That's cool, but I'm curious how you determine that the LED's output the right wavelengths for plant growth? I was under the impression you need specific types for grow lights and these look like standard off the shelf LEDs
malux85 · 1h ago
I dont, they are just off the shelf components, this is not a serious project, it is a toy that I used to relax away from work.
teruakohatu · 5h ago
I need this! I am struggling to grow carnivorous plants in New Zealand. I think I am giving them what they supposedly need but I just can’t win.
darreninthenet · 5h ago
Just to reiterate what's already been said - don't use tap water. We have a carnivorous plant expert/dealer local to us and he just collects and uses rainwater, as he says tap water will kill them.
Simple waterbutt attached to the drain pipe off the guttering and you get infinite free water for them
dfc · 4h ago
Water butt (noun) - British: a large container for collecting or storing a liquid (such as rainwater)
This is so much better than "rain barrel".
teaearlgraycold · 4h ago
Depends on your tap water. Hetch Hetchy water has worked perfectly for me for years.
PradeetPatel · 2h ago
Where abouts in NZ are you? I'm currently based in Wellington and my Venus fly traps, sundew, and pitcher plants seem to be doing quite well on the windowsill.
nwellinghoff · 5h ago
Its the water. I have a ro/DI system and use that water. All of the cool low nutrients species have been living for years no problem.
barbazoo · 5h ago
If it’s the water, could it help to let it stand for a while? I do that to get rid of the chlorine.
lagniappe · 5h ago
Many American cities use chloramine, which requires something like Sodium thiosulfate, but then you're left with Ammonia, which may or may not be desired.
malux85 · 5h ago
I think it's something in our water, I have to give them purified water which I buy.
floam · 6h ago
I bought a Venus fly trap about 10 years ago, and recall wanting to stick some RGB LEDs on an “Arduino or something” to get them to turn on and off in sync with the sun. I was hung up on the idea that this is in my windowsill, so the data on sunrise and sunset I could get from a photoresistor. It would also monitor moisture.
This is so cool!
chneu · 5h ago
This setup would take like 10 minutes in Home Assistant.
bigiain · 45m ago
OP proceeds to spend 6 months worth of evenings and weekends learning basic electronics, Arduino, and Home Assistant installation and admin - to get to the stage where they can do this in 10 minutes.
asmodeuslucifer · 5h ago
I have some venus fly traps, they are suspended from the side a of a fish tank with the bottom of their container in the (presumably nutritious for them) fish water. Unrelated to blackrabbit17s setup, home assistant controls the lights and pumps.
aucisson_masque · 5h ago
I can appreciate the engineering but damn this look extreme.
My carnivorous plants are by the window and I water them once in a while, never had issue.
I thought about automating water supply but even me, a geek, realized it would be a waste of time.
bigiain · 43m ago
I mean, it was pretty obvious from Xenolab Safety Directive 12.4B that this was not a purely pragmatic and generalised to fit everyone kind of project.
atum47 · 2h ago
I had two carnivorous plants so far, but they all died after 3 months or so. I need to learn how to better care for them, cause I think they are so cool.
Simple waterbutt attached to the drain pipe off the guttering and you get infinite free water for them
This is so much better than "rain barrel".
This is so cool!
My carnivorous plants are by the window and I water them once in a while, never had issue.
I thought about automating water supply but even me, a geek, realized it would be a waste of time.
You can also apparently electrically trigger the closing of fly trap - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/psb.2.3.4217
Source: My finger, unscathed after an encounter with a Dionaea.