30 Gal Containers Of Coco With A Double 3x3 Trellis For Trees

[Confuten1]

im in the prototype stage and just completed my first mach up. I got a few kinks to work out and a few improvements to make, but before i get all carried away and build the 30+ of these i need, I jus wanted to get some feed back from the farm first.

A couple of things first:
My building materials will be limited to PVC (1/2 inch) 1 55 gal drum per plant (mabe 2 plants per 55 gal drum cut in half) a dolley per plant, and a couple nickknacks i have laying around.
Cost was a major influence on the design of these. Im sure i can build these for 15$ or less per plant station(w/0 dolley) mabe 12$.
I originally wanted to exclude pvc in this design but after much back and forth, I gave in to the cost advantages of using it(plus i had a bunch laying around so reused a bunch of old stuff).

Heres what i got so far,

In this version the drum is cut in half @ 30 gals capacity. The trelis structure is 9 ft tall from the base so the max height i have to work with is 7 ft tall plant(9ft - 2ft of root mass). First screen is at 4ft and is a semi perfect 3x3ft grid. I havent attached my trellis yet but i plan on using @Capulator zigzag string method. Second screen is adjustable @ 6 inch increments. I used a 3/4 cross-attached with 3/4 to 1/2 reducers, easypeeziee. its secured with a #10 screw and wing nut bolt ( see pix #4)

I donot like the legs resting directly to the floor and I want them attached to the drum, originally i was gonna put them inside the drum but with the slope inside the drum, it made that idea unstable. I think im jus gonna screw the pvc legs directly to the lip of the drums or use some metal tie strap and wrap the legs to the drum, im not sure yet.

Inside the drum , at the bottom has these 2 caps that have threads for a 1/2 tube fitting (for drainage)

I jus gotta drill a hole on that nipple

I like that it breaks down easily and relatively compact. Thats important to me for storage and transportation. I have to build 30 of these at home and transport to final destination.

Next, ill be adding the dolley and properly securing legs to bottom base. I plan on form fitting the base of the drum to the dolley with metal flashing and a torch; place the metal flashing over dolley wood slats, heat up flashing with a torch, and when hot enough, placing the drum on the flashing, molding the thick plastic drum base to the dolleys dimensions. No slip n slide here.
Im also gonna drill holes and run the tubeing for a drain.

I have a couple other idea about stacking the cut drums and using the bottom as a catch ressie/ or using it as a stand for those plants not as tall as the others, canopy management issues.

Id love to hear about anything i might have missed/ overlooked. I need to build 30+ of these so i wanna get it right the first time.

Confu

 

[Skuna Tuna]

i like what you got going on here. ive built similar stands. are these plants going to remain outside?

 

[Confuten1]

i like what you got going on here. ive built similar stands. are these plants going to remain outside?

I'm tellin u great minds think alike, haha. Inside buddy under mostly Gavitas and some vert SE bulbs.
They were jus outside for the photo opp.
Confu

 

[Skuna Tuna]

I'm tellin u great minds think alike, haha. Inside buddy under mostly Gavitas and some vert SE bulbs.
They were jus outside for the photo opp.
Confu

yes, yes they do ;). man that would be very interesting to see how trees would grow with the de bulbs + vert lighting. I will be tuned in for sure!

could u possibly achieve the same support using fencing that could attach in a circular form to ur pot, then take 2x4's to the table saw and cut you some 3/4'x3/4 rips which could be placed through the cage at certain hieghts to protrude through the fencing and stick out as support bars like that u built with the pvc?? idk, just an idea that might save quite a bit of time and maybe some $. just a thought off the top of my head, there is always a con to a pro..

 

[sanvanalona]

Yeah I love what you did there, it's obvious that you are skilled with your hands so PVC may just be the wY to go. Personally, I would do as I do outdoors and just add fencing around, it would save space and make sense if you have lots of side lighting. I am sure this way will do wonderful though , looking forward to the show!

 

[Confuten1]

yes, yes they do ;). man that would be very interesting to see how trees would grow with the de bulbs + vert lighting. I will be tuned in for sure!

could u possibly achieve the same support using fencing that could attach in a circular form to ur pot, then take 2x4's to the table saw and cut you some 3/4'x3/4 rips which could be placed through the cage at certain hieghts to protrude through the fencing and stick out as support bars like that u built with the pvc?? idk, just an idea that might save quite a bit of time and maybe some $. just a thought off the top of my head, there is always a con to a pro..

Yeah I love what you did there, it's obvious that you are skilled with your hands so PVC may just be the wY to go. Personally, I would do as I do outdoors and just add fencing around, it would save space and make sense if you have lots of side lighting. I am sure this way will do wonderful though , looking forward to the show!

Like the ideas guys keep em coming. Yea ur both right on about the fencing. I decided against that for one big reason tho, and that is harvesting. I hate having to cut branches out of screens/netting/wire mesh/etc. it SUKS! Especially 2 trellises worth per plant. With Caps string method, u still get the training /support value with increased tear down speed. Its a huge advantage at harvest time.
It would have been a lot quicker to get sheets of 4x4 sq inch mesh 4ft wide(so u gotta do a double stack for the height I require) and wrap the barrel, done dizzle, but u would hate life at the end of the show, at least I would.
One last thing that I didn't mention is that in addition the support of the plants, I need the screens for training and canopy management hence the 2 levels. I'm shooting for an even canopy of multiple tops vs a Xmas tree shape.

My lighting in 10k of Gavitas and I'll be adding only 2k of verts per 20ft wall x 2 walls so not a lot of side action jus some supplemental lighting. I can check out my other thread:
(my breaking bad moment). ima reset it at the end of this run. Right now I jus got one huge trellis 15x19 with 6ft trees.

Confu

 

[Seed Buyer]

Why so much coco? I would think you could grow 6 ft trees in 15 or 20 gal bags of coco no?

 

[Confuten1]

Why so much coco? I would think you could grow 6 ft trees in 15 or 20 gal bags of coco no?

Yea man, I'm only filling them up to about 20-22 gals, leaving a lip of 8-10 gals so when I feed them I can flood them all at once. Plus I like the idea of bigger root space so that I don't have to water every day. I have 6ft trees now I'm 5 gals and that sux, I have to water every day and even then they still dry out. I think 10 gals would have been the minimum for 6ft trees in pure coco that can be watered every other day. So double that should give me a good buffer.

Confu

 

[Billyboat]

I really like the idea bunch. One thing I would consider is a premade mesh screen at the top of this so you can hang yo yo's off of it for those pesky tall side branches that make their way out.

I'm still wondering why not use smart pots? The PVC frame could be on the inside of the smart pot and with all the media in there, I'm sure it would keep it stable. In my other small room I have 7 Epap horz and 4 vert 1k's down the middle. I put the middle plants in 25 gal smart pots, sitting on a water heater catch tray, and those sit on a dolley.

Cheers!

 

[Confuten1]

I really like the idea bunch. One thing I would consider is a premade mesh screen at the top of this so you can hang yo yo's off of it for those pesky tall side branches that make their way out.

I'm still wondering why not use smart pots? The PVC frame could be on the inside of the smart pot and with all the media in there, I'm sure it would keep it stable. In my other small room I have 7 Epap horz and 4 vert 1k's down the middle. I put the middle plants in 25 gal smart pots, sitting on a water heater catch tray, and those sit on a dolley.

Cheers!

thats a good idea about the yoyos at the top bro, i think i saw Cap do something similar. I hope i can afford to load up on yoyos this round. where do u get urs from?

I like the water heater pan and 25 gal smart pot idea (i still have a few heater pans in the shed frm previous use) but it wont work for me out of shear economics. Each pan in 5-6$ and each smart pot is 12-14$ X 35 =700$ vs the 2.5$ x 35 = 90$ with the drums. As i mentioned at the first post, cost of construction and materials is a primary factor.

I finished with the design and build of each unit. I ended up going with a 3x3 per 30 gal and a 3x5 per 60 gal drums laid on its side and top middle cut out.
The 3x5 60 gal drum will hold 2 plants that have alot of strech and these containers will create the edges of the space and the 3x3 30 gals will cover the center of the room.

Ill post pictures and more info later this week.

confu

 

[CelticEBE]

This is an awesome idea @Confuten1 . I was in 15 gallon smarties for a little while until I study that JK posted. At that point I switched over to 27 gallon totes and started seeing much better results.

This is where I got my yo-yo's from. They're like 124 for 100.

http://www.discount-hydro.com/plant-yo-yo/

 

[Confuten1]

Ty @CelticEBE , I thought they were more expensive than that! Bigger the root zone the better.

Confu

 

[CelticEBE]

No problem. Not sure if you read that study or not, but from what I got out of it smarties are best for plants that will be around for a couple of years....like moms.

About the whole bigger root zone thing. While I agree with you, I have seen evidence that contradicts it. I think it really comes down to growing styles and how often you water.

Looking forward too seeing this setup.

 

[Confuten1]

No problem. Not sure if you read that study or not, but from what I got out of it smarties are best for plants that will be around for a couple of years....like moms.

About the whole bigger root zone thing. While I agree with you, I have seen evidence that contradicts it. I think it really comes down to growing styles and how often you water.

Looking forward too seeing this setup.

I agree with u about root zone and watering and growth style. I should have clearified that because I do not have a fertigAton system so I can't feed as often as I'd like, a big root zone is best for my situation. Last round I had 5-6 ft Mimi trees in 5 gal bags and they were dry every day after a good watering. They wanted to be feed 2-3 times a day but logistically that was not possible for me. With a bigger root zone I might be able to skip a day when I'm being lazy or busy without out worrying about them.
confu

 

[Capulator]

The yo yo brand that is king is:

Sold in bags of 100. @Jalisco Kid turned me on to this brand. They are the hardiest (thicker fishing line), but the plastic hooks on all of the brands break down in about a year and are easily snapped. I ran like 20-30 yo yos per plant sometimes. They clip on perfectly to the driveway mesh panels or the thick blue bendable wire from home depot that comes in a roll of 50'. I have ran them from suspended grids and via wall to wall wire. Wall to wall wire on adjustable turnbuckles is the easier install.

 

[Capfan]

The yo yo brand that is king is:

Sold in bags of 100. @Jalisco Kid turned me on to this brand. They are the hardiest (thicker fishing line), but the plastic hooks on all of the brands break down in about a year and are easily snapped. I ran like 20-30 yo yos per plant sometimes. They clip on perfectly to the driveway mesh panels or the thick blue bendable wire from home depot that comes in a roll of 50'. I have ran them from suspended grids and via wall to wall wire. Wall to wall wire on adjustable turnbuckles is the easier install.

Think those yoyo's could handle A-wings, large? what would you recommend if not, since we are on the subject? :D im used to using chain and S hooks.

 

[Confuten1]

He

The yo yo brand that is king is:

Sold in bags of 100. @Jalisco Kid turned me on to this brand. They are the hardiest (thicker fishing line), but the plastic hooks on all of the brands break down in about a year and are easily snapped. I ran like 20-30 yo yos per plant sometimes. They clip on perfectly to the driveway mesh panels or the thick blue bendable wire from home depot that comes in a roll of 50'. I have ran them from suspended grids and via wall to wall wire. Wall to wall wire on adjustable turnbuckles is the easier install.

hey @Capulator how long are the retractae strings on the yoyos. I was thinking on installing a mesh screen on the roof off room above the lights but wannabe sure the yoyos can Handel the length.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Confu

 

[Capulator]

The string is like 4' but if you hang the yoyo from the hook and put your own wire lead on the other side you can make is as long as you want.

 

[Billyboat]

I copied your idea and made these...

 

[Confuten1]

I copied your idea and made these...View attachment 490098

In digging it bro. I like how u made use of the bamboo. Is that bamboo level adjustable?

Confu