Blog July 2020

Latest Update 19 July 2020.

The new propagator is still evolving, and the latest incarnation contains the following features:-

• Greater stability for the potting table and more space for a storage shelf under (still to come).
• The cover is angled so that it improves solar capture during winter.  Melbourne's latitude is about 38 deg. south which means that in mid spring and autumn the optimal angle to set the cover is 38 deg, but in winter when we need sunlight most, the sun is lower in the sky, so the design angle has been set at 45 deg.  This angle is also easier to deal with during construction.
• The steeper angle of the cover provides more height for growing-on taller plants like tomatoes in larger pots.
• The design of the cover and lowering the front wall of the unit improves the amount of light coming into the unit considerably.
• A new external frame on the cover holds the polycarbonate sheet flatter than before making it more secure against flying insects and heat loss.
• In summer the new cover holds 21% or 75% shadecloth instead of the polycarbonate sheet to cope with extremes of wind and temperature and excludes pests.
• The floor space inside the propagator is the same size and shape as previous models and comfortably holds either three 30 (small) cell or three 12 (large) cell seedling trays.

Two new 2 stage air vents are set high in the side walls to help regulate daytime propagating temperatures in spring and autumn.  They are usually kept closed in winter.