Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand 2020 September/October | Page 31

newbies, don’t be scared, just get growing!
HHydroponic gardening is not that intimidating, just
choose your own way of going about it. This article will
provide beginners with automation basics in order to
get automated using any hydroponic growing method,
regardless of current knowledge or skill level.
Identifying Priorities
Lighting and temperature control are probably the most
important factors in growroom automation. In fact, these
are the two main aspects that need to be controlled
in any cultivation operation. Whether growing in a
greenhouse, indoor garden, or other type of controlled
environment, lighting and temperature are usually the
most important parameters, humidity being a close third.
Controlling these three are the main factors in producing
a high-quality crop and maximum yield. This article
explores ways to use basic automation to help.
Lighting Timers
For budding and flowering, many plant species depend
on photoperiod rather than general age, lifecycle, or
seasonal temperatures. Photoperiod simply means
the amount of daylight hours versus dark hours in a
24-hour period. By controlling the photoperiod, we
are simply telling the garden which season it is. In
summer, days are longer while in winter nights are
longer. The grow lights need to be programmed
as such, and the easiest way to do this is with a
heavy-duty timer. Buy lighting timers from a grow
store to ensure the proper amperage rating to
prevent overload to your electrical system. Most
plants grow vigorously in early summer, bud in
late summer, and fruit in the fall. Typical settings
used to mimic seasons are 18 hours “on” for
vegetative growth, as in spring/summer, and
12 hours (or less) “on” for budding fruits or flowers,
as in fall/winter.
Irrigation Timers
A timer may also be needed for your hydroponic or aeroponic
pump to automate irrigation and keep the plants
fed and oxygenated. Since pumps do not have a high
electrical demand like grow lights do, heavy-duty timers
with high amperage ratings are not usually needed.
Timers sold by most grow stores are suitable for lights
and pumps.
Simple timers can automate most irrigation setups and
smart timers allow for remote control via Wi-Fi apps and
various programming options. Attach timers to pumps to
automate nearly any type of hydroponics or aeroponics
irrigation setup.
Temperature Control
With hydroponics, water temperature is a key factor.
If the water gets too hot, roots harbour pathogens
and rot. With an open reservoir that is allowed to
evaporate, water will stay about 5°C cooler than the
ambient room temperature.
Thermostat Controller
Temperature control will allow you to manipulate the
environment your plants are growing in. This allows for
cultivation of a variety of crops, depending on their given
needs. For example, tomatoes do not consistently flower
or fruit without temperatures above 21°C.
This can be tough to do in winter without a heater and
some sort of thermostat control to automate temperature.
On the other hand, some varieties are not very heat tolerant,
so thermostats or timers are often used with fans
to remove heat from the garden. Thermostats can automatically
maintain a set temperature. Some thermostat
controllers have separate day and night settings as well.
Fans
Often, a simple exhaust fan with a passive intake is the
most effective way to remove heat from the growroom.
Hydroponic shops sell can-style fans that connect ducting
to light fixtures, also known as reflectors, and remove the
heat produced by the intense grow lights. Besides using
thermostat controllers, fans are often controlled with
timers set to run when the lights are running. This
setting will remove heat during the day and preserve
heat at night.
Automation Hydro Growers Should Consider
Temperature control is vitally important and often
challenging. A simple window air conditioning unit
will do wonders in an indoor grow environment but
keep in mind this will also remove humidity. This is
usually a desired effect in growrooms because the
transpiration of the plants as they vigorously grow
puts lots of humidity into the air, which usually
needs to be removed. An AC unit will do a good
job of this. HVAC units will also automate heat
control by simply setting a thermostat.
Humidity
Growroom automation makes
hydroponic production more efficient
and allows for production at a faster
rate. Start with dialling in automation
of your growroom temperature and
photoperiod, then consider additional
automation such as irrigation, nutrient
dosing and humidity.
Humidity control will allow
your plants to thrive in a given
temperature. Plants will grow
faster, bigger, and stronger if
their environment is balanced
at a desirable temperature and
humidity level. The plants can
then drink water and nutrients
and allow for photosynthesis to
occur at a more rapid rate. The
excess humidity must be removed
for the plants to continue
growing at this level of
hyper-efficiency.
“
By controlling
the photoperiod,
we are simply telling the
garden which season it is.”
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