So, like the title, says, i'm putting together a stealthy, compact, 99% automated grow operation inside a little old busted minifridge that i gutted. I've been doing TONS of research on this site and it's been incredibly helpful! But i'm stuck on trying to figure out what lights will work best for my little operation.
Like the title ALSO says, i may have a bit too much time on my hands thanks to lockdown, and ended up making an exact scale model of the fridge in Rhino 5...
I also put together an Imgur album with more detailed pictures HERE.
So, thanks to this page detailing all the different grow lights and their pros/cons, i've narrowed the choice down to either LEDs, or Flourescents. I REALLY want to use LEDs because they're the best for yield in such a small grow area, are easier to splice into and automate with the Raspberry Pi 3 board that will be doing a lot of the daily tending for me, and I also have plans to possibly water cool them for added efficiency.
But, the problem with LEDs is light burn. and as you can see from my model, vertical space is in short supply, which is why i'm considering (but hoping not to have to use) flourescents.
So, down to numbers. I do plan on cutting a hole in the top of the fridge and adding an enclosed box on top for the light enclosure. the absolute HIGHEST this box can be is 8 inches. i'd like it to be less if possible (top hats don't exactly make for good stealth attire, even for minifridges full of weed):
Now, the inside of the fridge, if it's hard to see in the pictures, is a sideways L shape. the back half of the fridge is taken up by a shelf that's there to make room in the back for all the fridge's mechanical parts (now ripped out and soon to be replaced with the air pump, electronics, and other equipment) so we're stuck with the shape as it is. Here's a handy little diagram with the measurements for the interior volume:
Like that little note says, the plan is to have the lower front area be taken up by the plant pots (still deciding between hydroponic or just normal soil), then a few inches of growing room before we hit the ScroG grid, which will take up the entire footprint of the fridge interior, and be about an inch above that back shelf area so i can train/top the branches back there to get the highest possible yield. However, this leaves VERY little space between the buds and the light (minimum of 7.9 inches, maximum of 17.1 inches, and that's without factoring in the thickness of the light box itself), which if i'm using the LEDs that i want to use, is a recipe for some nasty light burn. I'm brand new to the growing scene, but based on my experience with electronics, would i just be able to install the LEDs really close, then turn the power down until the plants are getting the same amount of light that they'd be getting if the LEDs were 4 feet away at full power? I feel like that would work, but at the same time that solution seems too good to be true. Feel free to let me know if i'm right or wrong with this assumption.
So that's what i need help figuring out. Hit me with whatever brands/models of LED lights that are around 15" x 15", and will work best in this cramped little grow operation i'm planning.
Like the title ALSO says, i may have a bit too much time on my hands thanks to lockdown, and ended up making an exact scale model of the fridge in Rhino 5...
I also put together an Imgur album with more detailed pictures HERE.
So, thanks to this page detailing all the different grow lights and their pros/cons, i've narrowed the choice down to either LEDs, or Flourescents. I REALLY want to use LEDs because they're the best for yield in such a small grow area, are easier to splice into and automate with the Raspberry Pi 3 board that will be doing a lot of the daily tending for me, and I also have plans to possibly water cool them for added efficiency.
But, the problem with LEDs is light burn. and as you can see from my model, vertical space is in short supply, which is why i'm considering (but hoping not to have to use) flourescents.
So, down to numbers. I do plan on cutting a hole in the top of the fridge and adding an enclosed box on top for the light enclosure. the absolute HIGHEST this box can be is 8 inches. i'd like it to be less if possible (top hats don't exactly make for good stealth attire, even for minifridges full of weed):
Now, the inside of the fridge, if it's hard to see in the pictures, is a sideways L shape. the back half of the fridge is taken up by a shelf that's there to make room in the back for all the fridge's mechanical parts (now ripped out and soon to be replaced with the air pump, electronics, and other equipment) so we're stuck with the shape as it is. Here's a handy little diagram with the measurements for the interior volume:
Like that little note says, the plan is to have the lower front area be taken up by the plant pots (still deciding between hydroponic or just normal soil), then a few inches of growing room before we hit the ScroG grid, which will take up the entire footprint of the fridge interior, and be about an inch above that back shelf area so i can train/top the branches back there to get the highest possible yield. However, this leaves VERY little space between the buds and the light (minimum of 7.9 inches, maximum of 17.1 inches, and that's without factoring in the thickness of the light box itself), which if i'm using the LEDs that i want to use, is a recipe for some nasty light burn. I'm brand new to the growing scene, but based on my experience with electronics, would i just be able to install the LEDs really close, then turn the power down until the plants are getting the same amount of light that they'd be getting if the LEDs were 4 feet away at full power? I feel like that would work, but at the same time that solution seems too good to be true. Feel free to let me know if i'm right or wrong with this assumption.
So that's what i need help figuring out. Hit me with whatever brands/models of LED lights that are around 15" x 15", and will work best in this cramped little grow operation i'm planning.
