On the road to an automated grow

Tentative Hardware List

I’m planning on building the system on Mycodo so I’ll need to make sure all my hardware plays nicely with it. I’ve settled on a DWC system for my first foray into hydro as it seems to be the simplest to implement and automate.

Tent

  • Gorilla 2x4 or something similar
  • Net trellis for a SOG style grow
  • I’ll probably find or model (we have 3D printers now mang!) some extra supports/bars for mounting electronics, etc.
  • Carbon filter. This is pretty expensive for something so simple. I may look at some of the DIY designs shown here
  • Fans: I have various computer fans and a few that run on 120V. I’ll probably build something simple

Lights

This is a big ?? for me so far. I’m still exploring the forums for ideas but I’m leaning towards a DIY Solstrips solution. I like the control I can have over the design and it will probably be more cost effective. The following posts caught my interest. Appreciate any other suggestions here!

Sensors

Raspberry Pi running headless RaspiOS for the brains.

Liquid Handling

  • Dosing pumps (4): These cheapies. Hopefully these don’t fail but I want to see how much
  • Flushing pump: Still need to look. This will really only be used to flush the system periodically. I’m thinking about trying NFT later on so hopefully I can repurpose. Seems like this is a common failure point in NFT systems so I probably need something robust or have some redundancy.

Containers

  • Reservoir: 27 gal HDX tote from Home Depot
  • Net Pots: I’m thinking 6", I’ll look around for some later. I have a grow store not far from me.
  • Media: Seems like Hydroton is the answer here
  • Aeration: I have some smaller Whisper pumps from my aquarium hobby. I’ll either repurpose one of those or pick up a new one.

Questions

  • Any other good LED builds?
  • Is there much benefit from adjustable height lighting in a small build like this?
  • How often does a DWC need to be flushed? Monthly? Weekly?
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