Garland - Standard Plant Tray

A rectangular drip tray from Garland, 56 by 40 centimetres and 4 centimetres deep, in rigid plastic. Holds around nine litres.

Fifty-six by forty is not an arbitrary size

Growing trays, seed trays, propagator lids, greenhouse staging and horticultural trolleys are all built around a footprint of roughly 60 by 40 centimetres. This tray is sized to that, and it is what makes it more useful than its dimensions suggest.

In practice it means it fits where you need it: on standard staging, under a propagator, on a greenhouse shelf, and beside a second one without wasting space. Two side by side cover a good eighty by forty centimetres, and four fill an area of around 112 by 80.

With a 4 centimetre rim this is a flat tray. That is a choice: it is meant to slide under a group of pots and pull back out again, not to be a reservoir.

What you can stand on it

On 56 by 40 centimetres you can put, say, six square 11 litre pots, nine 7 litre pots, or fifteen 1 litre propagation pots. Because it is one continuous tray rather than separate saucers, you have one thing to empty instead of nine.

The nine litre figure is the theoretical capacity to the rim. In practice reckon on half of that before it gets unsteady to move.

What else it does

As a mat under a fabric pot, which would otherwise leave a wet ring on your floor. As a working tray when potting on, where spilled substrate stays in it rather than on the floor. And as a flat base in a half-square-metre grow tent.

Do not leave a pot standing in the collected water, not even in a large tray. The substrate draws it back up, and water that has run through is more concentrated than what you gave.

Technical Specifications:

• Dimensions: 56 x 40 x 4 cm
• Capacity: around 9 litres to the rim
• Material: rigid plastic
• Brand: Garland

Frequently asked questions

Does it fit standard staging? Yes, it is sized to the common horticultural footprint of roughly 60 by 40 centimetres.

Can I fill it with water to feed from below? Briefly, yes. Do not leave pots standing in it for hours.

What is the difference from the 60 centimetre square one? That is deeper, 7 centimetres, and holds nearly three times as much. This one is flat and fits standard staging.

Does it have holes? No, it is a solid tray.