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Automated greenhouse system

Former Member

Hi Ben!

I am interested in both growing plants and electronics. It would be nice if you could build a small grennhouse (maybe 1x1x1m) and use a raspberry pi to control a water pump to control humidity (perhaps a evaporator to create a mist or a dripping system), a fan to controll overheating and also a heatinglamp to control prevent freezing.   

  • How about electronic vents to cool the greenhouse in hot weather?

  • A small greenhouse is called a 'cold-frame' where I come from.  It is amazing how popular things like bi-metals are in this game, still.  They are the ultimate in reliability. 

     

    Before you make a scheme to regulate humidity, measure it to see if that is a problem.  Many green plants actually like some variability in their params.  In the case of watering, letting the pot dry up a bit then watering it rather generously (with water with lotsa dissolved O)  rather than maintaining it in a damp condition is usually better.  It any small, harmful, organisms exist in the soil, they will not like drying up, a condition the large plant, with its ability to integrate moisture can survive for awhile.  I've even noticed that when I automatically water, the leaves of the plant open up a little prior to the watering event, convincing me that they have some way to tell time.

     

    Please give more specifics including drawings and/or pics.  This is an interesting project.

     

    Some cold frames have a coupla barrels of water at the bottom to integrate temperature.

  • in reply to D_Hersey

    4x3-cedar-coldframe-lids-iso-1.jpg

    I was thinking about something like this with a dripping system to water the plants. If it is true what you say about the dry out thing then couldn´t you set the water sytem to active when the soil has been dry for a while. I am open for suggestions and are hoping for ideas, and maybe Ben will make one in a video.

  • You certainly could.

     

    I had a cold frame like that for a couple of years when I was spending more time at my place in the suburbs, but I never got around to any automation beyond remote temperature sensing.  It was really fun and helped pass the winter.  I used decaying straw at the bottom for a heat source, coupla barrels of water to raise my thermal TC.  Someone had thrown out one of those little greenhouses people attach to the sides of their houses, I used that for the lid.  Before a cold snap I would water or fertilize the straw at the bottom to hasten decay thus get more heat.

     

    If you go e- you will need a battery and a means to charge it.  I think that if you made attachments on the side with computer fans you could ventilate yet they could be rain-proofed in J-shaped tubes.