Planning on growing out 650 seedlings on an ebb and flow/flood table in my basement under lights. Last winter I grew about 75 seedlings in a tyvek tent I threw together powered by an old metal halide.
Pricing out a commercial flood table was pretty depressing. The cheapest I could find was $160 and pallet-based shipping waaaay more than doubled the price. After many hours of deep thought, I came up with following design, which is much sturdier and heated as well!
My design uses a single 4x8 sheet of PVC cut into three 8' strips 5" wide, and the remaining sheet 8'x33" wide. to create a ~ 95" x 32" flood table with 5" sides. First a frame is built using 2x8 and 2x3s.
1x8s are screwed on to create the sides, and the 5" PVC strips, glued to the 1x8s. With 3 sides on, the table surface is dropped into place, all sealed up with silicon in the seams.
The final side is attached, and some screws put into the PVC to firm it all up.
On the underside of the table, I hung a 48' string of incandescent lights and then screwed a sheet of 1/2 foam insulation on to box the heat in.
Two 4' 6-bulb T5 lights make this puppy shine.
I decided to hang it from hooks using chains instead of using legs. My basement is pretty unlevel, and a couple of twists of an eye hook is a much easier way to micro-level the level of the table than trying to shim up 4 different legs.Since this is meant to be a flood table, I want it to slope just slightly to one corner so it can drain. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a flood table fills with water from a reservoir on a timer and then slowly drains back into the reservoir after the plants take up water.
Here's a short video showing the table filling with water - http://i.imgur.com/ra9CisQ.gifv.
The table will hold 13 1020 trays (depending on the exact dimensions of the tray which can vary between 21x11 and an actual 20x10). I put 600 seedlings into pots last night, representing 65 varieties. I left one tray empty for now waiting on late arriving seeds.
I threw a second sheet of 1/2 foam insulation over the top of the table to trap in the heat and get those seeds popping. The lights under the table are doing a wonderful job, keeping the table at a steamy 96F. I'll leave them covered until the first ones peek out and then give 'em the lights.
Flood Table Parts list:
2x3x8 -- qty 3 -- cost $2.07 -- extended: $6.21 link
2x8x8 -- qty 1 -- cost $10.45 -- extended: $10.45 link
1x8x8 -- qty 2 -- cost $8.65 -- extended: $17.30 link
PVC Sheet 4x8 3/8" -- qty 1 -- cost $78.00 -- extended: $78.00 link
Silcon Sealant -- qty 1 -- cost $6.24 -- extended: $6.24 link
Liquid Nails -- qty 1 -- cost $3.57 -- extended: $3.57 link
Submersible Pump -- qty 1 -- cost $10.95 -- extended: $10.95 link
Heating/Light Rope -- qty 1 -- cost $24.97 -- extended: $24.97 link
Foam Insulation w/foil back -- qty 2 -- cost $12.95 -- extended: $25.90 link
Ebb & Flow Fitting Kit -- qty 1 -- cost $9.95 -- extended: $9.95 link
Sub Total $193.54
Have Home Depot cut your 4x8 PVC sheet on the panel saw at the store for the straightest cuts. Have them cut off three 5" x 8' strips from the PVC sheet to be used for the table sides. This will leave you with a ~33" x 8' section that will be used as the table surface. You may also want to be sure the sheet is exactly 8' long - mine was a bit longer and I had to trim it myself. Also check for damaged sheets - they had a different brand, smooth on both sides that was normally $99 that they gave me for $30, so my final cost on the entire build was actually under $150.
I also needed lights for the table - here's what I got.
4' 6 bulb fixture -- qty 2 -- cost $95.00 -- extended $190.00 link
Timer -- qty 1 -- cost $13.95 -- extended $13.95 link
2x3x8 -- qty 1 -- cost $2.07 -- extended $2.07 link
Hanging straps -- qty 1 -- cost $9.76 -- extended $9.76 link
Sub Total $215.78
I also needed seeds! I ended up spending $156 on seeds from about 6 reputable vendors, include
Refining Fire - http://www.superhotchiles.com/
Butch T - https://butch-t-seeds.myshopify.com/
AJ - http://peppersbymail.com/
http://pepperlover.com/
https://www.whitehotpeppers.com/
as well as some trades arranged on this forum
Varieties:
Pricing out a commercial flood table was pretty depressing. The cheapest I could find was $160 and pallet-based shipping waaaay more than doubled the price. After many hours of deep thought, I came up with following design, which is much sturdier and heated as well!
My design uses a single 4x8 sheet of PVC cut into three 8' strips 5" wide, and the remaining sheet 8'x33" wide. to create a ~ 95" x 32" flood table with 5" sides. First a frame is built using 2x8 and 2x3s.
1x8s are screwed on to create the sides, and the 5" PVC strips, glued to the 1x8s. With 3 sides on, the table surface is dropped into place, all sealed up with silicon in the seams.
The final side is attached, and some screws put into the PVC to firm it all up.
On the underside of the table, I hung a 48' string of incandescent lights and then screwed a sheet of 1/2 foam insulation on to box the heat in.
Two 4' 6-bulb T5 lights make this puppy shine.
I decided to hang it from hooks using chains instead of using legs. My basement is pretty unlevel, and a couple of twists of an eye hook is a much easier way to micro-level the level of the table than trying to shim up 4 different legs.Since this is meant to be a flood table, I want it to slope just slightly to one corner so it can drain. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a flood table fills with water from a reservoir on a timer and then slowly drains back into the reservoir after the plants take up water.
Here's a short video showing the table filling with water - http://i.imgur.com/ra9CisQ.gifv.
The table will hold 13 1020 trays (depending on the exact dimensions of the tray which can vary between 21x11 and an actual 20x10). I put 600 seedlings into pots last night, representing 65 varieties. I left one tray empty for now waiting on late arriving seeds.
I threw a second sheet of 1/2 foam insulation over the top of the table to trap in the heat and get those seeds popping. The lights under the table are doing a wonderful job, keeping the table at a steamy 96F. I'll leave them covered until the first ones peek out and then give 'em the lights.
Flood Table Parts list:
2x3x8 -- qty 3 -- cost $2.07 -- extended: $6.21 link
2x8x8 -- qty 1 -- cost $10.45 -- extended: $10.45 link
1x8x8 -- qty 2 -- cost $8.65 -- extended: $17.30 link
PVC Sheet 4x8 3/8" -- qty 1 -- cost $78.00 -- extended: $78.00 link
Silcon Sealant -- qty 1 -- cost $6.24 -- extended: $6.24 link
Liquid Nails -- qty 1 -- cost $3.57 -- extended: $3.57 link
Submersible Pump -- qty 1 -- cost $10.95 -- extended: $10.95 link
Heating/Light Rope -- qty 1 -- cost $24.97 -- extended: $24.97 link
Foam Insulation w/foil back -- qty 2 -- cost $12.95 -- extended: $25.90 link
Ebb & Flow Fitting Kit -- qty 1 -- cost $9.95 -- extended: $9.95 link
Sub Total $193.54
Have Home Depot cut your 4x8 PVC sheet on the panel saw at the store for the straightest cuts. Have them cut off three 5" x 8' strips from the PVC sheet to be used for the table sides. This will leave you with a ~33" x 8' section that will be used as the table surface. You may also want to be sure the sheet is exactly 8' long - mine was a bit longer and I had to trim it myself. Also check for damaged sheets - they had a different brand, smooth on both sides that was normally $99 that they gave me for $30, so my final cost on the entire build was actually under $150.
I also needed lights for the table - here's what I got.
4' 6 bulb fixture -- qty 2 -- cost $95.00 -- extended $190.00 link
Timer -- qty 1 -- cost $13.95 -- extended $13.95 link
2x3x8 -- qty 1 -- cost $2.07 -- extended $2.07 link
Hanging straps -- qty 1 -- cost $9.76 -- extended $9.76 link
Sub Total $215.78
I also needed seeds! I ended up spending $156 on seeds from about 6 reputable vendors, include
Refining Fire - http://www.superhotchiles.com/
Butch T - https://butch-t-seeds.myshopify.com/
AJ - http://peppersbymail.com/
http://pepperlover.com/
https://www.whitehotpeppers.com/
as well as some trades arranged on this forum
Varieties:
- 7 Pot Lava, Chocolate
- 7 Pot, White
- 7JPN (7 Pot Jonah X Pimenta De Neyde)
- Aji Lemon
- Aji Mango
- Aji Pineapple
- Apocalypse Scorpion
- BBG7, Chocolate
- BBG7, Lava
- BBG7, Red
- BBG7, Yellow
- Bhut Jolokia, Chocolate
- Bhut Jolokia, Peach
- Bhut Jolokia, Red
- Bhut Jolokia, White
- Bhut Jolokia, Yellow
- Bhutlah, Black
- Bhutlah, Brown
- Bhutlah, Mustard
- Big Black Mama
- Big Mama, Mustard
- Black Naga
- Borg 9, Bleeding
- Brain Strain - Red
- Brain Strain - Yellow
- Brain Strain, Chocolate
- BTR Scorpion
- Bubblegum, White
- Carolina Reaper, Chocolate
- Carolina Reaper, Peach
- Carolina Reaper, Red
- Chocolate Primo/Reaper
- Daisy Cutter
- Devil's Brain
- Devil's Tongue, Red
- Fatalii Jigsaw
- Fatalii, White
- Fatalii
- Genghis Khan's Brain
- Griefer 2016 F1
- Habanero, Giant White
- Habanero, Lemon
- Habanero, Orange
- I Scream Scorpion
- Jay's Ghost Scorpion, Peach
- Jay's Ghost Scorpion, Red
- King Naga
- Kraken Scorpion
- MA WartryX
- Moruga, Chocolate Brain
- Moruga, Red Brazilian
- Moruga, Red
- Naga Viper, Aryona's Chocolate
- Nagabrains Chocolate - strain 1
- Pink Tiger
- Piri Piri (Uganda)
- Red Brazillian Ghost
- SB7J (Scotch Bonnet x Jonah 7 Pot)
- Sepia Serpent
- Sugar Rush, Peach
- Tabasco
- Thunder Mountain Longhorn
- Trinidad Douglah 7 Pot
- Trinidad Scorpion Butch T
- Trinidad Scorpion Jonah
- Yellow 7 Pot Primo
- Yellow 7 Pot
- Yellow BBG Stinger 2016 F1
