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Post by unclemasa on Apr 3, 2008 9:39:18 GMT -10
This thread will provide a place to profile some of the better and more interesting backyard greenhouses.
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Post by shawnintland on Aug 5, 2009 16:55:24 GMT -10
Well, I don't know if these will qualify as "some of the better and more interesting backyard greenhouses" or not but... Here's the evolution; Once upon a time I was satisfied with having a small covered table for my seedlings; But of course, rarely are we satisfied for long! So things evolved; And evolved; And further evolved; Playing off the Thai saying, "Same, Same - But Different" Ahhh, so much free space! Ohhh oh! So much for free space! Okay, looking back, what makes me think this'll be enough room? Going up! Starting on #2 of 3! To be continued!!! (of course) I just have to stop looking at Sam's nursery pictures!
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obregon562
Nobiles
"I do believe Im feeling stronger everyday."
Posts: 387
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Post by obregon562 on Aug 6, 2009 13:30:19 GMT -10
i love it shawn!
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Post by vraev on Aug 9, 2009 16:31:23 GMT -10
Now that is evolution and dedication. Very nice!!
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Post by shawnintland on Aug 9, 2009 20:16:43 GMT -10
Obregon562 and vraev Thanks for the comments! Well, we had a bit of a 'slowdown' the last few days due to, of all possible things - WORK! I know, what a lame excuse! It's okay though as I need a little more time because I'm still trying to figure out the best possible use of interior space for each structure as I want to utilize them for 1)overhead; hanging bskts., 2) ground-level; hydro-beds/tanks/trays {ebb&flow} and 3)bench top; seedlings/cuttings. Regarding 1) the original structures were a bug-cloth covered inner structure with an outer roofing structure. I'm thinking of just using the entire outer structure for both roof and bug cloth and having the entire 'other' inner structure for use in hanging baskets. Plus I gain and extra 60-80 cm floorspace all the way around. Regarding 2) I have found some PE sheeting at 240 cm x 100 m. rolls which I can use for creating the ebb&flow areas. Problems include; deciding whether or not to 'link' all the ebb&flows and better utilize my water/nutrient or am I asking for problem spreading contamination between growing areas? Regarding 3) All depends on what is decided with the #2! Maybe just use a separate shade house for the cuttings/seedlings? As of yesterday; The rest of the second structure should be up and in place by 5 pm tomorrow! ~Shawn
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Post by rsivertsen on Aug 10, 2009 6:06:46 GMT -10
Lookin' good Shawn! Hope to see some nice things there soon! Brings back some memories of my own greenhouse days. Funny how it seems to start out with maybe a VFT on the windowsill, then a few sundews, maybe a Nepenthes seedling, a few terrariums, and next thing you know, you got a greenhouse, and that runs out of space almost overnight, then a highland and lowland house, factor in some interesting ferns, maybe a few Platyceriums, some N. bicals, N. dyeriana, others going into flower, climbing all over the place, .... and suddenly you got a Nepenthes farm going! Good thing you don't have to worry too much about heat and humidity over the winter months. A friend of mine, an orchid grower once told me that his wife complained of being ignored so much and eventually gave him an ultimatum, told him "It's either me or your stupid plants!", and said he still thinks of her sometimes. I'm very happy to see Geoff and Andrea share this interest so well. Good luck bro'! - Rich
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Post by philgreen on Aug 10, 2009 8:04:51 GMT -10
Looking absolutely fantastic I am very jealous of soooo much space. I'd love just one of them - 3 I can't even dream about. Good luck with them.
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Post by unclemasa on Aug 10, 2009 21:13:17 GMT -10
Hi Shawn, What work I could accomplish with seven helpers! It must be nice to just stick poles into the ground. No compressor, no 80 lb jack-hammer, no having to drill three foot into rock for every pole. Where are you getting your water? Ground cover of some sort might be a good idea. Simple is good. My only concern, with a tropical storm on the horizon here, is how this structure will react to strong winds.
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Post by shawnintland on Aug 10, 2009 22:41:48 GMT -10
Hee, hee, hee...there's 2 worker's wives as well! But it also means a big payroll to meet every month! My water comes from a government pipe into a 180,000 l. tank at the bottom of the mountain, pumped up into a 150,000 l. tank at the top and then gravity fed. Had two wells (90m. deep!) but they were not providing enough flow rate. I've got to make sure that the elephant grass that covered that area is good and dead before I can put anything down as G.cvr. or it'll be overgrown in no time. Grasshoppers are a major problem here, anything at all growing outside the shade houses just brings 'em in! Yep, winds are my big concern as well! We just had a big blow the other day and it blew a airliner right off the runway here, unfortunately killing the pilot. The same storm uprooted a 50-60 year old cashew tree in my nursery, strewing hoyas, tillandsias and orchids all over the place! Guess I just have to accept which way the wind blows! The way the weather has been in this (and it appears every other) part of the world the last year or so there will probably come a day I'm picking up plants from the ground and wishing I only had a windowsill-full but for now...yahooooo........!
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Post by rsivertsen on Aug 11, 2009 5:18:07 GMT -10
Shawn, An orchid grower friend of mine had similar problems with winds, due to the nearby mountains that seemed to funnel and focus winds in the valley where we lived. He eventually had to build some concrete block walls to block those winds and decorated them so that they seemed to blend in with the landscape. Some were decorative blocks which allowed some air flow through, but reduced those strong gusts that could pull out large panes of glass right out of their frames! A shade house and poly tube greenhouse got swept up and splattered against some trees downwind about 200 meters away. Just another thought. - Rich
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Post by shawnintland on Aug 11, 2009 14:35:42 GMT -10
Unfortunately, those are on leased land and due to tax laws here I can only lease for three years at a time (so far renewable every 3 years) so I'm reluctant to invest in walls. My big problem is the weight of the large hanging baskets I tend to use. My Hoya greenhouse has taken a big step sideways in the middle after the last storm! And those are not 'soaked' like the neps' baskets. I'll just have to do the best anchoring job I can and then take what the wind blows my way! ~Shawn
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Post by rsivertsen on Aug 12, 2009 6:32:53 GMT -10
Shawn, Are you allowed to excavate that leased ground? If you can, and it's affordable, I would highly recommend it, seeing as the land is also on a slope which should allow for drainage. A pit greenhouse is a great way to grow highland species, as the ambient temperature and humidity is about ten degrees cooler than a few feet off the surface, and the humidity is always quite high. If you can, I would try for a 6 to 8 feet (2 to 3 meters) if possible; it's a lot of work, I know, but well worth the effort. It would also provide some effective shelter from those wind storms you have there. Just a thought. - Rich
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Post by walterg on Aug 12, 2009 15:19:22 GMT -10
Rich, I remember well your pit greenhouse in Cuddebackville. The temperature strata really allowed some surprising results, from the tentaculata down below to the bicalcarata up above, all growing like gangbusters in the same space.
I drove through on 209 a few years ago, and couldn't even find the house. Is it still there? I did manage to find my way uphill to the cut where the sphagnum grows.
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Post by shawnintland on Sept 12, 2009 17:12:36 GMT -10
Well, it was 9/9/09 a few days ago, an extremely auspicious day for new beginnings in Asia. We were not taking any chances, so at 9:09:09 a.m., we moved the first Nepenthes plants into the new shade house! It wasn't really 'ready' but the date wasn't going to wait for us. So we moved the 21 tallest plants that were crowding out everybody else in the old shade house. There's still a lot of work left to do but we managed to 'open the doors' on 9-9-09! Now, I just wonder how long it will be until you can't see the far end? :>) I'm still working on infrastructure, running wires and pipes, installing misters and drippers, setting timers and clocks but hoping I'll soon be able to populate it with plants from other over-crowded conditions. #2 starting to shape up; ~Shawn
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Post by shawnintland on Sept 17, 2009 16:13:22 GMT -10
I just started moving a few 'odds & ends' in and already I can see it coming...'full' in no time at all! Really enjoying having room for a chair in there (for now), makes it hard to go back to the house in the evenings though! Good thing there's a few more on the way! :>) I realized monsoon season is coming up fast over here, hence the entry cover. Man, it would be nice to have a big, open, covered place like this to work in the rains. I bet there's no room inside left by then!
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