Before I put the racks down in the basement there were a couple of open plywood shelves. That worked for a couple years but it was getting waaay to humid during the summer. The cold well water drawn through the pipes was causing ALOT of condensation which was not good for that small room.
Is that a JoAnn Fabrics greenhouse with the outer zip lock bag taken off and pipe insulation taped on?
- The racks came mail order from growerssupply.com a couple years ago. The covering is some sort of insulation I picked up at Menards. It looked like the best material to work with that was reflective, cleanable and moisture resistant.
Does it hold just as much humidity as the original covering or is the front always open?
- The front covers are the same material, I just fold them up on top and stick something on them to hold them there while watering etc... Humidity I haven't really got a good idea about. The guage in the pic bit the dust moments later. Just picked up a couple more yesterday so I can judge better. All in all the dews are ok due the fact that they sit in the plastic tubs.
How far are the lights from your plants? They look nice and dewy (and colorful).
- It varies, the sprouts and some baby vft's are closer but the rest are about 12" or so.
Is there only 2x 40 watt tubes over each shelf or 4? What are the temps in your growing area?
- Right now the top and next shelf have 4 x 40 each. The 3rd down has 2 x 40. For the bottom I flipped the half light over so it gets a bit more than previously but still not enough I'm afraid.
- As far as temps. go a month ago they were high 80's on the top, and 60 on the bottom. Recently due to the cold weather they are running lower 80's and 55-60 on the bottom.
How much water do you need from the RO unit?
- I get what is needed so far from this unit, about 2 gallons every other day. The reserve tank only holds about 5 gallons. There faucet, you can just make out in the bottom right corner, lets me get it direct where I need. It is also running up to the fridge for drinking water and ice. (That's how I justified getting it ! No more bottled water for the wife.)
- Another investment that has paid for itself was the $20 EC meter that I found from another thread thanks to Ave8tor. The well water comes in around 300 ppm and goes out 20 ppm. By testing periodically I can tell when the RO membrane is going out and needs replacing. So far it hasn't been changed in 2 years. They recommend at least yearly but if it still works I aint gonna do it.
I noticed that the plants near your ceph get lighting from the side. how does that work for them, does it make them grow funny or do they seem unaffected?
- Your right about that, the pics were taken before I put the front covers on and flipped that light over.
Thanks for the comments guys and sorry about my comment Ant, I couldn't resist. One of my New Years resolutions is less sarcasm and more positive discussion.