Which Mist Propagation Unit?

OK, I'm not going to sit on the fence any longer, I really do need a mist bench. I have basal herbaceous cuttings I want to take, and perhaps they will be fine in a pot in a plastic bag (as I usually do them) but a mist bench would probably be better. Also, particularly with quality of Multi Purpose deteriorating, I think my pricked-out seedlings would do better if they were under mist for their first week - me remembering to go out and turn the hose nozzle on to Mist once an hour is very prone to ... "what day is it again"? :(

I've delayed every year, for at least 5 years, and even before that, because of cost. I have had an eBay search running all that time and pretty much nothing has come up.

Typically there are things like this:


http://www.twowests.co.uk/TwoWestsS...asp?prod=MPU&gclid=CMWZv4qelq8CFUsMtAod3Ak9xA

3' square for £430 Gulp! I'll barely get anything on it! They do one 10' x 3' - £678 Double-gulp! Mine you, those strong staging benches are not cheap ...

http://www.mistpropagation.co.uk/ :

Sensor, mist control unit, and a number of brass nozzles (each nozzle does a metre's run) £520 for the kit + first nozzle, £50-60 for each additional nozzle - no bench included) Blimey!

However ... I have seen these people before:

http://www.simplycontrol.com/catalogue/mistprop/default.asp

Controller £189
Kit with 2 x Nozzles (covers 3' square** each) £44.95
Additional Nozzle (and pipes) £22.95

(that is for overhead, for bench-mounted with nozzles on "risers" it is cheaper still)

Instead of brass the nozzles are "UV stabilised plastic, stainless steel jet and anvil, mesh filter and non drip valve. 1/2" BSP male thread. At 50 psi. 0.6mm JET 3' dia: uses 0.42 ltrs per minute."

Another supplier:

http://shop.access-irrigation.co.uk...gation-kits/overhead-kit-single-bench-1m-wide

Kit with 1 x Nozzle £239, additional nozzles (1M each) £12-£13

or for 1.25M

Kit with 1 x Nozzle £236, additional nozzles (1.25M each) £12

I favour suspended (easier to move stuff around on the "bench" I think), rather than pipe-on-bench with risers - but I welcome any thoughts you have

Also, this time of year, my plants are on pallets in the conservatory, so I think overhead would be easier to "rig up" than below-with-risers

Any reason not to go ahead? Better choices I could make? Cutting off nose-to-spite-face by not buying brass fittings?

We have hard water, maybe a rainwater tank, filter and pump would be better - but I am sceptical that any filter can properly clean rain water??

** Yeah, I know, it will be a circle!

 

I was planning to use it in the conservatory, as its the only place with both water and power. (I currently have a small polytunnel in the conservatory to "insulate" tender plants on chilly nights)

 

how about
http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/lucky-reptile-superrain-mist-system-sr-1uk.html
or even cheaper if you are anygood at diy a headlamp washer pump and a nozzle.
http://shop.pollywog.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/5_28/products_id/167
here is a thread I did for my viv
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/593543-diy-misting-system.html

 

Interesting read, thanks. For plants I want an "electronic leaf" that opens the water solenoid (or runs pump) when it becomes dry, simple timer not suitable as if sun is out it will dry plants more quickly than overcast day, and similarly night time needs less. Presumably for Reptile tank the temperature is pretty constant, so a controlled timer-rate can be adjusted and just left to run?

Also not sure that the nozzles will cover the area - the mist propagating ones are 360 degree and cover between 1M and 1.5M diameter, so quite a large area. I could probably have multiple nozzles around the perimeter, pointing inwards (they are 50 degree spray-pattern from reading the blurb I think), but I think that will be more "spaghetti" to get in the way, and some plants may have more, some less, so more difficult to have consistency I think?

 

Hi Kristen,
Did you get one yet? It very easy to homebrew one for a lot less if you have decent mains water pressure. The electronic leaf control is quite easy to duplicate using a weighted arm which some of the stateside units employ. Whether its mechanical or electronic they work on the same principle, an evaporation sensor. A cycle timer is the other option. Costwise you`d be looking at around £40 for the main hardware (incl cycle timer whether you want/need it or not) to cover a 4x4 bench and maybe less than a tenner for each additional 4ft run of bench..only takes a bit of pipework and another nozzle. Completely safe because it`ll run on 12v dc, possibility of being battery/solar powered if you dont have an electrical supply nearby.
Price estimates are deliberately erred on the high side and dont include the cost of the bench of course

 

No, not got around to it, way too much on this spring :( Haven;t done the Capillary Matting project either, which has been critical for a couple of weeks now :(

Can;t help thinking that those seedlings that I have pricked out, and which have failed, would have faired better if under mist (I'm talking varieties with silly-tiddly-seedlings which are always a struggle). probably would have helped if I had not reilied on the Multi Purpose being "good enough for the job" and had bunged some Perlite in it (don't know why I didn't TBH, I have done for most things this season, just my major out-pricking session on all the trickey seedlings, which would have been a little while after all the easy Veg stuff, I skipped the Perlite in the mix :(

The one thought I had had was that I didn't want anything too heath robinson. I don;t want to be away for the day and find that the system failed / nozzles clogged / something else went wrong, and all my cuttings were dead / seriously stressed.2 or 3 cu.m. of cuttings is a lot of plants to lose ... but the tipping-arm is interesting and maybe more reliable than an electronic sensor that will be coated with hard water salts?

 

All you need is a 4" x 4" piece of stainless steel mesh (60-80 mesh), an arm and a mercury switch (ebay) and a weight you can slide along the arm for fine tuning. Water evaporates faster from mesh versus a solid plate. You may get calcium deposits on the mesh after a while but its easily fixed by soaking overnight in white vinegar or any mild acid. I run my outdoor aeroponic setup 24/7 for 5 months solid without a hitch so you should be fine using plain tapwater.
Do you have reasonable mains water pressure or would you have to rely on a pump?

 

We have good water pressure, so that should be fine. Just getting around to finding the time to order the bits (which in turn means anticipating enough time to assemble them) is the key.

Hmmm ... Ding! ... No.1 Daughter is off to Uni in the Autumn to do architectural engineering. I'm sure its a suitable Work Experience project for her ... Guess I'd better wait for the Summer holls though, rather than jeopardise her A-level examinations!