Indoor Greenhouse Setup

[JR Tyner]

I've been growing plants indoor, but now I would like to take advantage of some shelfing I have and create an indoor greenhouse. I want to grow some chili peppers in it, and some other plants as well. My major is Agricultural Biotechnology, and plants are my passion, so I want to put as much into this as I financially can.

1. What do y'all think of this: http://www.ecogrow.com/index.cfm/product/1051/mid/20/nid/75/home.html
2. What is it missing?
3. What type of lighting should I use? How do I provide enough light and heat? How do I make sure I don't provide too much light or heat?
4. The Hot House I'm considering buying comes with a heating mat, is it strong enough and should I also invest in a Heat Mat Thermostat?
5. What fertilizers should I buy, and how do I protect myself from fungus, algae, bacteria, mildew, rust, mold, blights, scab, and other plant diseases?

 

[grannysoo]

I've been growing plants indoor, but now I would like to take advantage of some shelfing I have and create an indoor greenhouse. I want to grow some chili peppers in it, and some other plants as well. My major is Agricultural Biotechnology, and plants are my passion, so I want to put as much into this as I financially can.

1. What do y'all think of this: http://www.ecogrow.com/index.cfm/product/1051/mid/20/nid/75/home.html

Nice, neat, very small scale. You're not going to get far with that.

2. What is it missing?

Size, Volume, Fresh Air

3. What type of lighting should I use?

Depends on your setup.

How do I provide enough light and heat?

Depends on your setup.

How do I make sure I don't provide too much light or heat?

Depends on your setup

4. The Hot House I'm considering buying comes with a heating mat, is it strong enough and should I also invest in a Heat Mat Thermostat?

Depends on your setup

5. What fertilizers should I buy, and how do I protect myself from fungus, algae, bacteria, mildew, rust, mold, blights, scab, and other plant diseases?

This depends on your setup too....

The "hot house" that you're linking too is nothing more complicated than a plant starter tray with a plastic lid. You can get those from walmart/lowes, etc in a month or so for about $5.00 each.

So many things depend on the setup that you're trying to do. You say indoor. Does that mean inside your climate controlled house? Central heat/air?

Or indoor as in an outside greenhouse? Makes a world of difference.

How about posting some pics and get some diminsions for me and I can probably help.

so I want to put as much into this as I financially can

I would want to put as little into this as financially as I could. Maximum gain with minimum investment. You would be surprised how much you can grow indoors CHEAP!

 

[JR Tyner]

Nice, neat, very small scale. You're not going to get far with that.

That's the idea, it's only for germination. Once they get big enough, they'll will be transplanted into pots.

Size, Volume, Fresh Air

I need something small enoughfor a self, 72 places to plant is enough for me, and it has a vented dome. I can make something to pump in air though the vents, or just remove the dome for awhile everyday.

The "hot house" that you're linking too is nothing more complicated than a plant starter tray with a plastic lid. You can get those from walmart/lowes, etc in a month or so for about $5.00 each.

I am already using one of those, they have a smalled dome with no ventilation points. Most importantly they do not come with a heat mat, this is where the price is wroth it. My peppers need heat, or they won't even sprout. Other additional bonuses include CoCo Plugs which are better than the Jiffy plugs sold at Walmart.

So many things depend on the setup that you're trying to do. You say indoor. Does that mean inside your climate controlled house? Central heat/air?

Inside my climate controlled house with central heat/air, but my peppers need it about 20 degrees hotter.

I would want to put as little into this as financially as I could. Maximum gain with minimum investment. You would be surprised how much you can grow indoors CHEAP!

It's a hobby to me. I don't care about gains. some people bowl, others golf, I grow. I am doing this because it's better than sitting on the couch in winter wathing TV.

Depends on your setup.

 

[Jogeephus]

I used to have something very similar to this. It was pretty good for starting seed but as Grannysoo pointed out, ventiliation is its achiles heal since damping off can be a real problem. I don't remember what happened to my "heated" one but now I just use those cheap $5 flats you can get a Walmart with the plastic lids on them. Personally, I don't need the heated option cause if I start them in the house it will be warm enough as it is.

 

[grannysoo]

Ahh.... makes more sense now.

Your solutions are easy!

For heat/light, get a 4 foot / 4 bulb flourescent light fixture and hang it directly over the dome. That sould generate you enough heat.

For vent, get an aquarium bubbler and run you a piece of tubing into the trey. Leave it running at all times. That will pump fresh air into your setup.

Most of your plant health problems are going to be caused by excessive moisture and/or lack of ventilation. You definatly want to pull that cover off every day and let the leaves dry. The setup you are using can get very "tropical" inside.

Another consideration is who is around your plants. You need to keep people away from them. You don't know where they have been or what they have on them. It's easy to pick up bugs or diseases from people.

And as for yourself, be clean, and keep your growing setup clean.

 

[JR Tyner]

Is a pump for a 10 gallon fish tank good enough? One for a 15 gallon tank is about $2 more, and for a 25 gallon tank around $3 more than that. What should the air flow be like?

 

[grannysoo]

The small one is fine. You're just looking for a small steady flow of air.

 

[JR Tyner]

What do I do about this greyish fungus that grew on some of my plants?

 

[grannysoo]

You probably have too much humidity. Provided you have a little size to the plant, remove the dome and place a small oscillating fan nearby to keep the air moving.