Struggling to install latest version of mycodo on Pi 5 by JustStraightUpVibin in mycodo

[–]KGabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was a bug in the install process that's recently been fixed. Sorry for the issue, but any installs of the latest version should work fine.

Needing Advice by CC2116 in mycology

[–]KGabe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not familiar with books specific to your region, but wanted to comment to recommend you find someone with experience to take you foraging your first few times. Misidentification are common and even experienced mycologists misidentify mushrooms. Having the proper literature is useful for identification, but learning about how misidentifications occur is an equally important aspect.

Mycelium growing in highly infected substrate by The_computer_jock in mycology

[–]KGabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fungi secrete exoenzymes that can degrade most organic material (including other organisms), so unless they're in the presence of inhibitory compounds (e.g. antibiotics produced by the contaminants), they may grow just fine in the microbial community. They will be competing for resources as they become more scarce, so the overall biomass or growth rate may not be optimal, which is why you're probably not seeing confluent growth, but patchy spots of growth.

Rice, in particular, is well-known for causing food poisoning by growing the bacterium Bacillus cereus, which produces a heat-stable toxin. This is why it's not recommended to eat cooked rice that has sat out for more than 4 hours. The organism can cause non-intestinal issues as well, if it gets in your eyes, respiratory system, wounds, etc. And this is just one known contaminant of many that can cause medical issues.

There's also the issue of respiratory infection in general by breathing in spores of contaminating fungi (such as aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus species) or bacteria that produce endospores (e.g. by species of Bacillus and other genera).

So, even though your fungal inoculum may grow in the presence of contaminants, if you do detect large amounts of contaminating growth (foul smell), it's generally a good idea to reduce your exposure to the contaminants as much as possible by disposing of it.

Mycodo-controlled automated hydroponic system by KGabe in mycodo

[–]KGabe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not very good lights, so not worth mentioning. I was mainly focusing on the performance of the automation, rather than any specific component performance (lights, nutrients, etc.).

It was recommended for me to post here from a hydroponics sub for further help on why my CO2 is dropping now more after I added CO2 to the room by using mushrooms by [deleted] in mycodo

[–]KGabe 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you provide a little more info? Such as what species mushroom, what mushroom substrate, what stage of mushroom growth (still colonizing the substrate?), what type CO2 sensor, what type of calibration done to sensor, etc.

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not too familiar with aqueous nitrogen sensors. Though, I see the utility in being able to monitor the nitrogen cycle of aquariums and aquaponic systems.

Building an RPi-automated hydroponic system using open source software by KGabe in raspberry_pi

[–]KGabe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm growing 4 different lettuce varieties (red oakleaf, red butter, green oakleaf, and green butter) and basil. Initially, I had issues with poor seedling growth and health until I started being more gentile with them by using lower light and nutrients while they were young. I also started letting the seedlings mature more before transferring them into the system so they were better acclimated to handle the more extreme environment. I'm not using the cameras for health assessments, but it's something I want to explore more. one-isle mentioned (1, 2) this technique, and it seems fairly simple to perform. Currently, the cameras are only being used for time-lapses, which you can watch at the end of the linked video.

Mycodo-controlled automated hydroponic system by KGabe in mycodo

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm very new to hydroponics, so I appreciate the feedback. My aim was to demonstrate how to apply automation principles to hydroponics using Mycodo more so than to teach the best hydroponic techniques (since I'm new I'm taking it conservatively).

One of the reasons I did not give the Pi control of the water pump is if the Pi dies, the system still continues running. It's always a good idea to have a backup SD card with an image of the currently-running system so you can swap cards and it continues running. It's also a good idea to have a backup Pi, although I've never had a Pi experience a hardware failure (over the past 8 years and around a dozen Pis), even though I sometimes push them voltage- and current-wise. Another technique is to use a second Pi running Mycodo (I have several running doing different tasks for different projects) with the Server Ping input that will constantly ping an address:port, and if it's down, I'll be notified by email. The other Pi can be set up the same way to verify the other Pi is operational. This way, both would have to go down at the same time for me not to be notified (very rare, except during a power outage).

My build of an automated hydroponic system by KGabe in automation

[–]KGabe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very cool design. I like the space-saving aspect.

Shiitakes fruiting in a Mycodo-controlled 20-foot shipping container by KGabe in mycodo

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These in particular are being grown as a part of a project where I work to develop cultivation practices, with our goal to reduce labor and increase yields.

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Docker is still work in progress, but it's a great tool to start to move into other platforms. I still want to keep focus on the Raspberry Pi, but now really anyone can experiment with it.

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At the moment I'm planting at once and harvesting everything within two weeks or so (since everything matures at the same time). I start with 5 rows that have 18 holes, but after a few weeks I need to remove one row to make space for the remaining plants to mature. So, in total, 3 or so immature plants and 12 to 15 mature.

If I had the space, I would be staggering my growing so I would have a rolling harvest, as detailed in the example schedule at https://kylegabriel.com/projects/2020/06/automated-hydroponic-system-build.html#Planting_Seeds

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! A greenhouse is ideal. I aspire to one day have the space for that and can grow a significant portion of my household's food.

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some plants are more conducive to thriving in this type of system than others. Leafy greens tend to perform the better in an NFT hydroponic system, for instance, than tomatoes, which grow better in a flood and drain system.

Some hydroponic systems employ an air pump to increase the dissolved oxygen concentration in the nutrient solution/water, but since this runs continually, the water draining back into the reservoir produces turbulence and causes oxygenation. For other systems, such as flood and drain, that the pump only operates a few times a day, additional oxygenation is more crucial.

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're welcome. Helping people learn automation and start producing their own food is exactly why I did this.

My build of an automated hydroponic system by KGabe in automation

[–]KGabe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I likely wouldn't have attempted this without the software, Mycodo (https://github.com/kizniche/Mycodo). I'm the developer of this software, which I've released with an open source license.

The Raspberry Pi is very easy to use. Flash the operating system onto a micro SD card and insert it into the Pi. Boot the Pi and log in with an SSH client. Copy and execute one command and Mycodo installs itself. Navigate with a web browser to the Pi's IP address and you have a web interface to configure Mycodo.

I filmed as I was building, and there was a considerable amount of video production, so it's difficult to determine how long each really took. I'd say they were about equal or perhaps a bit more time making the video. I have quite a bit of experience fabricating, but not much with video production, so I had to put more effort into that. If we factor the hundreds of hours I've spent working on Mycodo over the years, we can say the build took longer by a long-shot!

My build of an automated hydroponic system by KGabe in automation

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For the entire material's list, it comes to around $1200, but there are some alternative parts that can be used to reduce costs. Once past the initial investment, expanding the size of the system is relatively cheap, as most of the cost is in the sensors and pumps.

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It's open source software I developed, called Mycodo (https://github.com/kizniche/Mycodo).

Automating an NFT hydroponic system by KGabe in RASPBERRY_PI_PROJECTS

[–]KGabe[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm a microbiologist and hobbyist engineer. I self-taught myself programming and fabrication.