Microgreen Tray Clip Labelers: The Original Clip System Designed to Label, Lift, and Separate Your Trays

If you grow microgreens, you've probably dealt with at least one of these frustrations: trays that are nearly impossible to separate during bottom watering, scraped-up fingernails from prying wet trays apart, or a shelf full of identical trays with no idea which variety is which.

Our Microgreen Tray Clip Labelers were designed to solve all three problems with one simple, reusable accessory. They're the original tray clip system made specifically for bootstrap farmer heavy duty 10x10 & 10x20 (the industry standard) microgreen and seed-starting trays — designed, manufactured, and shipped by us here at On The Grow®.

The Problem That Started It All

When we first started growing microgreens, bottom watering was one of the most tedious parts of the routine. Every single time we needed to water or inspect our crops, we had to wrestle trays apart. The trays would suction together, especially when wet, and separating them meant either jamming your fingers into tight spaces or risking damage to your plants.

It sounds small, but it adds up fast. If you're running even 10 trays and it takes an extra 5 seconds per tray to separate them, that's nearly an hour of wasted time per month when you're watering twice a day. For commercial growers with dozens or hundreds of trays, multiply that problem significantly.

CJ kept saying there had to be a better way — so he sat down and designed one.

Designed from Scratch by CJ Vaughn

What a lot of people don't know about our founder CJ is that he's an entirely self-taught CAD designer. He's been designing and prototyping products for years, well before On The Grow even existed. Back in 2018, he was helping our neighbor create custom parts for a Formula 1 race car. He's also designed prototypes for a well-known company and has taken on numerous other design projects over the years — all self-taught, all hands-on.

So when he noticed a problem that no product on the market was solving properly, he did what he always does: opened up his CAD program, designed a solution, tested it, refined it, and then manufactured it himself using our 3D printers.

The first version of the clip was a smaller tab design that worked well at the time, but CJ wasn't done improving. After listening to customer feedback and continuing to test in our own grows, he redesigned the clip entirely. The result is what we now sell as the Microgreen Tray Clip Labelers — a bigger, more functional design with a built-in labeling surface, a better grip for lifting and separating trays, and a stronger hold on thick agriculture trays.

Every single clip is designed in-house, 3D printed in-house, quality checked by hand, and shipped directly from us in Texas.

What Do Tray Clip Labelers Actually Do?

The name says it all — they label, lift, and separate your trays. Here's how each function works in practice:

Tray Labeling and Color Coding Each clip has a large, flat tab that's sized perfectly for ½-inch electrical tape. Write your crop name, seeding date, or any notes directly on the tape. The tape stays waterproof, peels off cleanly without residue, and fits the tab securely. We recommend ½-inch electrical tape specifically because it's the right width, it's cheap, and it's available at any hardware store.

Because the clips come in multiple colors, you can also use color coding to organize your grows. Separate varieties by color, mark trays for market orders vs. personal grows, track planting dates, flag experiment trays, or identify filming trays if you're a content creator. However you want to organize, the color options give you flexibility.

Tray Separation for Bottom Watering This is the original reason the clips were invented. When installed on a tray, the clip gives you a solid grip point to grab and lift. No more prying trays apart with your fingertips. No more damaged plants from trays slipping out of wet hands. Just grab the clip, lift, and separate. It's that simple.

Comfortable Lifting The center-mounted design gives you better leverage and control compared to trying to wedge your fingers into a thin slot on the side of a tray. This is especially noticeable when trays are wet, heavy with water, or tightly stuck together from stacking during germination.

What Trays Do They Fit?

The Tray Clip Labelers are designed specifically for thick, rigid agriculture trays with defined lips. They work with:

• Bootstrap Farmer Heavy Duty 10x20 Trays
• Bootstrap Farmer Heavy Duty 10x10 Trays
• Bootstrap Farmer 5x5 Trays
• Most thick, rigid agriculture trays with a defined rim

These clips do not fit thin or flimsy trays, most sprouting trays, or trays without a defined rim thickness. They're engineered for the heavy-duty trays that serious growers actually use.

If they don't fit your trays, reach out to us at info@onthegrow.net within 15 days of delivery. Since we design and manufacture these ourselves, we may be able to adjust the fit for your tray — or we'll provide a return label and full refund depending on the issue.

How to Install Them

Installation takes a few seconds per clip. Grab the clip with the slotted side facing up, tilt it so one corner hooks onto the tray lip first, then press the opposite side down until it clicks into place. Push it all the way on so the tray lip sits snug in the clip's slot. That's it — you're done.

A few things to keep in mind during installation: some clips may require a little extra force on the first install, and the tight fit that keeps them secure can cause minor scuffing on the tray lip over time. This is cosmetic and doesn't affect tray function at all.

How They're Made

Every Tray Clip Labeler is 3D printed right here at On The Grow. CJ designs each version in CAD software, sends it to our printers, and we manufacture them batch by batch. After every print run, we inspect each clip by hand to check for any major flaws before they ship.

Because they're 3D printed, you may notice minor layer lines on the surface — this is completely normal and doesn't affect how the clip functions. It's just the nature of the manufacturing process, and it's something we're transparent about.

"My Clips Create a Small Gap Between Trays — Is That a Problem?"

Not at all. The small space created between trays when the clips are installed is actually beneficial. It gives your microgreen roots a little room to breathe, which can support healthier root development. We've tested this extensively in our own grows and noticed no negative effects on crop growth — only potential upside.

Some growers even install two clips per tray (one on each opposing side) specifically to create that airflow gap on purpose.

Care and Storage

The clips are durable, but like any 3D-printed product, they need basic care. Remove the clips before washing your trays, don't soak them in water, and store them indoors out of direct sunlight when not in use. Prolonged UV exposure can make the plastic brittle over time, which shortens their lifespan.

What's Included

Each order comes with 10 Tray Clip Labelers. We chose packs of 10 because most tray sets on the market also come in packs of 8 to 10, so it lines up with your existing setup. The clips are backed by a 1-year warranty.

Half-inch electrical tape and markers are sold separately — you can pick those up at any hardware store.

Ready to Make Your Grow Setup Easier?

If you're tired of fighting with stuck trays, losing track of your varieties, or dealing with slow bottom-watering routines, the Microgreen Tray Clip Labelers were designed for exactly this. They're also included in our 10x20 Kratky Hydroponics Tray Kit if you're setting up a passive hydroponic growing system.

We designed these because we needed them in our own grows first. We think you'll feel the same way once you try them.

Keep on be-leafing y'all! — Mandi & CJ

Here is the original Tray Clip Tab that we designed before it became the bigger labeler:

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