Propagator

[Mike]

Greetings all.

It's been a while since I've been active on this forum for reasons I won't bore you all with, but in part because I work away from home from time to time, and in small part as I've been working on a new propagator, which I thougt I'd sahre with you. It's largely for seed-raising but also for helping cuttings, etc. to root.

It has a heating mat working on a thermostat, a self-watering tray, and a daylight fluorescent light on a timer. All designed to work automatically when I am away. Well, that's the plan, only time will tell whether it will work! Total cost (including seeds, pots and all) about ?150. Total pleasure if it all works: immeasurable!

I've just sown some batches of seed from Doug & Vivi Rowland, and behind them you can see a small forest of Pereskiopsis that I hope to use for grafting later...

Mike
[attachment 1905 propagator.jpg]

[Cactus Jack]

Nice one Mike, a mini polly tunnel what did you use for the hoops??

[iann]

It looks good, Mike. Do you cover it? Is that enough light? Do I spy mesembs on the right?

[Julie]

Looks great, Mike! A perfect nursery for little baby plants.

[Roy]

?150....ouch!
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[Mike]

The hoops came as part of the basic propagator unit (made by 'Biogreen'), Stephen, as does an all-enclosing clear plastic cover, which I'm not using, partly because with the self-watering tray and the light, I reckon there's enough warmth and humidity without it.
Mike

[Mike]

I'm not sure if that's enough light - time will tell. It's in a sunny window so the artificial light is supplementary to that and set for 6am to 6pm...

There's no mesems in there - at least not yet! The small blobs in pots on the right are mostly the rather mediocre outcome of last year's seed-sowing attempts, some Astrophytums, Escobarias and Parodias, one or two Ariocarpus and a solitary Lophophora. A lot of effort went into minimal success so this year I decided to up the ante on the technology front!

?150 may seem a lot but I'm hoping it's going to last me years!

Mike

[Roy]

how does the automatic watering work?
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[Julie]

Mike, you don't need to use the electric to light your seedlings. Just print out Roy's bright piccie and stick it above them.. and hey presto! Red seedlings.

[Roy]

That was an animation that went wrong
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