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More Than Just A Boot Tray
If you're one of those people who have a collection of houseplants grouped together
on the floor, with each one sitting on a plate or in a saucer to catch the water that
drains out of the soil, then you might like this handy, made in England, boot tray.
With
a new greenhouse and what seems like an always new supply of seedlings coming along, this
desert gardener is constantly in need of flats or plastic trays. Most of the ones I buy
are inexpensive and made of a flimsy black plastic that self destruct after a couple of
vigorous growing seasons.
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Large plastic tray and water
absorbing mat work well for adding humidity and watering potted plants in the greenhouse.
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However while perusing The Gardener's Supply catalog one hot afternoon I
happened to notice what the company was selling as boot trays. Supposedly when you come
inside with your garden boots all covered with mud or snow the tray is the perfect place
to put the boots so you don't get the mud and snow all over your house.
At about $10 each I ordered two of the sturdy 44" L * 16" W * 2" D trays
figuring I could always find a use for them. Sure enough, I did. Two of them went into my
greenhouse to hold water to increase the humidity and bottom water some of the younger
plants.
I ordered another which is destined for the house where it will serve as a plant sitter
for some of the houseplants. I can sit the potted plants in the tray and then fill it with
an inch or so water and let the plants draw the moisture into the soil as needed.
(1999)
Check either
of the two following companies for boot trays.
Gardener's Supply Company
Plow and Hearth - Products for
Country Living
Water Absorbing Mat
As long as this page
tells about water holding boot trays this looks like the perfect place to comment on a
green water absorbing fiber mat for bottom watering your greenhouse plants, houseplants
and seedlings.
I purchased about a 10 foot length of the capillary mat just to see if it
had any value to a desert gardener. At first I placed it on a big sheet of polyethylene
plastic and saturated the mat with water. The mat was absorbent like a good sponge. The
instructions suggested one end of the mat sit in a reservoir of water that could be drawn
up when needed. For my use the water holding reservoir would take up too much space in the
greenhouse.
Next I placed several potted plants ranging from four to six-inch pots on the mat. My
task was to was make sure the mat was kept well saturated with moisture. It wasn't long
before I tried to lift a pot and found the plant's roots had grown into the mat. In
addition a vining houseplant that had overgrown the mat had rooted into the mat giving me
some instant cuttings to plant.
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Young geraniums started from
seed absorb moisture from the green
mat as they need it. |
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Moist mat lets
container plants absorb the
moisture they need. |
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The matting can be easily trimmed to size with scissors and I have two
large pieces for two of the boot trays described in the story at the top of this page.
Watch for the matting in catalogs like
Gardener's
Supply or
Charley's Greenhouse &
Indoor Garden. (1999) |
