To make his succulents even more beautiful, he built a flower rack himself
Qing Tian (Sunny Day)
Ye Huimei
Jay Chou
00:00/04:29
BGM: Jay Chou - Qing Tian (Sunny Day)
Nowadays, I understand more and more that succulent lovers will truly do anything for their plants.
Making pots for succulents, painting pots, DIY-ing racks... none of it is beyond them!
Thanks to the author [Gui Cai Xiao Li] for the original share
Edited and compiled by: Duo Rou Kong
Location: Taizhou
This time I'll show you how to design a flower rack yourself.
The flower rack was actually finished long ago, but some of the accompanying photos didn't turn out well, so it got delayed for quite a while. My writing skills are limited and my design skills are limited too, so if there's anything done poorly, please do give me plenty of advice!
Preparation
Tools: angle iron, template, wood wax oil, metal paint, tricycle, mask and gloves
Design: since the balcony space is big enough, I made the flower rack a bit larger, designing the dimensions around this solid wood board in the middle.
The wood board was given to me by a fellow succulent lover after I helped her dig sand. It's very sturdy, with lots of gaps for good airflow.
I bought wood wax oil and brushed it all over both sides. The color turned out nice.
The gaps are neither too big nor too small. Even thumb pots won't fall through, which is very handy.
Assembly & painting
Next, take the finished drawings to the steel market and find a master to do the welding.
Height 1.7 m, length 1.5 m. Width 0.9 m.
If it were up to me, I'd have been stuck at the first step of drawing the design plans
The main frame uses angle iron, with the opening facing inward, wood boards on top, and Haworthia cooperi can go underneath. In the end it cost 400 yuan. If you know someone who can weld, you can save even more money.
More than ten days later the welding was done. I borrowed a tricycle from a neighbor and hauled the iron frame back.
When carrying it up, it almost got stuck on the stairs. The iron frame's width was exactly the same as the staircase, so there was no choice but to inch it along slowly.
When you're drawing up your own dimensions, be sure to factor in the width of doors and corridors, otherwise it'll be awkward if it won't fit through.
Anti-rust primer and topcoat ready to go!
For the topcoat I used glossy black. Paired with black it looks a bit more imposing and bold.
I do mural work myself, so wielding a paintbrush comes naturally. Done in no time at all, so what I just called cheap and plain turned into rich and handsome once painted. Glossy black really was the right choice.
The top part of the flower rack is separate, with hollow iron pipes welded at the corners,
then set on top and secured with zip ties,
if a summer typhoon comes, just take it down in time.
Once everything is done, cover it with film to increase the temperature difference,
in summer, switch to shade netting and rainproof film.
I leave two vents at the bottom left and top right corners. Once the sun hits it and the temperature rises, the air inside circulates on its own.
The size of the ventilation holes must be adjusted well. On sunny winter days the temperature inside should not exceed 38 degrees. Put in a thermometer, or feel it with your hand; slightly hotter than your skin is fine.
With this film-covering method, I've tested that increasing the temperature difference is feasible. It has a certain effect against frost at night and is effective against cold wind. But below -2 degrees in winter it has no effect at all; the temperature inside and outside is the same.
PS: In summer the main thing is ventilation, and the covered film area must be greatly reduced, just enough to keep rain off.
The top layer is mainly for Sedum varieties, thumb pots and such,
the bottom is still empty for now. Later I'll buy a few pieces of treated timber and put all the Haworthia cooperi leaf cuttings down there.
That way two layers can be used, giving a higher space utilization rate than a staircase-style flower rack.
- Making notes -
Cost: angle iron processing 400, wood wax oil and paint 200
Making this flower rack cost over 700 in total. I gave the neighbor two packs of cigarettes for borrowing the tricycle, and the wood board was free. After finishing the whole thing, it really does save some money, but it takes time.
A flower rack of the same dimensions on Taobao would probably cost over 1000.
If you know a welding master, you can save that 400 too.
If you make your own, be sure to do it according to your own balcony situation,
my flower rack is just for your reference.
The four corners of the flower rack must be reinforced with something to guard against windy weather.
Finally, of course it's not that store-bought flower racks are bad, it's just that with some flower racks, when they're designed,
either the gaps are too big to hold the pots, or they're not sturdy and feel unsafe. When you make your own, the materials you use are sturdier.
Finally, a few more beautiful photos, to reminisce about the spring that has gone far away
What kinds of things have you made yourself for your succulents?
Leave a comment quickly and share with everyone