Grow Tray

What Does Grow Tray Mean?

A grow tray is a container designed to hold one or more plants in a hydroponic growing system. Depending on the type of hydroponic system in use, these trays may have leach valves to allow water to drain out of the growing medium when necessary.

Some grow trays are designed to hold grow media (e.g., coco coir, clay pebbles and others), while others are designed to hold pots containing plants and medium in the trays.

A grow tray is also known as a hydroponic tray.

Maximum Yield Explains Grow Tray

In the context of indoor gardening, grow trays come in a variety of shapes, sizes and types. The kind of grow tray that a horticulturist needs depends on the type of hydroponic gardening they are doing.

In general, grow trays are long, rectangular, and shallow with room to accommodate root structures and growing plants. They are used more for hydroponic gardens than other types of indoor gardens such as aeroponic systems.

For flood and drain hydroponics, the grow tray is positioned with the plants in grow medium, or it will have plants in pots or cups standing in tray. In either instance, a nutrient-water mixture is pumped into the tray at timed intervals, giving the plants time to gain nutrition before the mixture is drained out of the tray.

In a run to waste system, plants are placed in a growth medium in the tray that is set at a sloped angle with drainage holes along the lower edge. Water and nutrients are periodically added to the top of the system, which filters down through the medium and eventually drains out at the bottom edge of the grow tray.

In deep water culture hydroponic systems, plants are suspended in a nutrient-water mixture that is regularly oxygenated and refreshed. In this case, the grow tray will either look very different or may not be used at all. Instead, a sealed bucket or another system may be used.