ShirkGoldbrick
Active Member
Did a quick search and haven't been able to find anything quite like this setup. Can someone tell me if they've done this and if they can paste the code here it would be great!
Objective: Automatically water plants based on moisture need during lights on period, replacing the need to fiddle with timers.
Enabling Objectives:
1. Place 4 moisture sensors strategically around garden points where plants will likely dry out first. Some examples include: in a pot directly under a light that will cause it to transpire more, in a pot nearest a fan that will transpire more, in a pot containing the largest plant which will transpire more.
a. Once targeted sensors drop below the "water me" resistivity as detected by a moisture meter it will trigger a solenoid to turn on a pump in lieu of a timer.
b. This will only happen during lights on.
Supplies
-Arduino board and expansion board(for easy connections)
-4 soil moisture sensors
-5 3 pin jumpers
-photosensor
-power supply
misc:
-tools for re-pinning connectors
-extra wire
-enclosure for board
-enclosure for photosensor
-cable glands
-weather proof plug
-relay board
-etc.
Theory of Design:
Apparatus should be contained in a water proof box with one power supply plug into original power source and an outdoor weatherproof socket to supply power to pump.
There will be 4 moisture sensors that exit cable glands and have a length of wire for choice in placement.
One photosensor shall also exit cable gland and have a length of wire while placed in a smaller weather proof enclosure. This will determine whether the lights are on or not.
Theory of Calibration:
In one example using a rockwool hugo block water with 0.125L of 1.0EC nutrient solution (equivalent to 15 minutes of drip cycle on a .5Lph drip nozzle as recommended by Grodan). With a sensor in place write down the reading from the sensor and weigh the block. Once the block has lost half its weight write down the reading from the sensor again, this will be "water me" time.
Theory of Operation:
Once one of the most susceptible plants requires watering a drip system will turn on and water for 15 minutes (if using hugo blocks and .5lph nozzles) or until the saturated moisture reading is reached. Not all plants in the garden may "need" water at this time but they are expected to be within an acceptable range to prevent over watering, prevent under watering, and allow an adequate "dry cycle".
Benefits:
No fiddling with timer as plants grow or as temperatures/light intensity changes. Plants are provided with an optimal watering regimen for growth taking all the guess work out.
Cost to build: I estimate $70-90 for the main supplies and $20-40 for the miscellaneous. Total cost to build is estimated at $90-130.
Optional Advanced: Include a screen that displays the garden moisture in a % as averaged between the sensors and with "water me" at 0% and saturated at 100%
Objective: Automatically water plants based on moisture need during lights on period, replacing the need to fiddle with timers.
Enabling Objectives:
1. Place 4 moisture sensors strategically around garden points where plants will likely dry out first. Some examples include: in a pot directly under a light that will cause it to transpire more, in a pot nearest a fan that will transpire more, in a pot containing the largest plant which will transpire more.
a. Once targeted sensors drop below the "water me" resistivity as detected by a moisture meter it will trigger a solenoid to turn on a pump in lieu of a timer.
b. This will only happen during lights on.
Supplies
-Arduino board and expansion board(for easy connections)
-4 soil moisture sensors
-5 3 pin jumpers
-photosensor
-power supply
misc:
-tools for re-pinning connectors
-extra wire
-enclosure for board
-enclosure for photosensor
-cable glands
-weather proof plug
-relay board
-etc.
Theory of Design:
Apparatus should be contained in a water proof box with one power supply plug into original power source and an outdoor weatherproof socket to supply power to pump.
There will be 4 moisture sensors that exit cable glands and have a length of wire for choice in placement.
One photosensor shall also exit cable gland and have a length of wire while placed in a smaller weather proof enclosure. This will determine whether the lights are on or not.
Theory of Calibration:
In one example using a rockwool hugo block water with 0.125L of 1.0EC nutrient solution (equivalent to 15 minutes of drip cycle on a .5Lph drip nozzle as recommended by Grodan). With a sensor in place write down the reading from the sensor and weigh the block. Once the block has lost half its weight write down the reading from the sensor again, this will be "water me" time.
Theory of Operation:
Once one of the most susceptible plants requires watering a drip system will turn on and water for 15 minutes (if using hugo blocks and .5lph nozzles) or until the saturated moisture reading is reached. Not all plants in the garden may "need" water at this time but they are expected to be within an acceptable range to prevent over watering, prevent under watering, and allow an adequate "dry cycle".
Benefits:
No fiddling with timer as plants grow or as temperatures/light intensity changes. Plants are provided with an optimal watering regimen for growth taking all the guess work out.
Cost to build: I estimate $70-90 for the main supplies and $20-40 for the miscellaneous. Total cost to build is estimated at $90-130.
Optional Advanced: Include a screen that displays the garden moisture in a % as averaged between the sensors and with "water me" at 0% and saturated at 100%
