Quick Harvest Microgreens Grow Tray

thingiverse

Quick Harvest, Bottom Watering, Soil Based, Microgreen Grow Trays (Design 2, Version 3)\r\nSeed to harvest in 1-2 weeks with most micro varieties \r\n\r\nI designed my own trays based on the larger 10x10 grow trays I previously used to grow in. These trays are smaller so they can be grown and harvested for individual meals, watered quickly without mold development, and efficiently use seeds and soil.\r\n\r\nAdvantages of this design over traditional grow trays:\r\n* Compact size\r\n * Minimal soil usage\r\n * Easy to water and harvest quickly\r\n * Suitable for indoor growing & stackable\r\n * One tray typically yields enough greens for 2 meals\r\n* Shallow depth + drainage holes for aeration and watering\r\n * Two different types of holes/slits to allow water to drain\r\n * Holes small enough to prevent root penetration\r\n * Root mass stays compacted, making cleanup easier, composting more efficient, and bottom watering simpler\r\n * Low height, lots of drainage plus slanted sides allows bottom watering to penetrate all the soil and roots at once, draining uniformly and preventing most mold growth related to watering\r\n\r\nTray prep is quick and easy:\r\n* Soak seeds (optional but takes 2-3 days off germination & grow time) \r\n* Fill micro-tray with enough soil to reach the brim or halfway to the brim (soil amount doesn't matter, just find what works for you)\r\n* Use another micro-tray to push down on the soil and compact it.\r\n* Soak micro-tray (bottom water or just spray with water to get it wet)\r\n* Spread seeds in an even layer on top of soil, not necessary to push down or cover. (seeds can overlap and be placed in two layers, important part is to have an even layer of seeds and ensure all the soil is covered) \r\n* Let micro-tray sit until tray weighs less or looks dry\r\n\r\nDon't rely just on the dryness of the top of the soil to gauge moisture. Since there isn't that much soil once the top layer is dry, it's likely that the rest of the soil and root mass is also dry.\r\n\r\nAfter prepping trays with soil/seeds and allowing them to soak, make sure you weigh one to get a base estimate of the weight. You can then lift trays every few days to gauge how much moisture is present/when you need to rewater them.\r\n\r\nWatering is done with a 10x20 grow tray. Fill with 1" of water or enough to reach halfway up the micro-trays, place trays in water and allow them to soak for 5-10 min depending on how compact the soil is and how much root mass is present.\r\n\r\nMicro-trays can be washed in the dishwasher (material dependent, worked for most PLA printed at 100% infill and all ABS brands tested).\r\n\r\nFor more techniques and help watch:\r\nhttps://bit.ly/2IzSsBw\r\nThis started me on my microgreens journey years ago and had the best advice and tips for microgrowing in general!\r\n\r\nHappy Harvesting!!!\r\n