tray for holding solo cups?

[karstopography]

@JRinPA perfect!

[JRinPA]

Yeah, sure is a lot nicer. Thank you crazyoldgooseman from Maryland. Think I did 19 more tonight, and packing up in the dark, infinitely better using 2 carry racks instead of 19 loose to fall over. I gotta get dogs in the truck, load the stuff, get home, unload the stuff, get the dogs out, load the stuff back in for the night, water it and cover it. And the truck bed liner is that heavy, slick plastic ribbed channel.

[bower]

Funny I found the 'disposable' beer cups to be super durable and washed out and re- used mine for years with only a few ever splitting. They're also just the right size for 8 wk old tomato plants, and have a smaller footprint under the lights than a 4 inch pot. They were also great when giving away or selling extra plants without the cost of a regular pot. Somehow I ended up with way too many though, and because I'm not sure about 'sterilizing' them adequately I'm thinking to switch to something durable and hort dedicated if I can find the similar size. Tray for moving them was always an issue, although you can cram 18 into a 1020 tray it's no fun to pick it up.
In the dollar store alternatives I found those trays with holes in the sides are not durable for the extremes of heat and cold, and there's no recycle code on them so they are trash when they're done. The best 'repurposed' item for holding pots was the cat trays. Sturdy and higher sided, they hold 14 beer cups but are wider than a 1020 so not great for fitting under a single light. As with other open boxes, they only carry well when full of cups and require a steady hand, but they were better than other things I tried, and most of them were very durable. I started with some black ones and a couple of those I also drilled to use as flats, and they've stayed intact for 5+ years as long as not let to blow around in the yard. But I picked up some grey ones a couple years later and those broke after a couple of seasons. So I think quality is very variable at dollar store, and you need to examine the merch carefully to assess how well it may last. Thickness and flexibility seem to be key to longer lasting items. Overall though I have found that our dollar store plastics never have a recycle code, which means they are trash when they break. And since many of them don't last as long as a well made product designed for horticulture, I've given up the repurposing plan for their containers.
The wire looks good JR, but I do find wire things especially deformed stuff end up being a pain to store when not in use. But... I need a shed.

[Tormato]

Boom!
Super easy to make from scrap 2x4 fencing. I cut it at 9 wide (18"), took a 2x4 timber and used it to bend 2 squares of each edge so it supports itself. From 5 ft high fence, it is fifteen 4"grids long, two are wasted with cuts, so 13 grids makes a 15 holder and two 12 holders. Or just three 12 slot holders if you want them the same. Just bend out the wire for the holes, they work great, and support the cups up high with the weight in tension so they won't spill.
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I may try that this year.

Mainstays once made a white painted wire rack (about 17" X 22" X 4" deep, IIRC) years ago. It now appears to be discontinued.

[rdback]

Boom!
Super easy to make from scrap 2x4 fencing. I cut it at 9 wide (18"), took a 2x4 timber and used it to bend 2 squares of each edge so it supports itself. From 5 ft high fence, it is fifteen 4"grids long, two are wasted with cuts, so 13 grids makes a 15 holder and two 12 holders. Or just three 12 slot holders if you want them the same. Just bend out the wire for the holes, they work great, and support the cups up high with the weight in tension so they won't spill.
27.JPG28.JPG29.JPG30.JPG31.JPG32.JPG33.JPG

This is an awesome idea! I think I'll give it a try. Thanks JR!

[Tormato]

Funny I found the 'disposable' beer cups to be super durable and washed out and re- used mine for years with only a few ever splitting. They're also just the right size for 8 wk old tomato plants, and have a smaller footprint under the lights than a 4 inch pot. They were also great when giving away or selling extra plants without the cost of a regular pot. Somehow I ended up with way too many though, and because I'm not sure about 'sterilizing' them adequately I'm thinking to switch to something durable and hort dedicated if I can find the similar size. Tray for moving them was always an issue, although you can cram 18 into a 1020 tray it's no fun to pick it up.
In the dollar store alternatives I found those trays with holes in the sides are not durable for the extremes of heat and cold, and there's no recycle code on them so they are trash when they're done. The best 'repurposed' item for holding pots was the cat trays. Sturdy and higher sided, they hold 14 beer cups but are wider than a 1020 so not great for fitting under a single light. As with other open boxes, they only carry well when full of cups and require a steady hand, but they were better than other things I tried, and most of them were very durable. I started with some black ones and a couple of those I also drilled to use as flats, and they've stayed intact for 5+ years as long as not let to blow around in the yard. But I picked up some grey ones a couple years later and those broke after a couple of seasons. So I think quality is very variable at dollar store, and you need to examine the merch carefully to assess how well it may last. Thickness and flexibility seem to be key to longer lasting items. Overall though I have found that our dollar store plastics never have a recycle code, which means they are trash when they break. And since many of them don't last as long as a well made product designed for horticulture, I've given up the repurposing plan for their containers.
The wire looks good JR, but I do find wire things especially deformed stuff end up being a pain to store when not in use. But... I need a shed.

"Somehow I ended up with way too many though,"

TMI

[bower]

Too many words, it happens.

[worth1]

Our Sun is stronger in Texas.
.

[pondgardener]

Funny I found the 'disposable' beer cups to be super durable and washed out and re- used mine for years with only a few ever splitting. They're also just the right size for 8 wk old tomato plants, and have a smaller footprint under the lights than a 4 inch pot. They were also great when giving away or selling extra plants without the cost of a regular pot.

@bower I have found that the trays shown below, that I purchased from DollarTree, have been durable for my purpose and are still going strong after 5 years of use. I use them mostly for tomatoes and peppers and I can easily bottom water a couple of trays at a time in a larger container. I believe the cups are the smaller size(9oz) and I have drilled a couple of holes in the bottom of each tray to allow the water to drain out completely after watering. And I can place them under grow lights, rotate the trays and eventually move them outside to harden off fairly easily. And as you mentioned, if I decide to give away any extra plants or growing for a friend, the cost is minimal. I wash each cup with soap and water after transplanting, rinse and let dry before storing. So far, with a little care, the cups have lasted over 5 years.

veg tray.jpeg

[JRinPA]

Yep, those are the baskets, though currently they are all dull colors at nearest the dollar tree. Last year I bought the green, this year there is only white black blue gray available.
9 oz cups make an array of 15, huh? And look more stable since they grid properly.

edit 9 oz not 12 oz

[pondgardener]

@JRinPA I started potting some plants today and I looked on the bottom of each cup and they were labeled 9oz. So I changed my original post to 9 oz.

[JRinPA]

Do you think 9oz cups a better size for most of your transplants?

I love the bent fence grid for the 16 oz size.

Next step for me is to get these big PVCs drilled to accept the cups. At 45 degrees, a cup, ie a truncated cone, make a teardrop shape. I had been thinking a holesaw applied at 45 degrees through a jig would work, but that would be for a cylinder, not a cone. Cutting out 100 tear drop shapes through sch40 does not sound like fun to me, so I'm in a holding pattern. Plus, in some pain and just haven't had time. All the strawberry cups in the greenhouse are putting on flowers...

[worth1]

Do you think 9oz cups a better size for most of your transplants?

I love the bent fence grid for the 16 oz size.

Next step for me is to get these big PVCs drilled to accept the cups. At 45 degrees, a cup, ie a truncated cone, make a teardrop shape. I had been thinking a holesaw applied at 45 degrees through a jig would work, but that would be for a cylinder, not a cone. Cutting out 100 tear drop shapes through sch40 does not sound like fun to me, so I'm in a holding pattern. Plus, in some pain and just haven't had time. All the strawberry cups in the greenhouse are putting on flowers...

Drill through what PVC for a cup and why at a 45.
I'm totally Lost.

[pondgardener]

@JRinPA The smaller cups work better for me as I usually pot up over 100 plants. Less potting mix is used and I can get more cups under lights, as my space is limited.

[Labradors]

Bower is right about the low quality of plastic containers from Dollar Stores. I have bought several (what I would call) washing-up bowls. (because they fit perfectly in the sink, and we used to use them for hand washing dishes). They have so many uses, including being nice and sturdy for holding the square nursery pots that I use for my tomatoes/peppers/eggplants that need hardening off. (I use waxed creamer cartons for my give-aways).

Some of these bowls have been in use for years, but the latest lot break way too easily and barely last a year. False economy! I'm thinking of splurging, on better quality replacement bowls from the big box stores in the future.

[CrazyAboutOrchids]

I use, and have washed and reused for years, 9 oz red cups. I poke holes in the bottom with a temp probe from my smoker thermometer. Once seed germinates, it goes into the 9 oz. I don't fill up, but as the tiny plant grows, I top up with more soil. This year I started in Fox Farms Light Warrior, first pot up took that clump into the cup and topped with FF Happy Frog. Final pot up will be into deep nursery pots adding Ocean Forest to those pots. I only do the deep pots with tomatoes, the rest normally stay in the 9 oz.

Love those dollar tree trays!. I have plastic trays that I keep my plants in, but would love something that would allow me to lift the cups or pots up with. It's a pain to bottom water, then have to remove standing water if I add too much. But alas, I remove each plant - having a smaller garden the manual way still works well just time consuming. Guess a bonus to it is I get to inspect each plant; exciting at the beginning of the season after waiting all winter to begin.... but not so thrilling when the plant load gets heavier and larger and more difficult to handle toward planting time.

[MrBig46]

I cut circular holes in the solo lacquer and added feet to hold the cups.
Vladimír