• If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.

Show us your Ghetto growing gear.

Here's a ghetto setup I just tossed together the last time I was home. True these are tomatoes not peppers, but I've got some over peppers as well.
Yet again here I go with the 12" stoplights. I had a few laying around left over from the big light, so I went ahead and knocked the filters off of them and wired them together into a single plug. Hung 'em on top of the tomato trap and done.
Total power use for the two is about 19 watts, total cost is about $30. These are crappy iPhone pics in broad daylight- in overcast they make everything under them glow a bit red, in the dark they light up the whole greenhouse.

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I think the herbs are what Mike was referring to. More to the topic at hand, can anyone point me to a good way to add ventilation to a rubbermaid grow box while minimizing light leakage?
 
AlphaHydroponics said:
Low tech grow tech... Using Air Conditioner condensation runoff for irrigation.... yes really

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Pipe air conditioner condensation to pump (gravity feed).

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Pump triggers when reservoir is full and out the foundation vent to the gardenias...
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Every drop counts!

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With the non stop running of the A/C, I hear the pump triggering every 15 mins or so. Now, to pump it to my peppers... hmm.
 
megamoo said:
I always go for the cheap option. Just until I become ridiculously rich, then it will only be the latest state of the art growing tech.
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I love how you repurposed the diaper boxes. Just out of pure curiosity what voltage are you working with? The plugs and wires remind me of ones my grandpa used to have.
 
Heres something i knocked up from wood in the offcuts bins at the local hardware store not in picture but 4 rungs for adjusting lvl of light. also room for another 2 lights. Waiting for some emergency blankets to be delivered before i put some sides on it "probably just with a cardboard backing
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awsome set up looks like it would not be to much money to make. i like to use light weight chain in stead of rope its way eazy to adjust the distance of the light.
 
Hi everyone! :) Thought I'd share my current ghetto setup after I saw this awesome topic with brilliant setups! So far, peppers are growing rather nicely (all are 43 days old from the germination, done in a plastic wrap between two layers of moist paper) although I am having problems on occasions. Recently I've forgotten to move them away from the light so highest plants got some leaves wrinkled and curled. Since I am in Sweden, and this spring/summer period in particular had only a handful of sunny days, I've decided to go all out (or "in", errr) with artificial lighting indoors and hope for the best.

I've used old ice cream boxes as well as kids juice paper cups, removed the grill from one fluotube and used it as a holder for plants. Yeah, I know this won't be able to last forever so I am thinking of other options. Since I am a student and living in a rented place I am fairly limited in options, and money. :D








Not all plants are based under, though. This one's on my PC and lit by a 22W CFL.



An interesting thing is that all of these peppers are supposed to be peter peppers (yeah, I know LOL), which I didn't expect to germinate so well (gotten the seeds from a neighbour). Perhaps I've thrown...two seedlings which were covered in mold after germination. Didn't have any experience two months ago, but now I am getting better. I hope. Have tons of other varieties to plant now, but until I settle the lighting and space to grow them in, I will wait. :D
 
My ebb and flow is pretty ghetto i guess: Old Window box, some garden hose, the reservoir is a storage box from the swedish company that sells lego for adults. The siphon is made from a softdrink-bottle.

Since i didn't have any suitable pots, I improvised two compartments with plastic bird-netting and lots of hot melt.

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I stumbled upon this thread via an interwebs search.  Being underemployed at the moment, I can totally relate!
 
My light source.
 
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By happy coincidence, I noticed the brand new 3x light fixture when taking out the garbage last week, just days before the first seeds broke the surface.  The major investment in this rig was the two mogul light sockets, purchased at the local $1 shop.  The bulbs were purchased some time ago for 25 cents each. :)  I know 2700K CFL bulb aren't the greatest, and I'm looking for some with a more plant-optimal spectrum.
 
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The mighty germination / early grow box.  A lasagna tray, also courtesy of the $1 store. Here are the 'kids' getting some bright overcast natural light.  Once the plants have a few leaves and enough root growth to avoid dehydration, they'll be transplanted to pots and sent outside to play in the never-ending Aridzona sun.
 
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The whole mess gets plonked into a big styrofoam box, giving the poorly aimed light some chance of bouncing back onto the plants.
 
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Soil temp is ~80+f, and my camera says the light intensity is actually slightly higher than daylight (better than sunny 16).  With the poor PAR efficiency, I'm sure the plants see quite a bit less, but while its still very early, the 'kids' look pretty healthy so far.  I swap out the 23w bulbs with some 13w during warmer periods to keep things from overheating.
 
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So here is mine guys. I opted for a very cheap diy aeroponic system since I'm limited in space. I've been overwintering since Dec.8.
 
This here is what powers it all. An old PC power supply inside and old speaker box hahaha. Also includes the fan control and the timer for the water pump.
 
http://imgur.com/EqwM61M
 
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 A look inside reveals my closely packed plants, five in total, which I should probably start separating into their own container. My light source is four 10w LEDs (a dollar each from China) and that's basically it. I didn't want to spend much since this is actually my first grow and failure can very much be my outcome.
 
http://imgur.com/hW40qlJ
 
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http://imgur.com/lf111W8
 

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All this was made possible by the awesome generosity of user Boost313 as he supplied the seeds in a giveaway he made a while back. And am very greatful and hope to do the same this year for other noob growers.
 
Cool.  I like the computer fan - I'm thinking of setting one up in my rig to keep the temperature under control and to allow brighter bulbs.
What's the red electronic board? Looks like a timer and relay for the lights?

scratchzilla said:
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Here's my creation....

Vintage fridge, gutted and turned into nursery, complete with thermostat and computer fan exhaust.
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Ghetto Approved!    :D 
 
:dance:
 
Sorry for all the editing... Fist time making a real post hehehe
 
Yeah that's a timer that powers my water pump(which leads to some misters inside the plastic box) for three seconds every four minutes or so.
 
http://imgur.com/OuBpKZ5
 
Sweet! B-)
 
And wow yours seems to be better off than mine... I have all my stuff in a cardboard box hahaha incredible eye sore in the living room at home
 
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