I Got A New Greenhouse!!!

[dionysus]

i got to celebrate x-mas early this year with one side of my family because i am going up to detroit, and to a large amount of cheering, i got a greenhouse! it is a hobbist greenhouse, and i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about orchids in them. i will have a seperate smaller greenhouse with a shade and a flourescent light in it for plants in need of TLC. any help is apperciated. thanks and merry christmas!!!

[sandra]

Congratulations dionysus. What a nice Christmas gift. Enjoy and have fun filling it!

Seasons Greetings and enjoy your holiday.

[pikevi]

Congratulations, dionysus.

What size is it?

Good luck with 'stocking' it

[robb]

a greenhouse would be wonderful, though with our climate (read, temperature swings) it would be expensive, here.

[pikevi]

robb: You are so right. It is even worse here.

I checked around a bit.

A 6m X 9m (> 20' X 30') will be $40,000- $100,000. The high end one is with fully automated 'climate' control and with a walk-through to the main house via the patio door or basement door. And apparently they use a special plexiglass for the building the high end one.

I have collected about $40 , so far and when I get a sufficient amount I will think about it... in another 300 years..hehehehe. No wonder I like to be a Dracula/Vampire

[dionysus]

it is 6x8 ft ad it is 6'6'' at it's peak height.

[fred]

Congrats with your Christmas gift.
now you can have some fun filling the Greenhouse full of Orchids
It would be nice to see some pics soon

make sure you leave enough room for your bed as well

[pikevi]

Thanks dionysus.

There will be plenty of room for Cymbidiums as well

[articuno75]

Oh how awesome! Now take your time filling it or you'll have to ask the Easter Bunny for another one, LOL. BTW, I was going to ask if you was a member of the TROS in Ft. Wayne?

[dmacch]

How about some pics of the greenhouse

[kmarch]

How are you going to heat it in winter?

[slippery_biscuit]

Yes, about that heat. Here is what I've done with a 6x12. At first I thought to just keep the chill off. As it quickly filled with plants (close to 100) I ended up doing my best to simulate an intermediate environment. 55 to 60 deg winter nights and a bump to around 70 for daytime temp. We have had almost continuos low 30 deg nights for a couple of months now. Highs in the forties. Recently I removed the two 1500 watt (120v) heaters and installed a single 240v 2500 watt heater. Power consumption went from 25 amps to about 11 amps. Halved the power consumption and it is warm inside. With all the cloud cover and short days a 400 watt MH boosts the light inside.

It is nice that your greenhouse was a gift. You'll be spending your $$$ on plants!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Hi Dionysus. Sounds like your GH is exactly half the size of mine and same height. My winters have been down to 10F so far (5 years). I insulate with bubble wrap. I have 2 1500 Watt heaters, and can barely maintain 60F with baffling on all vents in winter. Check out my picture site of my GH. You'll see the baffling in some of the last few pictures.
Temporary Greenhouse Photo Gallery by Admiral Schnitz at pbase.com

[dionysus]

sorry i havn't posted back on this one, i have been busy the past couple of days. i do fear the winter, we tend to get down into the 10's in feb. but with this global warming, you never can tell. next sunday it is suppossed to hit somwhere near 50 degrees! i am so ticked abot that. that means the snow is going to melt, and winter is annoying without any snow. but back to the GH. i like the bubble wrap idea. we have a small kerosene heater, but just to be more safe(and earth friendly) i plan to buy an electric one at walmart this summer/fall when they're cheapest.

right now it isn't set up, but i will take pics withmy new digital camera when it is set up in spring. i am going to have to hold off on orchid binging this year and see how well the greenhouse holds heat. but after that....hehehe... it will be filled with plants VERY soon after winter ends. i will have to send pics of the insides too! i am just salivating over all the fun i am going to have.

oh, i have a question. my dad, being a control freak and overlord of know-it-alls, says that a foundation needs to be layed before we can set it up. he's talking about tearing up the soil and laying gravel, sand and top soil. is this nessicery?

[dionysus]

whoops, sorry. i forgot to answer your question articuno 75. i will have to answer it with another question though. what is TROS? there is a three rivers orchid society, and that's all i know of. where is portland in relation to FW? i live 20 or so miles north Auburn

[PhalPal]

Congratulations!! What a great gift. I hope the person who purchased this for you knows the expense to follow in filling every square inch of it, after all, THAT will be their responsiblity as well don't ya think??

[dionysus]

in a way, i suppose. i think that i would prefer to buy my own plants. if you buy your own plants, they are totally your own, whereas if someone else buys it for you, it is not a piece of you. you know what i mean? it's kind of like buying a house. you don't want someone to buy the interior, right? same with a greenhouse in my opinion. however, if they want to fund what i am buying, i am totally fine with that!

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by dionysus

whoops, sorry. i forgot to answer your question articuno 75. i will have to answer it with another question though. what is TROS? there is a three rivers orchid society, and that's all i know of. where is portland in relation to FW? i live 20 or so miles north Auburn

TROS= Three Rivers Orchid Society. Portland is about 50 miles south of Ft. Wayne. (The true boonies)

[pikevi]

dionysus: I am not sure how cold it gets in Auburn,Indiana. Your dad may be right in suggesting a foundation. In fact I have been thinking of building a GH myself(- I am game for many things) with some hired help. While researching it I found that the foundation has to go down to the 'frost line' (depth where the atmospheric temperature has no effect). It is 42" in Toronto. Yours may not go that deep. You also could use just posts ( like fence posts) to re-inforce the structure than having a full foundation.{cost in Toronto:- $20 per post (with auger) plus materials or $250/per hour for a back-hoe plus materials}

If the foundation does not go that deep it will crack or shift and will be useless. But if you are not thinking of automation of controls you could try without the foundation. I have left one of my cheap ($200) hexogonal GH outside this winter,zipped up, just to see how it handles down to -20C (-4F).
It is made entirely of plastic.

If you want a permanent structure and if it is not too costly your dad's advice is the best.

I hope we will get more input from others soon.

Good luck

[dionysus]

if it is at all possible, can i take it out from the foundation when i get my own house? i really want to take it with me when i go.