My ideal grow chamber

[wordwiz]

IF, if I could build a perfect chamber to raise seedlings, (not sprout them) it would:

Be climate controlled. Temps would stay between 55-65 degrees, humidity in the lower 30% area. Slower growth, but much stockier plants.
Have several small fans around it, ones that would come on at different times. Air circulation is important, but I want the plants to grow straight.
The lighting would be LED panels where I could dial up the spectrum I want. Mostly blue, but a bit of red, orange, white and green mixed in.
The ceiling would be lined with 1/4" soaker hose (in between the LED panels) hooked up to a CO2 generator.
The floor would be a huge tray I could fill with aerated water to a desired depth when needed.
Would hold 648 3" nursery containers.
Is collapsible so I can take it down and store it when not needed. (A stretch)
Comes with a beautiful female model who is anxious to help! (OK, I can live without this, but it is a dream!)

Mike

 

[Toleman]

I think these are available only in England at the moment for about £50.

 

[Pepperfreak]

That does sound like a very high tech grow chamber. Mike, after seeing your greenhouse, I'm sure that you could build something like this to suit your needs.

 

[AlabamaJack]

completely environmentally controlled greenhouse 60' X 18' ....temperature kept at 86F constant....I love this greenhouse setup and if I ever win the lottery or have someone say "I will give this to you if you grow the peppers"...............

http://www.irisherbal.com/psg/index.html

 

[ZanderSpice]

Have several small fans around it, ones that would come on at different times

Funny, I had the same idea. Instead of oscillating fans, use fixed fans in the corners that switch on and off either independently or synchronized. Ideally it would be one power supply and a custom circuit board, but if you had the space 2 or 4 110V timers would be easier to rig.

Now on the cool temps, do you think it's better than just starting later? It's hard not to get antsy and start early, but it saves power and time to wait. I wonder if the plants are using the light efficiently in the cooler temperatures.

 

[Downriver]

IF, if I could build a perfect chamber to raise seedlings, (not sprout them) it would:

Be climate controlled. Temps would stay between 55-65 degrees, humidity in the lower 30% area. Slower growth, but much stockier plants.
Have several small fans around it, ones that would come on at different times. Air circulation is important, but I want the plants to grow straight.
The lighting would be LED panels where I could dial up the spectrum I want. Mostly blue, but a bit of red, orange, white and green mixed in.
The ceiling would be lined with 1/4" soaker hose (in between the LED panels) hooked up to a CO2 generator.
The floor would be a huge tray I could fill with aerated water to a desired depth when needed.
Would hold 648 3" nursery containers.
Is collapsible so I can take it down and store it when not needed. (A stretch)
Comes with a beautiful female model who is anxious to help! (OK, I can live without this, but it is a dream!)

Mike

Mike, I need detailed DIY instructions with diagrams please!

 

[wordwiz]

completely environmentally controlled greenhouse 60' X 18' ....temperature kept at 86F constant....I love this greenhouse setup and if I ever win the lottery or have someone say "I will give this to you if you grow the peppers"...............

http://www.irisherbal.com/psg/index.html

I like, and could probably do it a bit cheaper, but not within my budget - yet!

Mike

 

[wordwiz]

I think these are available only in England at the moment for about £50.

Does that include the model?

That does sound like a very high tech grow chamber. Mike, after seeing your greenhouse, I'm sure that you could build something like this to suit your needs.

I probably would have a hard time (and/or lack of budget) to have it completely climatically controlled, especially the relative humidity and ppm of CO2. The heating part would be rather simple - grow mats or water bed heaters) or something similar in a "sub-floor" connected to a thermostat. It would be double walled part of the way up the sides, allowing heat to rise. The watering "trough" would be something simple such as shower panels glued to the walls and floor, using silicone to seal the sides and bottom. Put a spigot in the side with a hose running to a large bucket of water that has a small pump as well as a hydro air hose and bubbler in it. I could add nuits if necessary and keep it at room temps.

The CO2 generator is the easiest part, I built one in about five minutes. It does not have a regulator, though.

Funny, I had the same idea. Instead of oscillating fans, use fixed fans in the corners that switch on and off either independently or synchronized. Ideally it would be one power supply and a custom circuit board, but if you had the space 2 or 4 110V timers would be easier to rig.

Now on the cool temps, do you think it's better than just starting later? It's hard not to get antsy and start early, but it saves power and time to wait. I wonder if the plants are using the light efficiently in the cooler temperatures.

From what I read, warmer temps encourage plants to grow all around, given enough water and light. When the temps are cooler, though, not as much energy goes into the growth of the stem. I also didn't know it, but leaves do not absorb far-red light waves. But the far-red contributes to stem elongation, because it does absorb it. That's not to say far-red is bad, but there is lots to the idea of keeping a low far-red/red ratio. Some studies used filters around the stems of some plants and didn't on others. The latter were significantly taller but did not have additional foliage.

Mike, I need detailed DIY instructions with diagrams please!

I'll do the diagram of the model first!

Mike

 

[Toleman]

have you looked at Fatalii's greenhouse?

http://www.fatalii.net/growing/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=37

 

[wordwiz]

Now that is a nice greenhouse. I wonder if that was 30 working days or 30 calendar days from start to finish? I do need to look into solar power, at least for heating water. Next year, I will pretty much shut down the thing from the middle of December until the middle of February, though I may use a section of it to overwinter banana trees (if they grow this year). I would only need to keep temps in the mid-30s, max and would need just half the space. Just gotta start collecting old water heaters!

Mike