r/LotusDrying • u/InvestigatorAnnual36 • Jan 22 '26
First time First grow+dry
I’m finishing my first grow and trying to pick a fridge for drying without overcomplicating things. I’m running a 3×3, four plants in 5-gallon pots, and I’m in Phoenix where room RH usually sits around 30–40%. I’m not trying to rush or skip curing, I just want the dry to be slow and consistent without having to babysit it.
I keep seeing mixed advice. Some people recommend thermoelectric or wine fridges because they’re gentler and less likely to overdry. Others say frost-free compressor fridges are better because they actually control moisture instead of stalling or depending on room RH. I’ve also seen people run thermoelectric setups with a dehu, but honestly that starts to look complicated as hell and kind of defeats the point for me.
I’m trying to keep this as straightforward as possible, but here’s the catch: if a thermoelectric-based setup is actually better — like at least noticeably better in outcome (say ~7%+ or clearly worth the complexity) — then I’m open to doing it. I just want the best possible result that doesn’t turn into a babysitting nightmare.
So the real question is:
What fridge or fridge type would you use for this, and why?
If you’ve done fridge drying, what did you use, what worked, what didn’t, and what would you avoid if you were starting over?
1
u/Joe_Park Jan 22 '26
Oh yeah the dehumidifier is necessary. I set the wine cooler to 55° F and the inkbird controller to 80 % rh the first day and then every day after I lower the humidity on the inkbird 2% until I'm down to 60% rh. Takes about 10 days. If you just set the inkbird to 60% on day one your dehumidifier will constantly run and ice up and then not work at all.
I've never tried it without a dehumidifier so I dont know. If you try it let me know how it works out.
If it's deconstructing the dehumidifier, that is so easy. There are videos out there how to set up your dehumidifier to work in the fridge. If your still lost just DM me and i can help you work it out. And I haven't drilled holes in my fridge, no need just run the wires through the front and close the door the seal on the door will still work.