Q&A: DIY Greenhouse – Will This Work?
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Question by Jack: DIY Greenhouse – Will This Work?
I’m trying to germanate some seeds at the moment. Last night I put seeds into shot glasses (with clean, filtered water, that sat out for 24+ hours so chemicals evaporated out). Tonight I took the ones that sank and planted them.
I got plastic cups (the red kind college kids drink out of) and filled them three quarters full of soil. I then planted my seeds (not very deep) and watered them.
I then placed them in my DIY ‘Greenhouse.’
The house is like this: I have a plastic box with a cooking rack sitting on the bottom (so when the water drains out of the holes in the bottom of the cups, it has some space to drain into). The cups are sitting on that.
I then put some plastic wrap over the box, in the place of a lid. I have some lamps shining light down onto the top. And I poked a few holes in the plastic wrap.
Will this work as a make shift green house? Should I have put holes in the plastic wrap? Should I scrap the plastic wrap and just have no lid?
(I plan on only using this greenhouse for a few days, until the plants pop out of the ground)
Another thing I was thinking was adding a little vinigar and baking soda in a cup into the box. I seem to remember that the reaction produces CO2, which I feel would help the plants grow.
Any suggestions?
Best answer:
Answer by Freedom
Yes that will work fine. The plastic wrap helps to hold in heat and moisture which your seeds need to germinate. It’s best to take the wrap off for an hour a day to let some air in. This helps avoid mold that might result in damp off fungus. If you don’t cover it, the seeds will take longer to germinate, but they still will if you keep them warm.
A few holes helps as well.
Make sure that you remove the plastic wrap as soon as you see sprouts because they need air to grow.
I have not heard of the vinegar and baking soda. I use 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted 20 to 1 with water to spay my seedlings with.
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Yes it will work. But you do not need the cups on the wire rack. You see if you put the cups on the bottom of the box, the extra water will drain out, but will still touch the bottom of the cups. This extra water will “self water” the cups, and insure the soil stays moist. You might even want to fill your container with 1 inch of water to “self water” the soil.