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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Fully automated Martha grow chamber! 3
#22157335 - 08/28/15 04:05 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Hello everyone! Just joined and want to share my experience and setup. Mushroom growing has been a hobby for years. Such a fun process to learn and a challenge in the beginning. I’ve always been a shotgun fruiting chamber kind of guy. Lately, I have transitioned to a fully automated greenhouse system and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Everything I learned to build this simple and extremely effective system I learned from this site, so thank you all for the open source knowledge!
My experience when looking for information for a good setup was a difficult one with so much information. There are so many different ways to set up a Martha style terrarium that it becomes very confusing, tough to decide what is best, what works. I finally ended up just having to experiment on my own with what suggestions are out there. Here is what I found is easy to assemble, relatively inexpensive and highly effective. All of the parts are available at Walmart, all except the timer. Unfortunately, a timer is a must for optimum conditions.
Without further ado, here she is:

What you’ll need: 50 gallon storage tub OGrow 4 Tier Mini Greenhouse Titan Controls Apollo 12 Timer Vicks Cool Mist Humidifier (V4600) 4” Fan (slower the fan the better) Surge Protector Drill for making holes in plastic storage tub Some painting plastic, little duct tape and zip ties
First thing I did was, of course, assemble the OGrow greenhouse. I got mine at Big Lots for $20.00. They can also be purchased at Walmart and Home Depot or online. It comes with cross support bars for the shelves. I chose to use these for securing the greenhouse to the storage tub. Zip ties work just fine to keep the shelves tight and in place and capable of bearing the load of the cakes or pans without flexing too much. I zip tied one shelf support bar to each side of the bottom of the greenhouse, then I set the greenhouse on the tub and marked where I would need to drill holes for zip tying the support bars to the tub. There are only four holes drilled in the tub, one at each corner of the greenhouse. It only takes one zip tie at each hole to secure the cross support bars to the tub. Once zip tied, this is what it looks like:


There are two zip ties at each corner to secure the cross support bar to the greenhouse. This will make the greenhouse and tub very rigid and strong. Next, you’ll need to cut a little painting plastic and duct tape the openings on each side of the tub.


Once that is good and sealed, you can place your cool mist humidifier and fan in the tub. Important to place the fan in front of the humidifier and point the fan nearly straight up in the air. I tilt it down just slightly towards the unsealed front, so air is circulated out the flap when it comes on. I leave the back AND front of the greenhouse unsealed. I run the cables for the humidifier out the back. Word of caution: Be sure the cables rise above where they come out rather than hanging down out the back. Water will condense on the cables and run down them. There are also twon air flaps on each side of the greenhouse, toward the top. I taped one completely and left the other unsealed, tacked down with the Velcro, still allowing a little air to move through it. The humidifier is a Vicks Model V4600D1 cool mist impeller humidifier. I bought it at Walmart. The fan is just a plain old 4” personal fan I also got at Walmart. It cost me $5.00. I bought an extra in case it didn’t last, but as of yet the original is still going strong. If you can’t find this one, you want to keep something in mind: You don’t want a fan that is too strong. Even the little ones like this are pretty strong. Too strong and it will push out too much air or dry the substrate. Find a fan that would suck if you were using it to stay cool. I tried a computer fan before this one and had to ditch it because even it was too strong. You just want enough fan power to push the humid air to the top of the greenhouse and that’s it.

You can see in this next picture that I have tacked the surge protector to the wall behind the terrarium at a higher level than the edge of the tub to keep that water from streaming down the cable onto the electronics. So, then plug the humidifier and fan into the surge protector and plug that into the timer. I heard so many different on/off formulas; I decided to just play with it myself since where you live will determine what will work. At first, I evaluated humidity with a sensor, but both that I bought stopped working after a week or so. If you want to spend money on a good one, it definitely helps tuning. Eventually I abandoned the humidity gauge and learned how to eyeball by the fogginess and water on cakes. It’s okay to have some water droplets forming on the cakes, but you don’t want them soaked. It’s best to adjust the timer so very, very little water forms. It’s a fine line.

You can also see in the picture above that the front flap of the greenhouse is tucked into the tub. I folded a piece of duct tape 5 or six times and then tacked it to the bottom of the front flap to weigh it down, keeping it tucked in nicely. In the picture below, the flap is pulled over the tub so you can see the tape weight.

The timer I bought is a repeat cycle timer with light sensor. It was the most expensive part of the syste. It was purchased on eBay for $60.00. The light sensor it has is useless in this case. If you can find a timer with intervals like this one, go for it. The Titan Controls Apollo 12 timer I have been very, very happy with. Great USA manufactured product, very reliable and accurate. It is adjustable from 5 seconds to 30 minutes – wonderful!
 That’s it! Find what intervals for on/off work to keep the humidity somewhere near 95% FOR CAKES OR 90% for casings and you’re ready to introduce them to a fully automated grow chamber. I fill the humidifier once every few days and that’s all I have to do. Leaving the front and back of the greenhouse unsealed to the tub gives plenty of air exchange with the fan pushing carbon dioxide out every 2 ½ minutes. If any more air exchange is required, simply unzip the front six inches or so. The on/off intervals that work for me are 40 seconds on/2 ½ minutes off. With this setup I have never had a contamination problem and have had sweet results. I put 10% hydrogen peroxide in the water I add to the humidifier to help keep things clean. *One thing I have done since is to raise the tub and add a drain water plug in the bottom corner with a tray under the tub to catch everything. This way I don’t have to towel out the water build up every few days. Obviously, if you don’t add the hole and tray, you’ll just need to stay on top of build up in the bottom of the tub. Don’t be dumb and let it get out of control and dangerous.
Close up picture of the tub sticker:

And lastly, some pictures of the fruits of this labor:



 Would be happy to answer any questions about this setup. Happy growing!!
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cronicr



Registered: 08/07/11
Posts: 61,436
Loc: Van Isle
Last seen: 2 years, 8 days
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22157362 - 08/28/15 04:13 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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--------------------
  It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn I'm tired do me a favor
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jbaby007
Badass



Registered: 02/28/15
Posts: 1,026
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22157479 - 08/28/15 04:40 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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That looks pretty damn cool, I'm not gonna lie. You results on that one cake seem pretty legit.
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bluegill
intergalactic toejam



Registered: 11/05/13
Posts: 489
Last seen: 2 years, 11 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: jbaby007]
#22157633 - 08/28/15 05:22 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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What does it cost for all the needed supplies/materials?
-------------------- "Psychedelics are like carnival tickets, you buy the ticket and take the ride, then you get off and go home. What your talking about is physical death. That's when you're pulled into the carnival against your will and your stuck there for eternity."
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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: jbaby007]
#22157701 - 08/28/15 05:38 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I was really impressed with the performance of the cakes in this system. The constant air exchange makes the pins go nuts. That cake in the picture looking so explosive was the first to be birthed. All the others came along a few days later and exploded just the same.
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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: bluegill]
#22157711 - 08/28/15 05:41 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Cost:
Tub - $11.00 Greenhouse - $20.00 Timer - $50.00 Cool Mist - $39.00 (probably find a cheaper one online) Fan - $5.00 Zip ties, duct tape, plastic, surge protector - $15.00
Total - $140.00
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Fantastic Mr. Fox
Grass Seed Connoisseur


Registered: 02/12/15
Posts: 3,225
Loc:
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22157785 - 08/28/15 06:05 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Yeah those greenhouses are kick ass!
 They sell them in my area also,
-------------------- Giving is all we have, for we're just grateful to be alive

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mushpunx
Fungus Punk



Registered: 04/20/14
Posts: 13,394
Last seen: 11 days, 12 hours
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Yowza that gets my vote for awesome cake
--------------------
 Amateur Mycologists United AMU Q&A
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DeTwizzle
Anyone


Registered: 06/08/14
Posts: 353
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: mushpunx]
#22157832 - 08/28/15 06:20 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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My question is...why the fux are you still doing PF cakes?!
Good write up for sure, especially for your first. Seems like you need to move onto to grain & agar.
I am looking forward to referencing this once I finally go 'fully auto'!
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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: DeTwizzle]
#22157868 - 08/28/15 06:30 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Right? I'm just comfortable with them I guess and they give me great performance for what I need. I've given the cubes a rest for a bit and moved my efforts into the legal market. I'm taking what I've learned here and applying it to Oyster and Portobello cultivation for local restaurants and farmer's market.
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DeTwizzle
Anyone


Registered: 06/08/14
Posts: 353
Last seen: 5 years, 8 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22157876 - 08/28/15 06:32 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Gotta diversify your bonds! I hear that!
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smokythebear
mycologicly insane


Registered: 10/22/13
Posts: 23
Loc: pnw
Last seen: 5 years, 3 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: mushpunx]
#22157884 - 08/28/15 06:34 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Nice, I was thinking about setting up a gh and was looking at the same one. How much weight do you think each shelf can hold?
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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: smokythebear]
#22157936 - 08/28/15 06:48 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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With zip ties, maybe 5 each side (I only use 6 per shelf), you'll collapse the support bars or more likely rip the metal shelves before the ties break. Meaning, you couldn't put enough weight on the shelves with trays or cakes to collapse the support bars or rip the metal shelves (unless you had lead for substrate). Long as you use at least 6 ties per shelf, you're good for whatever you want to put on there. I'd guess each shelf can support 30 lbs. I put the 20 lb dumb bell on a shelf and it felt secure.
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smokythebear
mycologicly insane


Registered: 10/22/13
Posts: 23
Loc: pnw
Last seen: 5 years, 3 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22157987 - 08/28/15 06:59 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Ok cool, I cant wait until payday I love zip ties they have so many uses.
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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: smokythebear]
#22158084 - 08/28/15 07:22 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Right on! Send me a message if you get stuck somewhere when tuning it in. Without the hygrometer, I stared at the greenhouse for a couple weeks, evaluating the perfect FAE/Humidity ratio. We got real close, me and this terrarium. All the observing taught me what it should and should not look like inside and how the cakes respond in a perfect atmosphere. Better to develop that skill than rely on a gauge IMO. My gauges were consistently faulty and inaccurate, throwing my reasoning for poor performance into a shit spin. If you think you're hygrometer is of high quality, just get a real good picture in your mind how foggy it looks in greenhouse and how much, if any, water has settled on your cakes. That way, if your hygrometer does go to shit like mine, you'll know from your observations when it was working. Also, don't give too much attention to how much condensation develops on the walls of the inside of the greenhouse since that condensation is mostly a reflection of the temperature difference between outside the greenhouse and inside it. Lastly, I placed a sheet of tin foil on the bottom shelf to put the cakes on. I nearly covered the bottom shelf. The reason for this is that the cakes on the bottom shelf are too close to the humidifier, wetting them more than the ones above. With the tinfoil down, the humidity jet is forced around the foil and up rather than between each cake. Works great.
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NDStepp84
Stellar nuclear waste


Registered: 04/23/15
Posts: 4,956
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22158163 - 08/28/15 07:42 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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great job sir! Looking forward to seeing more from you.
--------------------
"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. -Robert A. Heinlein
Links and teks ND's grow log and discussion Plant thread
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smokythebear
mycologicly insane


Registered: 10/22/13
Posts: 23
Loc: pnw
Last seen: 5 years, 3 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22158166 - 08/28/15 07:44 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Ok will do thanks, and thats a good idea with the foil on the bottom shelf! I dont have a hygrometer and heard most of them suck unless you want to pay a decent amount for one, wich id rather not so I think il do what you did and become one with the gh lol.
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Pastywhyte
Say hello to my little friend



Registered: 09/15/12
Posts: 37,810
Loc: Canada
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: smokythebear]
#22158207 - 08/28/15 08:01 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Need to fill that bad boy up, that cake is decent but I wanna see a half dozen trays going in there 
Nice build tho, I expect good pics soon
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IamthatIam
Stranger



Registered: 08/28/15
Posts: 9
Loc: Pacific Northwest
Last seen: 8 years, 4 months
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: Pastywhyte]
#22158245 - 08/28/15 08:12 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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She's sitting empty and dry now, friend. I'm now working on starting a mushroom farm - oysters, portobellos, etc. Those pictures are from a few months ago. I just wanted to be sure to contribute to this forum that helped me so much. I wanted to share this greenhouse tek that is as simple as possible and still very productive. There are a lot of unnecessary modifications I've seen around. They work too, but are not really necessary.
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eatyualive
Eat's You Alive :)



Registered: 08/17/01
Posts: 19,026
Loc: In Your Head
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Re: Fully automated Martha grow chamber! [Re: IamthatIam]
#22158819 - 08/28/15 11:11 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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nice looking cakes you have there. seedling flats will maximize your surface area.
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