Here's my growing area

tracy

OK, I'll cheat. Here is my spa - which no one can use while it is holding my plants!

This is my grow room trying get a small greenhouse built for outside

It is finally warm outside and the forecast for the next week is looking good (minus one night with a low of 32) so I finally brought my plants outside!!! I was so excited by bf was laughing at me. They are enjoying the breeze and sunshine!

I don't know yet what I'm doing with that big plastic pot. I'm thinking of trying to grow some cherry tomatoes this summer. Otherwise I think my big jade on the corner is going on that stand.

Wanna see something impressive?

I am impressed, Noah! Does this spot get full sun? Will you use anything to shade? We will be expecting more pictures now of course ;)

Tracy

Well there will be more pictures trust me! It gets full sun I've grown cacti in that spot for about 2 years. UV damages the plastic badly so in summer and winter I will put a sheet on it. Interesting fact that plastic is actully painters plastic!

"Interesting fact that plastic is actully painters plastic" - no wonder that it is deteriorating (the plastic). What kind of sheet are you going to put on it??? Are you keeping the plastic on summer-winter?

The inner covering is calledInfrared Anti-Condensate Thermal Greenhouse Film

Allow me to annoy you again with venting ideas that should have been been in the planing stage prior to building.

Rina I will likelyuse a shade cloth or a sheet and put it on in the middle of summer and all of winter. The current plastic is kinda a experamental idea I want to test its strength. Also nomen I have actully sufficient ventilation! I installed 2 doors and it gets the job done.

I am not sure about sheet you are talking about - a bed sheet?
What's the point of a GH if the sunlight is excluded? (I am not talking about creating shade). Is it going to be heated in winter?

And if there is another door, can't be seen from your photo - that's why you get ventilation suggestion.

The opening in the back is the ventilation again im experimenting with it right know but sence its painters plastic. It might keep out some uv. Nomen convinced me to get ventilation added

Considering I have an open air porch( roofed three sided wrap around) as one of my growing areas I still have to use at least one fan when temps hit a modest 70 F at times I have as many as three of them going untill sun set. I breath air that comes from from all directions as do all of my plants.

Didn't notice a second door either if there is one I would have a sizable fan on the sun set side always open door way ( Also the more heated area) facing blades to exit as it would pull cooler air in and push heated air out.

Optional is to have the top area or bottom area open all the time as well.

As it is in the pic I'm not the biggest fan (confused as well) about the wodden fence and hot house placemant. If it's all you have for avalable sapce then it is what it is. It appears to me as you own the fence, but your town bi laws may prevent you from removing the fence once it has been errected.( hint hint )

Rina I too am mixed on why it would be needed in the as shown pic but I think spike meant shade cloth ? http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/50-percent-black-bulk-shade-cloth/shade-cloth.( 50 % shown)
Spike if so I would use a size twice as big on one side for folding in half ( to have 60 % ) once unfolded the original % would be 30% for transitioning uses. Depending on my day to day climate and sun UV facors it's three upto four weeks later no shade cloth no plastic.

I don't know how many outside prime growing huts or set ups I've seen on this forum but there are a few real nice ones look around you'll see yours just needs a bit of tweeking (Just needs a bit of work is all) Example the solo jade and the rack seen on this thread is an idea to concider as being very good.

In short It's very difficult to breath inside plastic. You can try it by sitting in the tightest corner, time youself, how long you can handle being in that corner ? One big demand on you is an even bigger demand on your airid loving cati.

Thanks nomen! I will invest in a fan,the door is near that big opuntia you might not be able to see it .

Spike, what I am thinking about (and I don't have GH of any kind):

*You need shelter for succulents during the winter = needs to be warm enough (perhaps around 45F??? minimum so plants don't freeze). You need as much light as possible during winter = why then using sheet (to cover the plastic? ). Light won't get thru...and plastic (even with sheet over it) will not give you freeze protection, especially painter's drop sheet.

*You may want some shelter for some succulents during Spring-Summer-Fall. I would think only if you don't have any shade area - so you can protect some from hot, noon sun. Another reason would be if it rains a lot where you are located - too much for your plants to survive. Not sure about that? Sure, shade cloth is what you want for shade, but not over the plastic. You'll suffocate all your plants that way.

You did already so much work, do it right. So far, it looks good. I believe you have door on either side, so that will help ventilation.
Don't forget that you will need some ventilation in winter - on sunny days it will heat up fast. For that, door seems to be too much of opening. Plan to add window high up - check net for thousands of pics where to locate it. And fan would be something to use too. Lack of air circulation will help all kinds of bugs and diseases to love the plants & shelter...

I am only commenting on what you posted - if I misunderstood what you mean, I apologize.

Rina

Thanks my suculent plants go in the garage in the winter and in shade my cacti only leave the greenhouse in dormancy and in freezing temps the open door provides very good ventilation (you can feel the air moveing)

I think I understand you intend to use the newly built plastic hot house during the cooler months ? My bad for misunderstanding spkie I was reading the post as you intended to use it through out the season.

Mine is much smaller and lower to the ground we call them cold frames up here in the more frigid north after complete exposure from the snow melt and hard frost it's disassemled and stored for next winter.

Yes I use it all year sorry for confusion just during cacti dormancy and cold days I pull the cacti out

Anyone have a suggestion on a good screen for a greenhouse construction? Most SCREEN is uv protected and that obviously doesn't work.. any plant friendly material with good ventilation?

Not to disapoint you but it's becauce sunscreen has only one purpose it's purpose is souly to decrease higher UV rays during the middle of the day oddly it's also when a full sun is at it's hottest and brightest. Assuming you mean a hot house to mean a " hot house "then yes by all means use a 30% shade cloth set it up on the roof top and drape it to cover the entire top to apx 18 inches overlap of the " HOT HOUSE " sides

next concern : Well consturted ? Meansing no jokes no bull would open up a bonsia shop and operate it as such from the same " hot house ?" Well your on the wrong forum if the " hot house was that you'd not need to ask.

That's not entirely true. There is screen without uv as I looked once I posted with no answers. I don't believe where I am located I need a "hot house" 80+ degrees down to no less than 40 degrees in maybe 1 week of the year the ONLY problem here is the humidity sits at 58% and when a rainy season hits it'll probably be higher..

Well they still call it shade cloth your question in a sence is kind of like saying a scewdriver is a nail. Hard to answer question from you thanks for the challenge On a good note all I can offer are options the choice is ultimitly yours

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/covering?gclid=CP_v69S528QCFZUdgQodDG8A9g

Then you add Humity to the eqation ? Wouldn't that be best dealt with by haveing plants in the hot house that alreay enjoy higher humidty ? Yet there is no easy way out for us is there ? You want succulents.

Airid plants for higher humidity Sounds easy enough to me rigth now I'm thinking a decent size dehumidifier and a fire fighters sized air fan or three. Yes there are some very elaberate air control climate control systems out there as well but your talking 10-15 K $$ to buy and apx 150 $$ more per month to operate

@kuroc can you tell me what kind of lights you're using above your main table? they look like CFLs but I'm not sure

Two of them are led bulbs and the third is cfl.

Thanks everyone for making me NOT look like I am obsessed, which is what my wife says about my 12 jades.

Joe