Do-it-yourself shelf for seedlings on the windowsill

On the eve of the summer season, many gardeners are puzzled by the preparatory processes for growing seedlings. And here there are many questions that need to be addressed immediately. This is the choice of the location of the shelving system, and their lighting, and watering, and top dressing. There is another positive point from growing seedlings at home - the plants produce oxygen, which is necessary for a person to have a normal life. And the better the plants feel, the better it will be for you. We will figure out in this article what a shelf for seedlings on a windowsill with your own hands can be, how to pick up other components for caring for plants.

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Selection of material for the rack

In order for the shelf for seedlings on the windowsill to be reliable and beautiful, for starters you must definitely decide on the material that you will use during manufacture. It may well be:

• iron;
• wood;
• plastic.

It all depends on material capabilities, as well as engineering and design wishes.

Useful tips when choosing materials are as follows:

• If you prefer wood, then choose hardwood that does not absorb moisture well.
• If metal, then stainless steel. It can protect the structure from corrosion.
• You can use plywood, plexiglass or plastic as shelves. In this case, give preference to plastic and plexiglass. Such materials will last long enough without losing their attractive appearance. Shelves made of plywood will have to be covered with a plastic tablecloth so that they do not separate under the influence of moisture.

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The main requirements for the manufacture of shelving for seedlings

Whatever design the rack for seedlings has, it must necessarily meet the following requirements:

1. reliability, durability;
2. resistance to moisture;
3. reusable use;
4. provide comfortable conditions for seedlings;
5. rapid access to watering, inspection, cultivation;
6. have an aesthetic look.

Important! As for the quantity and parameters:

• The number of shelves can vary from 3 to 6.
• The length of each shelf should be sufficient to install standard fluorescent lamps.
• The width of the shelves should not exceed 60 cm and the height of the shelves 40-50 cm.

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We make a rack on the windowsill

Initially, calculate the number of storeys of the rack - as an example, suppose there will be 4 of them, and its dimensions.

Build Features:

• For convenience and simplicity, take already made furniture panels with the dimensions of the windowsill, 1200 mm long and 200 mm wide. For side racks, install furniture panels with a length of 1500 mm and a width of 200 mm.
• Secure with a confirmative. The height of the shelf in this case will be 350 mm.
• If desired, for greater stability, you can additionally fix the structure to the frame or slope.
• You can easily make a shelving with lighting by simply attaching lighting to an already manufactured structure.

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Why do seedlings need lighting?

In winter, all plants are especially lacking in natural light. As a result, photosynthesis is sluggish, slowing down the natural development and growth of biomass.The lack of light can be compensated by installing artificial lighting. In special stores you can buy lamps of all kinds, capacities. But how much is needed, what power is needed to grow different plants? First you need to decide which lamps are suitable for lighting.

We choose the right lamp for seedlings

For the design of illumination of seedlings suitable:

• Ordinary incandescent lamps (17 Lm / W) - an affordable, simple, but not the most effective method of lighting. They give little light, but at the same time they heat very much.
• Luminescent lamps (from 70 to 100 Lm / W) such as LB or LBT daylight with low power. Provide cool light. They have a small fraction of a red tint.
• LED (80-110 Lm / W) - economical and durable lamps. With their help, it is easy to select the desired spectrum and intensity.
• Sodium metal halide (up to 100 Lm / W) - easy to use, effective, economical, but they lack a part of the blue spectrum.
• Domestic sodium gas-discharge (up to 200 Lumens per Watt) glow yellow-orange and do not cause eye irritation. Requires installation of regulatory design.
• Mercury. They have a sufficiently large cross section in the location of daylight.
• Phytolamps are environmentally friendly, economical, efficient, durable and compact. Most popular for lighting seedlings. Even a very close arrangement of such lighting will not cause leaf burns.
• Other: halogen (25 Lm / W), xenon discharge lamps (100 Lm / W), linear (47 - 93 Lm / W), neodymium.

To better understand among all this assortment, focus on the following recommendations:

• To illuminate a shelf with a width of 50 cm and a length of 140 cm, it will be quite enough to install a 36 W cold and warm spectrum lamp.
• It is best to fill in the insufficient amount of sunlight with the help of fluorescent lamps or special fitolamps.
• Efficient and reliable sodium discharge lamps can also provide lighting on growing racks.
• When choosing a luminaire with chokes, consider the powerful heating of the shelf and the choke above it. In order to reduce heating, make a gap of 4-6 cm between the shelf and the lamp.
• If you will use a lamp with electronic ballast, then there should be no problems with heating.

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Recommendations for organizing lighting

Not considering the chosen type of illumination, place the seedlings on or near the south window. For greater effect, you can mount additional reflective screens at the back and sides of the seedlings.

Important! The intensity of lighting is selected individually for each plant. Depending on the needs of the plant, you can adjust the intensity by reducing or increasing the distance between the lamp and the plant.

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Temperature and humidity

To install seedlings on the windowsill, an important feature is the air humidity:

• When it is lowered, it can inhibit the natural growth of plants.
• Also, dry air can contribute to the accumulation of excess salts in the soil and plant, as a result of which seedlings may well become ill.

Important! The usual indicator of moist air for seedlings on the windowsill is 65-70%. If your apartment is extremely dry, then you can place cans of water on the windowsill or racks for seedlings, you can also regularly spray water with a spray bottle. You can also hang wet rags on heating radiators, but it is better to get a special device - an air humidifier.

Now for the temperature:

• During the sizing of seeds, an excellent temperature is considered to be 22-24 degrees.
• At the moment when the first sprouts appear, it is desirable to reduce the temperature to 12-15 degrees by about 2-3 days, so that the seedlings are tempered. After this, transfer the seedlings to a warm place again.

Important! During cloudy weather, as well as at night, seedlings are best left in a cool place. At night, photosynthesis stops, seedlings gather all their strength to continue growth. But if at night your plants will be warm, they will breathe and exhaust all accumulated substances.

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Stock footage

In this article, we told you not only how to make a shelf for seedlings on the windowsill with our own hands, but also the rules for caring for seedlings. We hope this information has helped you harvest a great crop at the end of the season!