Water Catcher for Large Pots

Olafhenny · 10-14-2011, 02:10 PM

I found this attractive set of large pots for bananas and other large plants, which seemed very practical.
They were of vinyl basket weave with plastic inserts, which could be used as ‘stand alone’ pots outside
and in winter, when brought in be hidden in their baskets.

The problem was, that their bottoms were square and it is almost impossible to find square water catcher
trays of that size. So I was forced to make my own.

Here is a pictorial sequence showing their making:

The first pic. shows how they were screwed and glued together out of 1/8th inch hardboard and moulding.
The whitish surfaces are left over, after I had sanded the white finish off the hard board, to rough it up to
accept the new blue paint.

Another shot after painting shows the arrangements of the screws.

I covered the screws around the edges with felt to avoid scratching the floor, when I drag those heavy
pots around for cleaning. The patch in the centre should take care of any possible sag of the pot.

All three trays from the top. The fit of the mid-size one was a bit tight in the corners, so I had to trim
the braces back a bit. The blue paint is an acrylic, which was covered with three coats of Varathane for
durability and waterproofing. I will still have to do some touch-up on the 'mutilated' corner posts.

This last shot shows the trays ‘in action’

In retrospect I am glad, that I could not find any suitable trays commercially. It allowed me to
size them for optimal space efficiency and paint them in custom colour.

sunfish · 10-14-2011, 04:34 PM

Looks good

Richard · 10-14-2011, 05:10 PM

If I were to do that in my location, root rot would soon follow.

Olafhenny · 10-14-2011, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard

If I were to do that in my location, root rot would soon follow.

It can't, at least not unless you go overboard watering. The soil in the pot is draining well and so is the pot.
That is why I have a water catcher. I stop watering as soon as water appears in the tray below and then
give it a rest for a couple of weeks or so.

10-14-2011, 02:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
Olafhenny Olafhenny's Photo Gallery Location: Penticton, BC, Okanagan Valley, Canada Find me on the map! Zone: Hardiness Zone 6 Name: Olaf Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,705 BananaBucks : 255,991 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2,050 Times Was Thanked 2,012 Times in 876 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 77 Times	Water Catcher for Large Pots I found this attractive set of large pots for bananas and other large plants, which seemed very practical. They were of vinyl basket weave with plastic inserts, which could be used as ‘stand alone’ pots outside and in winter, when brought in be hidden in their baskets. The problem was, that their bottoms were square and it is almost impossible to find square water catcher trays of that size. So I was forced to make my own. Here is a pictorial sequence showing their making: The first pic. shows how they were screwed and glued together out of 1/8th inch hardboard and moulding. The whitish surfaces are left over, after I had sanded the white finish off the hard board, to rough it up to accept the new blue paint. Another shot after painting shows the arrangements of the screws. I covered the screws around the edges with felt to avoid scratching the floor, when I drag those heavy pots around for cleaning. The patch in the centre should take care of any possible sag of the pot. All three trays from the top. The fit of the mid-size one was a bit tight in the corners, so I had to trim the braces back a bit. The blue paint is an acrylic, which was covered with three coats of Varathane for durability and waterproofing. I will still have to do some touch-up on the 'mutilated' corner posts. This last shot shows the trays ‘in action’ In retrospect I am glad, that I could not find any suitable trays commercially. It allowed me to size them for optimal space efficiency and paint them in custom colour. __________________ The reason I joined this forum was to share experiences, my own and those of others and to learn from them. Last edited by Olafhenny : 10-14-2011 at 10:16 PM.

10-14-2011, 04:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,070,849 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,592 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Water Catcher for Large Pots Looks good

10-14-2011, 05:10 PM	#3 (permalink)
Richard un-Retired Richard's Photo Gallery Location: Vista, CA Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 10b Name: Richard Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 9,674 BananaBucks : 594,641 Feedback: 9 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,636 Times Was Thanked 12,537 Times in 4,719 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1,685 Times	Re: Water Catcher for Large Pots If I were to do that in my location, root rot would soon follow. __________________ Back in business at plantsthatproduce.com

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