New Grafting Chamber

13 years ago

I started with flat size and built around that. There's 1" of pea graves, followed with 2" of perlite, then weed fabric.

An inline fan at one end of the corrugated pipe and air circulation is constant. All I need to do is add lightweight poly.

An all day project, and I'm done. Love it.

And, the two-level rack against the back wall holds the exact # of flats that the chamber holds. After the grafts will push, they will be removed from the tent chamber and placed on the rack.

Enjoy,

Dax

18" x 15" x 3.5" sturdy flats. Perfect size for Anderson Tree Band Pots.

recycled aluminum insulation (layer one)

insulation sloped so the water will run to the drain

Layer 2 of insulation

Heat Mats go on next - insulation is so the heat doesn't ever go to the floor.

1" pea gravel (drainage)

2" of perlite - wetted down. Weed fabric is next.

Perlite is done:

Yes after watering a lot it does go right to the drain. I can thank my contractor for sloping the greenhouse foundation.

Weed fabric is on and tacked in place with nails

Ah yes, I'm getting somewhere

This photo and the rest all go together. It's the corrugated pipe with the duct fan placed on one end.

Leave some space so poly can go on and for airflow

Other end with fan - leaving space again

All that's left is poly

Plenty of room

I'm tired as hell.

----------------------------------------------------------

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Comments (28)

bluespruce53
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
see you succumbed to a hairy chin again Dax :)
freeflight
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Incredible! Is the drain pipe perforated? Will the poly you are referring to cover the front of the chamber? what material will the shelf above be made from?

I am really impressed with how well thought out your design is!
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Rnewste, keep us updated on how it is going! I wouldn't worry too much about having them being the exact size, I had some that were ridiculously mismatched after I had used all the ones close in size and they turned out okay. I think it just all depends on how good the rest of your process and chamber is. Smithmal, I kept the aquarium heater around 84 deg. as that is the optimal tomatoes grafting temp from my literature. As to an aquarium heater, I highly recommend the Aquatop 150 watt from Amazon. It is very cheap at 15.99 and the best heater I have ever owned. But any should do pretty well. I gradually increased the light by doing just a few hours of the fluorescent after many days in the dark. You slowly build up and the wilting will always let you know when you've gone too far. When they are really robust I put them by a window as well for sunlight in addition to the fluorescent, but be very careful. You do the same with the humidity. Cover any large holes in the lid, I had a space at the back for the power filter and even uncovering that at first resulted in drooping. Any aquarium would be fine it just depends how many plants you want. A big jiffy tray fits in a 20 gallon long aquarium. These are often very cheap at Petsmart. I didn't delay the seed starting for the two different seeds but it would probably be best. Maybe even seven days different. I can't stress enough how vigorously the Maxifort grows. When I was doing the grafting, I threw all the tops and old jiffy pellets in a big pile and was amazed to see the Maxifort tops root somehow and start growing beautiful plants in the pile with no light or care whatsoever! When you do this make sure and plant out some non-grafted versions of your tomatoes as well so you can compare the two. I'm a scientist in real life and don't like poorly controlled experiments, so do both kinds so you can see if it is worth it. I really enjoy the grafting and it isn't a hassle, it is more like a delight to feel so powerful that you can join two different plants together with nothing more than a sharp razor blade and a clip. My in depth comparison between grafted and non-grafted was messed up by a late frost last year that decimated my tomatoes, leaving few that I could directly compare, but I have had two different people say that the grafted plants i gave them kept producing far into the fall when the others they had had ceased and that is one often mentioned advantage for grafting I have seen. Have fun!
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hostajim1
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dax, what a well thought out professional job, hostajim
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
let me know if you guys are planning a trip ...

is the set up for now.. or for next winter???

can you graft in summer.. or is that what you are going to find out ...

ken
kbguess
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dax,

i think you are an engineer at heart. great work. when i see all you get done, i feel like a slug.

keith
Cher
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Growing up in a contractor's family myself, I have to say I am way impressed Dax. Great job!
Cher
sluice
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Super nice. Look forward to seeing it chock full of plants!
gardener365
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ken, I'm broke. I need to write to Marshall. I can graft maples and root conifer cuttings in the summer. For conifer grafting in summer a person needs to use a nearing frame that has a tall back wall that faces due south (or pure shade) + tented. Great for cuttings too, year-round.
............
Stocked it will be to the tund of 354 grafts. These trays (made in USA! - link below) were 3" shorter than standard trays, and that 3" really made the difference in root to maneuver.

freeflight- the corrugated is not perforated. the bench is already complete, everything's built from 2x4's. Oh I see what you're asking, there is no shelf above the grafting chamber - itself. The poly (I cannot stress how important lightweight is) surrounds the entire tunnel. ON the front is a furring strip that is used to tack the poly to the 2x4 running the bottom edge. I'll include another thread I wrote a while ago:
Here's that thread

Quite amazing, huh folks? I could lay on that and snooze with 70 degrees beneath. It just 'couldn't be more ideal.
Thanks for the compliments, all.

Dax

Here is a link that might be useful: Heavy-Duty Propagation Trays 25 for 85 bucks total spent
gardener365
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Blue - The beard. I can actually say I'm at the point of getting older. I like a well-groomed beard. I t looks, good on me. This will be the first summer ever, during my entire life, that i'll have grown a beard.

I forgot to mention that. And, aches and pains are forever present........

Dax
coniferjoy
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dax, it looks that you will become a professional grafter in the future.
Your new grafting house looks fantastic anf I hope you will succesfull propagate a lot of conifers in it!

About your beard, did you mention that you're now at the point of getting older?
What's your age, 37 or something like that?
My opinion is that life will start at that age, remember you are now just in the middle of your life so you have at least another 37 years to go ;p)
Good luck!
gardener365
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks! I feel young again (:0). Yes, many conifers to be grafted in the next 37, hehheh. This winter I must prove myself! : )

Dax
arceesmith
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Looks great, Dax! Inspires me to get my tucas in gear and improve my little house. I actually managed to make about 50 grafts this year. It's so fun to see them finally begin to pop out their new growth.
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I want to keep this thing alive. Plus, grafting time is coming near.

Dax
arceesmith
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm glad you kicked it back up - I had forgotten about this. Really looks great, Dax. Makes me want to invest a little more in my little grafting house, but then I've had fine success with the few I graft each of the past few years, so it would be difficult to justify the expense. Have fun this year - when will you get started?
maple_grove_gw
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Nice tour, Dax. I'm glad you revived this thread.

Have you made any modifications or improvements to the chamber over the past two years? Not that it needs improvements or anything, it looks like it was very well thought out. I'm just curious if, after a couple of years, you've got any update or other comments on its performance. Also, I seem to recall seeing in one of your old threads that you would pipe humid air from a humidifier into your chamber - do you still do that?

I'll soon be back in my dinky basement grafting setup but, man I'd really love a greenhouse like that. Problem is, I've got no place to put it on my property. Maybe it's time to consider moving...
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
No, it's perfect. If I could re-site my greenhouse, it'd go from it's current position of due south to due north or due east, preferably north. Reason is it heats up to quickly facing south (here in IL). So many sunny days......

Dax
taxo_man
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sweet setup!
J
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sorry I missed your post RC. This year I'm finished and my greenhouse is maxed with seeds in Anderson containers. I'm growing primarily oaks. It's been bitter these last two years where I bring 270 good grafts to my shadehouse and during the heat of the summer (100's temps for months) I toss 220 of them and then another 20 later in the year. I'm tired of it.

taxo- thank you sir.

Dax
coniferjoy
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dax, how about grafting conifers comming winter...?
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Nope, I'm taking the year off. I'm growing oaks such as these Bur oak from my native state of Illinois:

Quercus macrocarpa
{{gwi:95385}}

Dax
whaas_5a
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Either you have hobbit sized hands or those are some big *** acorns!
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
The caps on the larger ones are 3" across. Most acorns are the size of a golf ball, some are larger.

Dax

Full Greenhouse
ladylotus
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Nice!!! Looks like you have all your oak seeds planted up. I can't wait to see them all start growing for you. Will be much easier than grafting. LOL. I'm looking forward to start grafting again this year. Good luck on your new adventure.
ireena (zone 5-6)
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Dax, I have some questions about your huge acorns:) I also like to grow some Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) in my meadow. I'm going to buy seeds online - by Sheffild's Seed Company. They recommend to put acorns into the ground (outdoor) over the winter.

Can you recommended me the same thing? The garden ground is not yet frozen.... But I can see that you put the acorns in pots ... What temperature than is needed and when they germinate?

Ireena
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
dax ...

can i ask ...

what the hell are you going to do with that many burr oaks???

lol ...

can you graft robur on them???

ken
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I can use them for other white oaks, Ken. I'm going to take a new path to see how they will sell on Craigslist and Ebay and most-importantly, if they will stay alive thru these insanely hot summers we've been having. I can't keep my conifer grafts alive. It's pointless.

Ireena, in the ground is the best way. Plant (3) per space and select the strongest seedling the following year. Be sure to cage where your trees are so you know where and to keep rabbits and deer from eating them. (3) per hole also may keep squirrels and other animals from removing all per spot.

Ken, I also planted many other oak species, along with: hickory, magnolia, sorbus, pecan, etc- and I am going to plant several of everything on the property that adjoins mine. And, I will plant them all around the valleys here too.

Dax
floramakros
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
"What's your age, 37 or something like that?"

37? That's nothing! You're barely 1 in Sequoia years...
gardener365
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
39 this month. but I age beautifully.

Dax

New Grafting Chamber

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bluespruce53

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