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Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 11:14 am
by jofi
Good Morning all
Just a quick question regarding how you make your own particular growing boxes.
Do you use timber boxes, plastic pots (whether they be normal pots or orchid pots), or both?
If you make your own timber boxes, what do you make them out of and what's your process?
Looking at knocking a few up, and am curious as to how you make yours for longevity and fit for purpose for the particular species you're putting in them.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 11:18 am
by TimS
I made a few a year or so back. Just had some treated pine from an old fence that got removed kicking about and nailed that together. Fine for bonsai but the general consensus is not to use treated pine with edibles
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 12:24 pm
by shibui
I started out using polystyrene fruit boxes available at green grocer. Free and they are a good size for grow box and trees grow well in them but they do deteriorate in the sun. Got sick of getting covered in white every time I brushed past or handled them. Also need to dispose of the remains after they fall apart.
Now I use orchid pots as much as possible because they are neat, clean, drain well and are reusable. Pity they don't make some larger than 30cm.
Make wooden boxes out of any timber. Shipping pallets can be used but will only last 1-2 years but the wood is free and quick to make up shallow or deeper boxes.
Treated pine is more durable. Use green H3 treated pine. Should last 5-10 years. The blue framing pine is only treated for termites and still rots quick.
Rough sawn 150mmx25mm treated pine 'plinth' appears to be the cheapest H3 to buy and is thick enough to screw together at corners. 150 is also a good depth for grow box.
Use gal or treated pine screws because ordinary nails and screws rust real quick in TP.
Thinner treated pine palings can reduce weight but will need something thicker for ends to screw into.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 12:40 pm
by jofi
shibui wrote: ↑March 30th, 2021, 12:24 pm
I started out using polystyrene fruit boxes available at green grocer. Free and they are a good size for grow box and trees grow well in them but they do deteriorate in the sun. Got sick of getting covered in white every time I brushed past or handled them. Also need to dispose of the remains after they fall apart.
Now I use orchid pots as much as possible because they are neat, clean, drain well and are reusable. Pity they don't make some larger than 30cm.
Make wooden boxes out of any timber. Shipping pallets can be used but will only last 1-2 years but the wood is free and quick to make up shallow or deeper boxes.
Treated pine is more durable. Use green H3 treated pine. Should last 5-10 years. The blue framing pine is only treated for termites and still rots quick.
Rough sawn 150mmx25mm treated pine 'plinth' appears to be the cheapest H3 to buy and is thick enough to screw together at corners. 150 is also a good depth for grow box.
Use gal or treated pine screws because ordinary nails and screws rust real quick in TP.
Thinner treated pine palings can reduce weight but will need something thicker for ends to screw into.
Thanks mate. Really good info! Was thinking of acquiring some pallets and transforming them into something useful.
Used to use polystyrene as well, but had the same issues
I have Orchid pots - just after something a bit larger without having to spend a fortune on decent hardwood timber for making boxes
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 3:56 pm
by shibui
Just remember that hardwood is heavy. Your boxes will weigh quite a bit when full of soil and plant. No need to make them heavier than necessary.
Pallet wood should last a year at least but there are lots of different pallets. I would avoid the ones with really thin planks.
Hope you'll post some pics of your design.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 4:20 pm
by KIRKY
A lick of paint inside, outside and the cut ends prior to assembly extends the life of timber boxes by a few years.
Also extends the break down of styrene boxes too.
Cheers
Kirky
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 4:28 pm
by Max
I'm the same, using poly boxes but have now just started using black storage box's. 400 x 300 x 200. This is year 2 and at 5 bucks a pop from the Reject Shop, I'm happy
and with a lip around the edges, makes for easy picking up and moving, the lids can be used as drip trays also albeit shallow ones
Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 5:21 pm
by deeno
I was lucky to find a wooden crate the right size for a large Callistemon which it has now been sitting in happily for about a year. It’s untreated and I can see already it will probably only last another year but I was going to re-pot early spring and put it a big plastic tub I found at a discount
shop.
I built one from pallets for a huge Portulacaria Afra cutting but haven’t been able to get it to stop rotting and grow roots... Biggest issue I found was the effort of trying to get the pallets apart without damaging the wood.
By the end of it I wasn’t sure if it was worth the effort.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 8:24 pm
by Stu
I recently bought a few round storage tubs, ~ 30cm diameter, 13cm deep and drilled some holes in the bottom. They were ~$4 at B***ings. Don't know how UV stable but they should last a few years.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 30th, 2021, 9:44 pm
by shibui
Biggest issue I found was the effort of trying to get the pallets apart without damaging the wood.
my Men's Shed has a lever tool designed to pry most pallets apart efficiently with minimum damage. Not all boards come off cleanly but some breaks near the ends can be cut off because you are not likely to make a grow box 1150mm long.
There are also lots of different pallets. Some are really hard to break up and the saw is the best tool. Ends are usually much harder to pull off than the centre so a saw cut at either end then pry off the centre can work well. Others pop apart with minimum damage. You get to be able to identify which are which after a while.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 31st, 2021, 4:47 am
by Joshua
Hi Jofi,
Good topic I was wondering about this recently. Currently looking at options for containers.
I noticed some people use colanders or pond baskets.
I saw these "baskets for aquatic plants" online where I live each less than two euros. Seems pretty cheap but perhaps they're not at all sturdy. That and I don't like the idea of buying more plastic than necessary because it's just horrible, but it could be worth it if they last a while. Interesting that you can use palettes.
plant basket square 25 25 15.png
25x25x15cm
plant basket round 21 13.png
21x21x13cm
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 31st, 2021, 6:57 am
by greg27
I make boxes out of pallets I get for free from a place near me. Often they break the pallets up before putting them out for people to take for free which is a bonus. The wood isn't treated so the boxes won't last forever, but I have a few that have been going for close to two years with no issue. Generally I use the boxes for larger olive stumps.
Another option is plastic containers with drainage holes added. I have a ficus in a 60x50cm plastic container that originally had handles and wheels and was designed for under-bed storage. I was told that a plastic container would allow the roots to warm up more in the sun than a wooden box, which would make a ficus pretty happy. I think the container was $10 or something from Big W. I drilled a bunch of drainage holes in the bottom, and spray painted the sides.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 31st, 2021, 11:58 am
by deeno
shibui wrote:Biggest issue I found was the effort of trying to get the pallets apart without damaging the wood.
my Men's Shed has a lever tool designed to pry most pallets apart efficiently with minimum damage. Not all boards come off cleanly but some breaks near the ends can be cut off because you are not likely to make a grow box 1150mm long.
There are also lots of different pallets. Some are really hard to break up and the saw is the best tool. Ends are usually much harder to pull off than the centre so a saw cut at either end then pry off the centre can work well. Others pop apart with minimum damage. You get to be able to identify which are which after a while.
I’ve seen/heard about tools like that.
I didn’t have much in the way of tools for the job at the time and was trying not to invest too much as I thought it might be a one-off thing. I ended up just using a 20oz ball peen hammer and a large cold chisel so I certainly made life harder for myself.
If I do some more I do think I’d get something better suited for the job and be more fussy with my pallet selection.
Some of those nails!!! They’re 4-5 inches long and ribbed (but definitely not for anyone’s pleasure
) so they fight you the whole way out..!
I’m hoping not to have to make another and maybe just use something like this plastic tub. This is what I’m hoping to put the Callistemon in for it’s next re-pot. I’m not sure if it’s UV stable but I think it should last until it’s ready for a proper pot and I can get one.
I’ve only got one and I wanted to get some more as they are only 20 dollars but they’re showing as sold-out on the site. I hope they get more stock.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: March 31st, 2021, 5:25 pm
by shibui
Plastic basins are OK. Just make sure there are enough drain holes in the bottom. Some tubs are UV stable and will last years, others are less stable and break down after a few years.
Nails in pallets are glue coated gun nails. When they are fired into wood at high speed the glue melts and then sets again so it is not just the ribs that hold it all together. You need to fight the glue as well.
Re: Making timber growing boxes
Posted: April 1st, 2021, 10:59 am
by one_bonsai
Another option if want something that will last a long time is to buy large plastic pots and then cut them down to size. Also means you don't have to keep building grow boxes. Bunnings has some large black plastic pots which is what I use.
