Beautiful! I really like "Lullaby" Wow.
I am curious about your light stand - what is the plastic arrangement that the pots are sitting on?

Dragonfly - are you talking about the white trays or the green ones?

Dora

The white ones - I've never seen anything like that before.

Nice set up! Love lullaby-I'm a girl leaf fanatic--Is it a mini? I'm interested in the white trays also, and the grid below it--are you wicking? And... what's that you are using for lights?

Hi Dora, I would like to know more about the white trays also. Looks like you are wicking in clear glass jars and there are holes on the sides of the pots. Did you buy the whole setup this way?

Ok, if I miss something, let me know.

The white trays are something that I was able to get off the succulent stand at KMart and Home Depot. It's the trays that the distributors bring the small cacti in and set up on the shelves where people buy them. Evidently, they don't recycle them and they go to the trash when they are empty.

I originally asked for them (they gave them to me free at the time) for us to use to transport plants back and forth for our plant show this past Sept. I needed something to transport them in that would fit a small baby food jar (which is what I use to wick)so the jar wouldnt spill over or mush into another plant and cause plant damage. This tray holds the jars an even space apart without them touching or risking damage.

When we finished the plant show, I brought them home and put my plants in them because instead of handling each individual jar 2 or 3 times by pulling it individually off the shelf, filling it and then putting it back and having to shift the jars to reach the ones in the back, etc. I slide the tray off the plant stand, set it on my kitchen island (which is about 6 feet away) and fill the jars with my watering solution. All I have to do is lift the solo cup right up out of the baby food jar (bfj)and fill and then place the cup back down into the bfj. I can refill an entire tray in less than 4 minutes.

I do not put a jar in each hole so that keeps space between my plants. That also leaves me space to place a 4 inch plastic plant saucer in between the jars and fill it with water to increase humidity level amongst plants.

As far as the grid below. That is a flourescent light cover grid that I got from the home store. It was purchased to provide a level and continuous surface for my plants and trays to sit on. I am not happy with it because it doesn't cover the entire surface of those green trays. I actually lose about 5 inches of width and depth on each shelf because of the sizing. I will do something about this down the road when I get a chance. All of the grids that I have seen online are ones that fit down "inside" of those green trays. I don't want that - I want one continuous shelf all the way across and I think that I may get something that will sit and attach to the frame and get rid of the green trays. Time will tell.

As far as the wicking. Yes, I wick but not into the trays. I wick from the botton of each solo cup into each bfj. Every plant that I repot or adopt is wicked when I first put it in dirt. Sometimes people will give me plants that are not wicked and I may wait a while before I repot it and when I do, I will wick it at that time. I guess I like each individual plant being it's own collective item that doesn't need to be changed or connected to something every time you move it or shift it or take it to share with someone.

I can't tell you what I'm using for lights. I just know that they are wonderful. The plant stand was a gift from God literally. I had been looking for a plant stand to increase my growing ability as far as lighting was concerned and had put the word out. Three degrees over, someone contacte me whose mother had been an AV grower for over 55 years. The mother recently passed away and the family sold all 450 of her plants to the AV society members in exchange for some kind of fund raiser and then began to sell off the supplied and stands/lights. The stand was a $600 stand when new and the daughter sold it to me for only $50 which included the stand and all fixtures and extra bulbs and timer and power strip. She gave me 18 of the green trays with it. I had to answer 50 questions about myself and then she apologized and said that she just wanted to make sure that whoever was getting the stand loved the violets as much as her mother did. I was cool with that. I can't find anywhere on the light a name or manufacturer so I don't know where to find more. I'm sorry. I do love the hangers that the lights hang with though. They stay our of the way and it is so easy to dust and wipe off periodically. My plants seem to love them too.

I buy the small, plastic bathroom cups from Kroger in qty of 150. I take my saudering iron and press the holes in all of them at one time. Takes about an hour and 15 at a steady pace. Usually my AV friend and I do it together and split the cups. I burn on the very middle of the bottom and then around the bottom edge with 5 holes. Then I place the cup gently in teh bfj and burn right above where the jar top ends. I do this for air to be able to move in and out so the dirt doesn't become soggy and lately (since I started using superthrive) to be able to see when the roots are spreading out the holes and its time to repot or split plants.

So - the stand came as a package with the frame, green trays and lights/hangers. I got the grid but will have to work on that. I added all the plants (in May I had less than 6 and now I have about 115) and then I found those white trays and fell in love with how the help save time and keep it organized.

I hope this isn't too long.

Dora

PS. I also love the foliage to Lullaby. It's my favorite foliage of all my plants. Pinky V is next in line for fav. foliage.

Amazing! I love it all! A true violet fairy tale. May you and your violets live happily ever after :-D (and keep posting the pics)

Thanks for sharing, Dora. Your setup looks very nice. Those pots surely do not look like dixie cups in the picture. The baby food jars look bigger also. I actually wick some of my AV's using the baby food jars too. I wick them using other jars also since the bigger jars require less refill.

As far as the grids, I thought they sell them at places like Home Depot in big pieces. I bought one before and I had to cut it into smaller pieces to fit certain trays. I had trouble cutting it without breaking parts of the grid.

They do sell the grids at HD and Lowes but I couldn't find them any larger than 22 inches X 48 inches. I really need about 54 inches by 28 inches.

Dora

Dora, your 'Lullaby' is georgeous.
Thanks for all the info on your plants and shelves. I have leaves rooting that I received in the leaf RR this past Sept/Oct. I'm looking for a shelving unit to set up for all the babies I'm expecting. I also have four leaves that have babies (from another summer trade). I've wicked them and have them sitting over old plastic glasses.
I'm not sure I used the right cord for wicking. I read on another post to use mason string. I bought the shocking pink color in walmart and put one string in each little solo cup. It's hard to tell if the water is getting up to the little plantlets. Is one string enough or should I have used two or more? Your help is appreciated.
I don't have any babies, but I buy the food occasionally for 'Shanghai' my dog. He will not eat just dry dogfood.
I've spoiled him rotten. LOL I also have three plantlets in the jars. It works great. It's time to get more, because I see litle green peeking out of some of the roting leaves.