Plant Stand w/ Humidity Trays and Lights - Need Your Opinion!

[butt0n]

Hi all,
I've been very tempted to spend some money on this, but I wanted to see if you all thought it was too much or if I could get a set up that maybe cheaper. It has everything built in. I figured I'd end up paying separately for everything including lights and trays, but this seemed like it was a nice neat package. What do you think?



Here's a link to read more about it: http://www.theplantfurniturecompany....ture_table.htm

[Sharyn]

I love this stand - I'm sure I've looked at it many times, not enough room for my orchids but a nice accent piece. It's nice that it has a tube to drain out the trays. I've saved the picture because my son does woodworking & cabinetry and thought maybe he could make me one some day.
I didn't see any pricing on your link, but I have found similar stands.

Not sure exactly what you have in mind for growing areas, but we have a new and recent thread on Growing Spaces - check it out.

http://www.orchidlight.com/c404.html
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/orc...growing+spaces

[butt0n]

Oh geez, didn't realize that link didn't have a price. It retails between $250 and $300. Which is why I asked if its too much...I wish I knew someone who could build one exactly how I'd like it! And thanks for the link, I will check it out.

[janet_a]

oooh nice!

[Sharyn]

ButtOn: Here's another link for $199.00. If you decide to have someone make you the stand, be sure you have your humidity trays on hand so the stand can be custom made for your trays. You don't want to have the table made and not be able to find ready-made trays to fit. Get your trays and then have the table made. You'll also have to buy a light fixture and the spectrum fixtures are not cheap. My son always insists on using only high quality hardwoods for his furniture projects. He refuses to stain anything, just an oil rubbed finish (which is always beautiful). Problem is: Good quality wood for furniture making is not cheap.

So, you have these things to consider: The quality humidity trays average about $30.00 apiece. Wood is expensive. Labor to make a table will cost you about the same as the cost of wood. (And don't count on family members for cheap labor - they usually cost you a lot more in beer & pizza.) A spectrum light is expensive. So, maybe this $200 stand would be a resonable option for growing a few orchids.

http://www.gardeners.com/Window-Plan...pd?SC=XNET8035

[fred]

I also think its a nice piece.
I also think with orchids on the stand that will make for a nice talking piece as well.
Thank you for the link I thought it was interesting to look at.

[butt0n]

Sharyn:
Thanks so much for your input. I also think its worth it. I'm just not looking forward to paying shipping for it...LOL! I can never win. Anyways, I'm hoping to get this soon shortly after I figure out my future vacation expenses...I'm leaving in May and July for a week. Which gives me another problem...anyways, thanks all for the input!

[PhalPal]

I love this stand but it will not accomodate a lot of plants, and the shelf/lights are not height adjustable. Still, I am thinking about getting it myself! If you are looking for really convenient, pretty humidity trays go to this site:
www.orchidlight.com
They call them 'Grow and Show trays'
Good luck!
Update: Theplantfurniturecompany.com is for wholesalers only, thus no pricing.

[butt0n]

PhalPal:
Its true, it doesn't leave a lot of room for a ton of plants. But right now I only have 10 orchids. I want to get more, but I'm being picky. Getting this stand would allow me to have a few more, and without my boyfriend complaining about them taking too much space. I've also got some bonsai outside which are currently taking over a lot of space, thankfully he's into that though...cuts down on the whining.

[kmarch]

Dear button,

It's a lovely stand to be sure and from what I can tell from only one pic it looks functional too, but the answer to your question really depends quite a bit on the direction you want to take your orchid-growing hobby.

If you are planning on growing only a few orchids (maybe 6-8 depending on the size - if you grow small ones, maybe 12 plants or so) in your living space (e.g. living room) and you want to keep that room looking like a living space (rather than an orchid room) then this would probably do nicely I'm sure.

If you are just looking for somethign to display your orchids in a livign space when they bloom (maybe they're in a greenhouse the rest of the time?) and want to minimize the stress to them while looking attractive, this will do nicely for that as well.

And since it looks like a piece of fine furniture....less spousal whinning.

I don't mean to open the floodgate here (well that's silly, of course I do), but as you live in the bay area of CA, there are lots of orchids you could probably grow outside. How nice it is to sit on your porch or in your back yard having a nice coffee on a Saturday morning, surounded by your blooming Cymbidiums. [music swells, camera fades]

[butt0n]

I just read on the product description that the bulbs provided with the stand provide 1820 lumens. Is that enough for catts to grow? The fixtures fit an 18" long bulb, but I'm not sure I can get anything more powerful for that size.

[Sharyn]

buttOn: Can't answer your question regarding the lumens, however, Mayres (Mike) started a thread regarding lighting and some interesting links. Check it out.
http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...iscussion.html

[butt0n]

Thanks Sharyn! I've been doing a lot of reading on light and didn't realize how in depth you can get. I'm just trying to make sure that the lights I end up getting, or this stand, plus natural sunlight will cover all of the orchids I have. Without lights I found that I only have around 1600 fc, so hopefully the lights will kick it up a bit. I'm aiming for at least 2000-3000 for my catts and dens. My paphs and phals will be easier to accomodate.

[pikevi]

It is a beautiful stand and with a very practical concept, sharyn.

But what I'd like to know is why is it so pricey?(the original price of $299) It is just birch:not cherry or mahogany. I apologise fore my ignorance.

I would look for those in Canada.

[butt0n]

Originally Posted by pikevi

It is a beautiful stand and with a very practical concept, sharyn.

But what I'd like to know is why is it so pricey?(the original price of $299) It is just birch:not cherry or mahogany. I apologise fore my ignorance.

I would look for those in Canada.

The cheapest I've found it for is US$199.99 and that's not including shipping.

[Sharyn]

pikevi: I agree, $299 plus shipping is a lot for a birch small decorative piece. $199 for the same thing is a better buy.

buttOn: How much is the shipping? It's 20 lbs.
I've included a wood comparison chart, just to give you an idea of cost to build it yourself. We need one of the fellows who do woodworking to questimate how much wood is needed to make this stand.

Then, you would need 2 trays. These trays are nice but a bit pricey when sold individually. I've seen them for as much as $65 apiece.

Haven't found a spectrum light fixture & bulbs for this size table, but I would guess that it could be at least $35-$50.

So, if you add up the cost of wood, 2 trays, a spectrum light, that in itself may be close to the cost of the already inclusive table. And don't forget, you'd still need to build it! So, I guess you need to do the comparison and figure out if the price of the table and shipping is your best option.

Good Luck.
http://www.verifiedsoftware.com/goodturns/woodcosts.htm

[slippery_biscuit]

Nice looking stand, and maybe not too far off as the money goes. I've a tray/light set-up from Charlies's Greenhouse. On the downside it is just a black finish, and no stand to sit it on. It does have the tray w/ drain tube and the height of the lights are adjustable. I've a variety of orchids in the tray, including a couple of catts that are sending out new roots like crazy. Humidity around the plants is usually in the low 60's, good enough for many orchids. It sells for about $180.

Most of my orchids are too big for this unit. If you do go this route, be thinking of staying with the mini varieties.

Jeff

[Ellen]

Wow! That thing puts my wire racks and plastic nursery trays to shame! It's a beautiful piece of furniture.

[PhalPal]

ButtOn - Please let us know your opinion on the quality and size when you do order it. I'm curious just how many plants can fit on the lower tray under the lights. www.orchidlight.com also has an "easy drain humidity tray" for $35.00. Not quite as fancy as the Grow and Show but very functional with the drain hose, just not as much wood around the outside. It looks like it would be an excellent piece for supplemental light. So go ahead...you go first!