# Plant Collectors indoor setups?



## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

Living in an area that gets below freezing during the winter, I am forced to keep my plant collection in my house all year round. A greenhouse would be awesome but thats not happening right now. I am currently building a small enclosed setup for the orchids and smaller plants (indoor greenhouse) on a bakers rack but keeping humidity up could be a problem.

I would love to see how others keep their collectors plants. Do you enclose it or just stack everything or racks? Maybe some of the bigger collectors could show some photos of their overall collections?


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

I have an indoor greenhouse rack that I bought from the store.
I keep my plants in there.

Right now the temp is 82°F & 75% humidity inside.

Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2


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## Gnarly (Mar 3, 2011)

Alright Gamble, that is awesome.

Is it available at big box hardware stores? Or did you buy this at a specialty store?


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## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

Gamble, I'm also looking for a set up because I live in the north. In your pic I see 2 fans. How often do you run them, dose it pull air from outside, and if you could help with how you keep broms. Mine rot in a pot but dry out just sitting on the rack.


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

A lot of things dont need the humidity and can be grown as house plants, everything else gos into some kind of container, aquarium, tupperware, whatever is handy.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Ah, I have that same EXACT greenhouse. I got it at lowes or home depot. I use it for orchids. Here's a link to a similar one:
FlowerHouse PlantTower 1 ft. 7 in. x 2 ft. 3 in. Greenhouse-FHPH400CL at The Home Depot

Basically the same as a baker's rack with a clear cover on it. So if you have a baker's rack already, you might be able to find like a clear tarp pr something at a craft store.

Edit:
Here's the one gamble and I have:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Early-St...nhouse-IS-66416/203677268?N=bx7u#.UU3QUFeFXcA


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## BonnieLorraine (Jan 23, 2011)




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## mkitchen (Dec 31, 2012)

Bonnie, that's pretty epic. Thanks for showing!


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks Nick! Too bad hypostatic one-upped you with links....you slacker!


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

My solution was huge plywood grow boxes coated in epoxy. Here's one of the early ones I did.


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

Pumilo said:


> Thanks Nick! Too bad hypostatic one-upped you with links....you slacker!


Nah man ... the jokes on him!
He paid $70 for his. I got mine for $30 @ Big Lots. 
I was actually considering getting a walk in one ... for inside my house.

To answer the fan questions ... 
I only run mine after I mist the plants. Once the leaves are dry, I turn them off.

I do plan on putting them on a timer eventually to run a couple hrs per day, but right now they are doing well.

As to the comment about humidity not needing to be high ... I agree.
I keep it that high to cut down on the acclimation process that plants sometimes go thru once they go into the viv.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Pshhhh the actual one I got was $20 (second link in that post) 
Early Start 64 in. x 27 in. x 19 in. 4 Shelf Seed Starter Greenhouse-IS 66416 at The Home Depot


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

wow, such great racks. 

Josh and Bonnie, thats what im looking for.

Josh, theres not a problem running the lights inside the box. 4ft? Does the humidity create a hazard? How to do you add moisture, do you mist?

Bonnie, Are they all glass made. Custom?


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## BonnieLorraine (Jan 23, 2011)

One is a 6 foot steel rack with 6 custom made glass tanks, and the others are a stack of 3 2'x2' visions with the lights installed inside (reef tank retro fit kits with moisture guards around the t5 ends).


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## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

mordoria said:


> Josh, theres not a problem running the lights inside the box. 4ft? Does the humidity create a hazard? How to do you add moisture, do you mist?


That's something I do worry about. The lights are only on the two inside shelves with the top ones external. There is an aluminum drip guard over each light so they don't get wet. I never mist as the humidity is always about 80%. Most of the pots are wick-watered over trays and self water themselves. That said, I'd like to switch over to sealed LED bars for safety when I can!


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Love Josh's and Bonnie's, but they would never work for me. I'd be too tempted to fill them with frogs!


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

hypostatic said:


> Pshhhh the actual one I got was $20 (second link in that post)
> Early Start 64 in. x 27 in. x 19 in. 4 Shelf Seed Starter Greenhouse-IS 66416 at The Home Depot


Touche!
BUT ... it said "store exclusive".
They still lied to you


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

Gamble said:


> Touche!
> BUT ... it said "store exclusive".
> They still lied to you


....those dirty lying corporate scumbags!!


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

I've been thinking about this for quite some time as my plant collect is really growing. Right now, my plants that can tolerate Colorado humidity 20% on a good day, are on a bakers rack together. Its only 30" wide, so no room for ligths on it. I need to do something enclosed so I can do more propogation. Bonnies Vison brand tanks are nice, but they are also on the pricey side. I dont want to do wood (even sealed) because I've tried this with vivs and water always seeped into the wood causign expansion and rot. Front opening is an absolute must. Does not have to have slidign glass doors, but they are nice. Plastic clear curtains are fine. I've seen the little tented indoor greenhouses at the nursury's aroudn me, and really they are just too small to be of much use to me. Dimensions I'm thinking would be best (for me), about 52" wide ( so I can fit 48" double lap flourescent fixtures inside), by 24" (cause thats the dimension of light panel). Overall height of the entire unit approximatly 7 feet. If I could fit 3 containser this size together, it'd be perfect. Glass would be prohibitively expensive to do this size. What else is there thats waterproof and cheap?


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## Peter Keane (Jun 11, 2005)

I too am from NY where cold, dry winters exist and for this year, persist, lol... To increase humidity in winter in my lil indoor greenhouse, I started out by using a tupperware tub filled mostly with water and a submersible heater on a 12 hour on, 12 hour off cycle. Now, I use a small/miniature ultrasonic humidifier. 

Peter Keane


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## Epiphile (Nov 12, 2009)

Here's one I made out of an old display cabinet I found on Craigslist. It was fairly inexpensive, but took a little bit of work as I needed to redo the shelves and seal them into the cabinet so that it would hold water. It's four feet wide, sixteen inched deep and about seven feet tall, and is lit with HOT5s right now; I could only fit 3ft lamps on the inside, but I think that staggering them from side to side would help provide a more even spread. I personally prefer having a gradient of light from side to side. I've been worried about moisture damage to the lower lights as well, but so far, so good; I'm running a Mistking, too.


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

pdfCrazy said:


> I've been thinking about this for quite some time as my plant collect is really growing. Right now, my plants that can tolerate Colorado humidity 20% on a good day, are on a bakers rack together. Its only 30" wide, so no room for ligths on it. I need to do something enclosed so I can do more propogation. Bonnies Vison brand tanks are nice, but they are also on the pricey side. I dont want to do wood (even sealed) because I've tried this with vivs and water always seeped into the wood causign expansion and rot. Front opening is an absolute must. Does not have to have slidign glass doors, but they are nice. Plastic clear curtains are fine. I've seen the little tented indoor greenhouses at the nursury's aroudn me, and really they are just too small to be of much use to me. Dimensions I'm thinking would be best (for me), about 52" wide ( so I can fit 48" double lap flourescent fixtures inside), by 24" (cause thats the dimension of light panel). Overall height of the entire unit approximatly 7 feet. If I could fit 3 containser this size together, it'd be perfect. Glass would be prohibitively expensive to do this size. What else is there thats waterproof and cheap?


If you don't care about how it looks you can do plastic sheeting over any kind of frame


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

This is a great topic!

I use several 40G breeder fish tanks for holding larger numbers of viv plants. They are on a 3-tier rack that doesn't take up much room and each one is equipped with a CPU fan and lit up with a T5 strip light.


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## Sammie (Oct 12, 2009)

Gamble said:


> I have an indoor greenhouse rack that I bought from the store.
> I keep my plants in there.
> 
> Right now the temp is 82°F & 75% humidity inside.
> ...


Is the structure stable? I'm thinking of buying the same (or very similar) "green house" for my indoor setup but it was so cheap that I'm worried that it might fall apart from it's own weight


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## therizman2 (Jul 20, 2008)

I will have my new setup done in about a week and will post pics then... room for about 150 flats, and an area about 6'x6' for mounted epiphytes.


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## mordoria (Jan 28, 2011)

therizman2 said:


> I will have my new setup done in about a week and will post pics then... room for about 150 flats, and an area about 6'x6' for mounted epiphytes.


I cant wait considering Im buying most of your plant room. One cutting at a time


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## therizman2 (Jul 20, 2008)

Here is a shot of one shelf:









Everything is lit by HO T5, and the mounted epiphytes will be done by LEDs. Shelves are all 2x4s and foam insulation for the shelf area. All of the plants will still be kept in flats (easier to control watering).

Each side of the room has a shelf a little over 10' long with a few levels which can all together house 88 flats. The center of the room has a 7' long double sided shelf allowing for another 56 flats. One wall has an area about 6'x4' for all of the mounted orchids/epiphytes/etc that I have.

One 10' wall is devoted to plants that are for sale currently on the site, the other one has 3 shelves of stock plants, plus there are a few hanging baskets of stock plants, and the rest of the area is propagation and growing things out, etc. 

Also for those super observant, every flat is missing one plant in the corner, this is to allow for watering. I prefer to keep some water in the trays, and would rather water from the bottom than the top. Watering from the top leads to water splashing, spreading disease, fungus/mold issues, etc.


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## Gamble (Aug 1, 2010)

therizman2 said:


> Here is a shot of one shelf:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's about time you redid that room!
Looking good Mike. Can't wait to see it.


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## therizman2 (Jul 20, 2008)

Gamble said:


> It's about time you redid that room!
> Looking good Mike. Can't wait to see it.


Actually moved it, the old room is now for tads and froglets and the tortoise, frog room is just frogs and new plant room is a little larger and much much more organized.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

Lets see more guys....this thread is giving me good ideas.


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## daggekko (Jun 27, 2011)

I like the small greenhouse racks. Those might be a better way to go!! Here is what I've done for a temporary solution.

005 by daggekko, on Flickr

004 by daggekko, on Flickr

002 by daggekko, on Flickr
There is a hole cut in the lid for the lighting and 2 monkey ladders running inside with zip ties holding the broms up!


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## SDRiding (Jul 31, 2012)

What about an east facing window in a house with humidity between 50-70%? I setup a little three-tiered shelf on the window to house some peperomias, tillandsias, a couple orchids, and a few other tropicals. Everything seems to have new growth aside from the Hoffmania sp. 

Will this work in the long run? I kind of like having them up there now, it looks nice.


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

I do something similar with Orchids that don't need a log of humidity (and Tillandsias). After 4 months or so, I added one strip of supplimental lighting and now after 2 months of having the lighting the plants seem much happier. Granted my window is north facing. I suspect you'll have better luck with east window. I did also add 2 humidity tray and that seems to help as well. Now many of my windowsills look much the same


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Here is how I have been doing mine... I have made some changes though since this picture was taken.


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## SDRiding (Jul 31, 2012)

I like that setup! Green looking out and green looking in. The humidity tray with the hygrolon wick is pretty clever.



Duff said:


> I do something similar with Orchids that don't need a log of humidity (and Tillandsias). After 4 months or so, I added one strip of supplimental lighting and now after 2 months of having the lighting the plants seem much happier. Granted my window is north facing. I suspect you'll have better luck with east window. I did also add 2 humidity tray and that seems to help as well. Now many of my windowsills look much the same


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks Mike! The hyrolon wicks up just enough water to keep the moss slightly damp so I don't have to water every day. And when I travel I don't have to worry as much about them drying out completely. 

So where's the picture of your window set up?  

Duff


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## SDRiding (Jul 31, 2012)

Fair warning, I know very little about plants and I just threw this together to see if it would work out! I plan on making it look a little nicer if the plants continue to do well there. Curious to see how the Selaginella Kraussiana and the upside down fern (Arachniodes standishii?) fair.


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

Ha! Great use of space. I'm now rethinking my windowsill  It looks great! 

How much sun are they getting each day? 

It looks like you've got a nice amount of morning sun going on. I'm not an expert either but I would suspect that you'll have very good success with the east window. And look at all that extra space that can be used for more plants! 

Duff


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## readygrown (Apr 5, 2008)

Here's a setup someone gave me recently...great orchidarium!

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## JCNguyen (Dec 1, 2013)

I normally just keep my plants on a large table that is located by two windows (with semi clear curtains) facing south and the other east. I've been putting my plants by here for the last few years and have had great success from my orchid collection, bonsai collection to even herbs and broms. Best part about this is no need for additional lighting.


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## 30994 (Oct 19, 2013)

I obtained a large collection from my previous manager. Got them in a Sun Hut 4x4. They make these indoor tents in numerous sizes from propagation size all the way up to like 10'x10'.


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