Homemade Dimple Board for Tray-Planted Seedlings

Rick Plunkett’s Homemade Dimple Board for Tray-Planted Seedlings consists of a 1/4-inch-thick sheet of transparent polycarbonate with 36 spike-shaped wooden pegs (6 rows of 6 per row) affixed into it facing downward and a pair two handles affixed on top. To plant, Plunkett simply grabs the handles and presses the board down onto a standard 36-cell tray, the pegs creating a hole in the soil in each cell. To make his dimple board, he (1) cut the polycarbonate the same size as the tray and marked on it what would be the center of each cell, (2) cut wooden dowels down to 11/2 inches and shaped them at the end, (3) drilled through the marked holes on the polycarbonate and screwed in the 36 pegs, and (4) screwed 2-inch-deep guides onto three sides of the board to ensure it would be centered on the tray.

Cost: Nominal

Impairment Category: Back, Lower extremity, Strength/endurance, Upper extremity, Visual