An Easy to Build Plant Stand |
Tired of looking at that plywood and two-by-four plant stand ? Do you feel that visitor's attention is drawn away from your beautiful plants to gaze at a tower of pine and
wiring ? Well here's a quick and remarkably easy to build plant stand which not only looks good but is very easy to clean so it keeps looking that way.
The center of this system is a plastic shelving unit. These units are available in a variety of colors and styles and can easily be found in discount stores or at your local building supply supermarket at a price of about $25. Most are three feet wide with four shelves. Some of the better models have add on shelf kits ($9) available which produce a finished shelving unit with five shelves standing about six feet tall. The entire unit is made from high impact plastic making it easy to wipe up spills of water or potting mix with a damp rag. No painting is necessary and assembly is a snap. No tools are necessary as everything slides right together in just about five minutes time.
After assembling the shelving unit it's time to add the lights. This is not as difficult as it sounds. By drilling a small hole in the end of each shelf, it is a simple matter to add a small eye bolt (available at the hardware store) to the end of each shelf. The lights are then suspended from the shelves using the support chains which come with the shop lights (see Fig.1). |
Wire the lights together in parallel (the help of an electrican or handyman may be necessary for this step) using a 16-gauge or better extension cord for wiring material. Just cut off the receptacle end and attach it to the lights. This leaves you with a nice molded plug on the other end to go into your timer. This method is actually cheaper than buying wire, plugs and assembling your own cords.
That's pretty much all there is to it. For some people the shelves may be a little small. You can easily remedy this situation by cutting a piece of plywood, egg crate, or any flat material to the size you want and laying it on top of the plastic shelving, notching or drilling it to fit around the corner posts. While this stand may not quite fit into the decor of your formal living room it is guaranteed to brighten up your plant room and perhaps provide a means of utilizing a little extra space in the kitchen or bath room for the growing of beautiful African Violets.