That is a nice rig 8)
Are you running it off a timer or leaving it on continuously ?
What germination media is working good for you ?

Right now I run it on a timer for 20 hours on and 4 hours off. Just to vary the temps a bit which I have read is a good thing. I am open to suggestions from anyone. of course, as colder weather hits I may have to go 24 hours on, as the seed stater is in my basement and the temps will probably be about 5-10 degrees cooler down there than it is now.

For my germinating mix, I use equal parts potting soil (Expert Mix from Walmart) and equal part perlite for the small germinating containers. I typically will moisten the mix lightly, then put the seeds on top of the soil mix and then cover with a light layer of perlite and use a spray bottle to moisten the top of the mix. I then put a lid on the container and then it goes into my new geminating aquarium. I have drilled a couple of dime size holes in the tops of the containers to allow for a little air to move around. With the closed aquarium I am a little worried about too much moisture and the warm temps. We'll see as we move forward.

Thanks for the Info !

oppalm,

Nice contraption you got there. Have you had any sprouts yet?

Dean

Dean - thanks for asking - Yes I have. the following have germinated in the last week - hyophorbe indica, copernica alba, areca vestiaria and archontophoenix purpea. I have had much luck with seeds in the past month. Also have had several papaya seeds pop in the last couple of days. Life is good.

I'm thinking of building one myself. I have an old aquarium that is collecting dust. What did you use for the bottom? Is it just wire mesh? Is that just a towel on top of it?

Congratulations on getting the germinators! 8)

Dean

Yes there is wire mesh or hardware cloth sitting on top of very very small clay pots (like maybe 2" tall). I also put down a plastic egg crate mesh which is used to cover fluorescent light fixtures in buildings. The plastic is very rigid and tough. the wire mesh by itself was sagging under the weight of the plastic containers so I had to beef it up a little. There is a towel over the top to keep the heat in the aquarium. It works great. I ran out of room in the aquarium so now I am using the plastic bag method to start seeds so that I can get more seeds started.

Thanks for the information, very helpful. I'm still looking around the house deciding what I can use for it.

nice contraption, and look at the volume it holds!
Doubt there's a seed starter for home use that could compete with it.

Congrats on your germinating success. That is really exciting.

Once everything sprouts...into your GH ? have we seen a pic of it?
Barb

No greenhouse. I have a basement bedroom green room thats lit up like the 4th of July. Everything spends 5-6 months in the friendly confines of the greenroom and then goes outside in spring to spend the summer in the unfriendly confines of my yard. i.e heat, wind, hail, rain, cats, dogs, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, ground squirrels, etc. I've posted a few pics on this site.

oppalm,

I finally made one, it dose'nt look as nice as yours though. I could'nt find the real small terracotta pots and I had to use hog wire for the base.

I can't figure out how to post a picture though.

Dean[/img]

Here it is

Hey Dean! Nice unit, well done. What's the temp in there?

Did you get rid of the white stuff on your seeds with fungicide?

Barb

Hey Barb,

It hoover around 80-85*F. I'm not sure if thats to hot.

I just used a toothbrush to polish the seeds a little. The only fungicide I had was Copper Soap Fungicide and I did'nt wan't to risk hurting the seeds.

Dean