolts. You can do without plywood or plexiglass. To do this, simply fix the crossbars parallel to the sides. Their step should be such that the containers with seedlings stand firmly on the stands.
It is important to consider the location of the electrical wires that will be connected to the lamps. They are fixed with plastic clamps. Since the structure is assembled from stainless steel, it does not need to be painted.
Window rack
To make a rack for seedlings on the window with your own hands, you need to count the number of shelves. It depends on the size of the window. Usually a rack of 3-4 shelves is required. Next, measure the size of the window. Based on this, calculate the length and width of the shelves.
You can take ready-made shields from old furniture. They must match the dimensions of the window sill. So, most often you need to prepare shelves measuring 120 x 20 cm. For the sidewalls of the rack, you need furniture panels measuring 150 x 20 cm.
Further, with the help of self-tapping screws, the structural elements are fastened together. The distance between the shelves is 35 cm. To make the rack stable, it is fixed in addition to the frame or slope. When the design willassembled, you need to attach lighting fixtures to it.
If the assembly was carried out from ordinary boards, they are varnished or painted after assembly. This must be done before the shelving is installed on the window.
Do I need lighting?
When assembling a do-it-yourself seedling rack, some gardeners think that they can do without additional lighting. It is worth noting that even for a structure that was mounted on a window, it is necessary to provide for the presence of lamps of the appropriate type.
In winter, the daylight hours are quite short. Due to the lack of natural light, seedlings may develop poorly. The processes of photosynthesis will take place slowly. Because of this, the growth of biomass will not occur at the required pace. In order for plants to develop normally, it is necessary to install additional lighting on the rack. This will provide normal conditions for the seedlings, allow the seedlings to gain strength before transplanting them to the site. It is important to choose the right lamp that will meet all requirements.
Lighting choice
A do-it-yourself seedling rack must be supplemented with a lamp that will provide the plants with the required amount of light. You need to choose the right lighting fixture.
Incandescent lamps are not suitable for such purposes. They get very hot and may not be effective enough.
You can use fluorescentlamps with a power of 70-100 Lm / W. They emit white light of a cold or warm spectrum. At the same time, there are no red rays in it.
80-110 Lm/W LED lamps are durable, economical. They allow you to easily select the radiation of the required spectrum.
Metal halide lighting devices with power up to 100 Lm/W are also suitable for such purposes. They are effective and easy to use. Their disadvantage will be the absence of the blue spectrum.
To illuminate a shelf 1.4 m long and 0.5 m wide, you need to purchase a lamp with a white luminous flux of a cold or warm spectrum. Its power should be 36 watts. On sale you can also find special phytolamps. They are selected according to the type of seedlings that are planned to be grown on the rack.
