Tomato seed starter system concept

Myronr · June 18, 2015

I have horrible luck with starting from seed.
plants don't germinate.
plants get too little or too much water.
plants get spindly and weak.

Most of the problem is me, I forget about them and don't quite get it right.
I want to automate the process. I want to be able to put a seed in a six pack and come back in a month to 6 inch plants.

I figure that this requires 4 things, water, heat, air movement, light. This spring I figured out that my germination requires 80 deg. so I used a picnic cooler and a 15w light bulb on a thermostat. This worked pretty well, until I over watered them.

I want to take this a step further.
I can set up timers to run the water and the light.
And a thermostat to run the heater and the vent fans.
Or maybe a timer on the vent fan too.

I can do all of this in a picnic cooler http://amzn.com/B00CPDJTVQ for insulation, using the drain hole for excess water.
I think I can use a fog misting nozzle to water on a schedule.
I can light using a piece of aluminum duct work as a reflector for warm white LED lighting, on a schedule.
I can cut some holes in the reflector for some old computer fans. To do the water, I have a built in humidifier on my furnace that has a valve that taps into my waterline that runs on 24 volts. I can run an ice maker hose from that to my cooler. Controlled by a timer with a 24v wall wart plugged into it.

On the other end I will have a couple of misting jets http://amzn.com/B000A16TE0 I think I can drill and tap a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe for these to thread into.
To do the lighting I can use another timer and wall wart at 12vdc to some LED strips glued to a reflector made from a piece of dryer vent ductwork. I bought a roll of 16 feet, I am not sure I should use it all. http://amzn.com/B00JBDINW4

The schedule:
day 1 thru 5 - light off, fan off, heater at 80deg, water 2 min a day.
day 6 thru 30 - light 6 hours on 6 hours off, fan on when light on, heater off, water 2 min a day.

I would like to practice this procedure a bunch of times before February because I am guessing about a lot of this stuff.

Well, that's the plan. Please let me know if anyone has done this sort of thing.

Will the fog misters work?
How many feet of LEDs do I need?
Myron

June 18, 2015	#1
Myronr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Council Bluffs, Iowa Posts: 42	Tomato seed starter system concept I have horrible luck with starting from seed. plants don't germinate. plants get too little or too much water. plants get spindly and weak. Most of the problem is me, I forget about them and don't quite get it right. I want to automate the process. I want to be able to put a seed in a six pack and come back in a month to 6 inch plants. I figure that this requires 4 things, water, heat, air movement, light. This spring I figured out that my germination requires 80 deg. so I used a picnic cooler and a 15w light bulb on a thermostat. This worked pretty well, until I over watered them. I want to take this a step further. I can set up timers to run the water and the light. And a thermostat to run the heater and the vent fans. Or maybe a timer on the vent fan too. I can do all of this in a picnic cooler http://amzn.com/B00CPDJTVQ for insulation, using the drain hole for excess water. I think I can use a fog misting nozzle to water on a schedule. I can light using a piece of aluminum duct work as a reflector for warm white LED lighting, on a schedule. I can cut some holes in the reflector for some old computer fans. To do the water, I have a built in humidifier on my furnace that has a valve that taps into my waterline that runs on 24 volts. I can run an ice maker hose from that to my cooler. Controlled by a timer with a 24v wall wart plugged into it. On the other end I will have a couple of misting jets http://amzn.com/B000A16TE0 I think I can drill and tap a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe for these to thread into. To do the lighting I can use another timer and wall wart at 12vdc to some LED strips glued to a reflector made from a piece of dryer vent ductwork. I bought a roll of 16 feet, I am not sure I should use it all. http://amzn.com/B00JBDINW4 The schedule: day 1 thru 5 - light off, fan off, heater at 80deg, water 2 min a day. day 6 thru 30 - light 6 hours on 6 hours off, fan on when light on, heater off, water 2 min a day. I would like to practice this procedure a bunch of times before February because I am guessing about a lot of this stuff. Well, that's the plan. Please let me know if anyone has done this sort of thing. Will the fog misters work? How many feet of LEDs do I need? Myron