Nice pineapple Cory!! I've never grown them. My daughter wanted to buy one, but for once, I put my foot down and said no!

Hello everyone another busy day , finally have light in the GH I am going to be spending a lot of time in there this winter just reading . Cory beautiful pineapple plant . Steve your setup looks great !!! Here are a couple of pics of the greenhouse.

Oh Brian....WOW...if I had that, they would have to drag me out of there kicking and screaming! I think I'd sleep in there if I could...lol. What a tremendous setup you have...not to mention your trees and plants look absolutely incredible!!

Steve, you are really coming along on your setup and it is looking good! :)

Cory, what a lovely pineapple plant.. I had no idea they produce pups similar to bananas! Amazing.. I tried to grow one years ago from the top cut off of a grocery store pineapple. My hubby threw it away because of the fruit flies.. lol. Never tried it after that

Brian, your greenhouse is so incredibly beautiful! I cannot believe it is already finished !! You are so blessed to be surrounded by such beauty! Now that is a true tropical setting.. lol. You will love it .. especially in the winter. What a wonderful place to read.. I can just imagine how incredible it smells with all the citrus inside.. just lovely.

Lol Laura I was kicking and screaming when I was dragged in for supper . Laura it's so cozy inside this is the place I am going to go to read the citrus forum . Thankyou so much .

Brian

Hi Jinnylea thankyou . It was very stressful making sure it went up on time lost a couple of nights worth of sleep lol . We had lots of help from some extremely nice people . I absolutely crazy love your setup and you won't have to walk in knee deep snow to get to it . When I saw your setup I went darn should have gone sunroom believe me .

Brian

Brian, so now are you saying you will have even more time to spend around us these days, even if we are not right in there with you, although we will be in spirit??lol

I too would sleep in there..I would make it as warm and as humid as possible so you feel like you are on a tropical island..lol Then I would use very hot lights that feel like the sun, take my cloths off and pretend I am at the beach..I would set a up a mini bar protected against Old Man Winter and tell him where to go..I would sit in there reading book all the while picking fresh fruit off my trees..Oh Brian, you make me sick..Now I have to go bigger and better..lo,l You have enabled me for years, but this, this takes the cake with frosting on top.,..Think of this, you don't even have to worry about eating 'Sloppy Joe' in there without any fear at all..Is your partner feeling the same..If not , tell your friend to move over and make room for us!! Let us know when you plan on throwing that slumber party will you? I have no pajamas or a sleeping bag just yet....ha..Think of this..When you are walking in your boots through all that snow, all you will need is a towel or blanket wrapped around you and then you can let it down as soon as you get in there!

You drive me crazy sometimes with all the stuff I want..But then, I already have more than what my neighbors have...I have great friends here and a few citrus trees too boot..I hope you plan on living there for quite some time...

Jinny, thank you...Yeah, it never occurred to me to use that space after all the years I lived there until a couple of years ago....It costs a little extra to heat it, but it is well worth the cost! now I have to keep my greenhouse and porch heated..I suppose that if I had no other plants, including tons of orchids, I would just use my greenhouse..I forgot to look at the tag..But when I bought it I thought is was 'Bears Lime'..Just goes to show you how important it is to look at tags when you buy them. I was surprised at the name..

Cory, you do have a way with growing just about anything! I can't believe that you got that pineapple to produce edible fruit. So many and tried and failed..You should be proud of yourself!

Thanks Mike. It practically grew itself though.

Cory

Hello Mikey I absolutely love your humor hahaha. I don't have to worry about eating spicy foods any longer that's a thing of the past I have automatic window vents in the GH that can detect that kind of stuff . Mikey I would love to have a small party in there or slumber party pajamas optional lol . You now I am going to have to try sleeping in there sinice you and Laura have put that idea in my head but I would definitely have to crank the heat in there . Mikey the temperature barely moves at night in the greenhouse it really holds the heat I don't know if that's such a good thing it's so humid in there I think if the heater would come on a bit more it would help to dry things up I just hope my tree's don't end up rotting . I will have to make adjustments to the automatic vents they start to open at 70 degrees . Mikey we were outside the whole day we planted our blueberries around one side of the GH and we planted on the other a rhododendron and some perennials its going to look great next summer . It rained on us the whole day I have the chills a bit now . Mikey my friend you have such a beautiful setup I wouldn't change a thing and you have that lovely porch there is a ton of room in there . You know Mikey we are at that age now do we become snowbirds and go to Florida every year or do we make our backyard a tropical paradise so we decided on the later , we will be able to enjoy it all year makes more sense to me not to mention our winter's here are so brutal yuk. Mikey your a terrific friend and thank you for your kind words like wise .

Hugs Brian

They are all in, all 25 of them.

They look beautiful thirgerdantas!

Thank you Cory

Brian your greenhouse interior looks great. So nice you can fit the chair and table to really enjoy it in there. So much space you have. Wow! Look at all that fruit on your tree ripening already. Nice floor too. It really looks like you are at a tropical resort.

Cory

Thirgerdantas, clever use of space stacking them like that. I might have to do that too this year to fit them all in plus the orchids that survived the spring overheat. I was thinking maybe I would group the lower light orchids around the base of my trees when I bring everything in. It would be pretty when they bloom.

Cory

Thirgerdantas, where do you keep your trees? I can't quite tell from your photo. Is it greenhouse? If so, why the supplemental lighting?

Hi Vladimir, this is a small 5by 9 bedroom down in my basement. The small light bulbs you are seeing is for where the main light doesnt get to it. In the center of the room I have a 1000w metal halide.

This is the topl of the grow room

Good morning y'all,

The trees are still on the deck but I'm getting ready to winterize. I plan to do a really good Neem oil application this week and move them to a shaded part of the deck.

Looking at the temperatures we're having right now I think I have another two weeks, three tops, before I have to take them inside, so that'll give them a chance to get used to less light.

After that, they pretty much move on the other side of the window in my dining room. I just pull the table forward for the winter. Here is a picture from last year. As you can see, they really grew this summer.

The small one is growing like crazy right now, it has tiny new leaves at the end of every single branch and quite a few growing from the trunk. I'm still fertilizing hoping that those little leaves and branches will grow enough before I have to take it inside, since the "Mike-rule" is not to fertilize at all during the winter, lol.

Here are a few pictures I took this morning.

The smaller one:

Look at all that new growth! I can't believe this so late in the season...

Btw, when do you think those Lemons are going to change color? It's in the 50s now at night, and still nothing...

God bless, y'all.

Atheen

Thirgerdantas - are those mylar sheets on the walls and floor ? nice setup , even I put my plants in basement with HPS + LED . 2 more weeks to go for me before I bring them in thx to warm fall here

Your trees have really gotten pretty and filled in nicely and are growing well Atheen. It may take a while yet for your lemons to turn yellow.

Cory

I enjoy seeing everyones setups. It seems that everyone seems to have a setup unique to their spaces and needs. Alot ove very nice lookimg plants.

Atheen It is nice to hear from you and see how well your trees are doing. It has been awhile..

Last 2 windows for the south and top of my GH have been installed. I will be sealing leaks over the next week and will put up the east and west insulated walls before killing frost.

Well Steve, you certainly have a setup unique to your space and needs. I love how inventive you are.

Athena.,,,Holy Toledo!!! I can't believe the progress your trees have made in just a year..You must be something something right..Ha...You know, It's ok to fertilize during the fall and winter, but very lightly in the 5.1.1 and gritty mixes...You need some sort of nutrients available at all times, but not to the extent of growing season...I prefer not to at all since they do perfectly fine anyways and I need mine to rest to prevent spindly growth and bugs...It seems that most will not be able to provide the warmth and lots of sunshine or lights strong enough to mimic them to even bother with fertilizer....Now if you are growing under strong lights. warmth or greenhouse, now we are talking about fertilizing...I sure would!

How's the husband these days?

Thirgerdantas...Where did you get that Mylar? I have never been able to find that stuff...The stuff is great for bouncing off light!

'Steve hard work, and great work. Your have the neatest ideas and to pit together a greenhouse made of scrap windows to me is brilliant using the warm side of your home.

Mike this is where I get mylar:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013RZUO78/ref=sxts1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475544354&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65

Atheen, your trees look great!!! I can't believe how much they have grown! I hope to hold out at least another month...even though I am near you, I think being right by the water helps to keep things a bit warmer (plus I am a tad bit south of you). Show us your setup when they come in please!

Brian, you are likewise! Thanks for everything you do..I hear you about brutal winters and the geese leaving early! My God, I am worried..Now I hear we are suppose to get that Hurricane right up the East Coast! Poor Cory and anyone else on the East Coast..We would probably get spared since we always do. We never get exciting weather here. No storms and no heavy rain.We could use the rain since we are 10 inches short on it and all my trees are dying..I thought mother nature always corrected herself...? Not here.I will probably get by with not a drop of rain....

I am so excited for you..So, did you sleep in there yet? Let me tell you.If you use a couple of fans and keep the air moving, your trees should be fine and that will help dry them up faster....Use 24/7...By the way, have you ever thought of growing other plants besides what you have, like Orchids? An Orange Mock Tree? They smell even stronger than an any citrus tree..

Chris, thank you for that.I just might get some..It's useless to use lights without that stuff..

Atheen.WOW!!!!

Good morning, y'all!

Mike, Cory, Steve, Laura, thanks! :)

I just Neemed the crap out of my trees this morning. Letting them dry out as we speak.

I'm using 1 tsp of pure cold pressed Dynagro Neem oil per quart of water with about half a tsp of liquid soap.

Here are the morning pics

Love the slight sheenIt gives them.

Mike, I have a question If you're around. I want to make sure I kill whatever is hiding ready to hatch in the soil. I did spray the top of the soil with some of my neem concoction, but I was wondering if I could add some been oil to my waterings, and if so, how much per quart or per pot?

Also, I hear y'all taking about doing the Neem application several times before you bring then in. How many times and what's the interval?

Thanks y'all!

.

Atheen

.

PS: Dave is doing much better. We've stabilized his weight, and he's now able to start exercising again, slowly. We just had him do an MRI yesterday, of his pancreas and pretty much the whole abdominal area. We requested it, because we wanted to have peace of mind, but of course, now that we've done it and are awaiting the results we are completely freaking out. I have an anvil in my stomach atm, and it won't go away until they call and tell me he's fine.

Hi Atheen...any results from Dave's MRI? Keeping him in my prayers!!

Alright, so we finally got the results... More on that, later...

The MRI looks good. The surgery is healing just fine, and more importantly, the pancreas looks good. No signs of the big bad Kahuna. There is a slight fluid collection and a small cyst under the pancreas, but nothing malignant, and it's apparently quite typical after an acute pancreatitis attack like the one he had. It just takes several months (6 months to a year) to fully resorb and be reabsorbed by the body. But there is no more inflammation, and save that small cyst and fluid collection, which again is not uncommon nor worrisome, it all looks good. Thank you, God.

.

Now, about the wankers at the imaging lab. We went to do this test, slightly concerned, because if there is anything, the MRI WILL show it, right? But we were not really worried, because he's been doing so much better and hadn't had another attack in months. We get done by 3:40pm, and THEY TELL US we should hear from them with the results probably by 5:30pm. Cool. We leave, and we wait. And wait. And wait. No phone call. We downplay it, it was late, the radiologist will surely get to it tomorrow morning, right? Wrong.

.

Next day, both Dave and I are getting increasingly concerned that we haven't heard anything all morning. We both silently go through several scenarios, maybe it's bad, maybe they want a second opinion before they call us and that's why it's taking so long. By 2pm, I call them, and they tell me that it can, in fact, take up to 48 hours to get a review and a report on a scan. Fine. I tell them I'll call back the next day, and they say, yes call back tomorrow, we'll have the report by then.

.

Fast forward to the next day. By then, we are both officially worried. Why is it taking so much longer than originally planned?

.

Next day, I wait all morning long. No phone call. At 2pm, I call them. And they go: "yeah, we can't talk to patients, we sent it to your physician, and if you haven't heard from him yet, you need to call him".

.

It's official, we are totally freaking out by now. I call the physician, I get voicemail. I leave a message, Dave leaves a message, we both independently send emails, but they're in surgery and we can't reach anyone. I try contacting the pancreas specialist and ask the Secretary if she can access the scan report, but it's still "pending" on in her side, so I'm all out of luck.

.

By the evening, no news both Dave and I are really scared.

.

Thankfully, around 9pm, the surgeons assistant nurse reads our emails, and emails back saying that she didn't see anything acute or worrisome in the report, and that she'll call me back the next day once she had a chance of looking at the actual MRI.

.

Both her and the pancreas specialist‘s assistant called me today, and they both pretty much said the same thing, which is no worries to be had, so we'll finally have a decent night's sleep tonight. Next follow up appointment with the pancreas specialist in 3 months, but it's just for peace if mind. The assistant pretty much told me today, that she would schedule us an appointment to discuss the MRI with him sooner if we wanted to, but that it was really not necessary at this time.

.

Thank you God. Thank you God. Thank you God.

.

And God bless y'all for caring and asking about Dave.

.

Atheen

Atheen I am so glad that the news was good. I don't understand why it to so long for you to get the results. It is inexcusable.

Hey, Mike, I don't have any pics of my set-up just yet....because I'm currently building it! Once I have the greenhouse assembled, I'll share pics. But I do have some off-topic pics for you. The Lancaster variegated Jade is setting buds! This is the fifth Jade to start budding this season, more than ever before. I count three different buds sites on this Jade. Can't wait for them to bloom.

Josh

I'm so happy to hear the great news!

Beautiful Josh!!

I am glad to hear that the surgery went well. Cancer sucks.

6b Steve

Thanks, Laura!

Also, here's an update pic of the platform on which my greenhouse will be located....
Still have a few boards to set. The platform is all salvaged redwood from my front deck that I had replaced this Summer.

Great news Atheen...I'm sorry you both had to go through such worry.

Josh...beautiful jade. Please shows us pics when it blooms!

Where I'm at, inland in northern CA, it has still been in the 90s during the day and 50s at night. This week we might be cooling off to the 80s and 70s. Nighttime staying in the 50s. Supposed to stay that way through October.

Nighttime temps will drop to 40s in November. We usually have some nights below freezing in December and January.

I'm finishing up a backyard remodel with 7 new citrus trees. 5 are in very deep and wide stone raised beds (with open bottom).

Eureka lemon, Washington navel orange, oro blanco grapefruit, haas avocado, clementine and key lime.

The stone seems to stay very warm, which should help keep the soil warm and also radiate heat for the trees themselves. Even so, I plan to string them with c9 (old fashioned) Christmas lights to help keep them warm at night.

I also have 2 improved Meyer lemons in clay containers.

All receive southern exposure.

Most are young, around 2-3 feet, except the avocado which is 5 feet.

Once I string them with lights I will take photos. :)

We woke up to a hard frost last night. The night time temperature was 30°.. While most all of my potted citrus were tucked away safely in my sunroom, I accidentally left one of my mandarin seedlings outside on the deck, a small key lime, small meyer lemon, my potted figs (that have figs on them) pomegranate and coffee plants.. not to mention I have a banana plant planted outside in the ground.. Not knowing if the heavy frost would hurt the younger plants..(I know the coffee plants are more sensitive to frost).. I rushed out early this morning and brought them all in and gave them a lukewarm shower to wash the frost off. (My outdoor spigot was froze) They are out of the direct light and so far so good.. The lower leaves on the banana plant are turning brown and I need to dig it up, cut off the leaves and wrap and store it for the winter.

Carl sounds like your trees will be one happy family!!

Jinny, what a joke right? It would be nice to get a break some time and have the west go below normal while we reside in above normal warmth at least until winter..No going to happen. I'm glad your tree didn't get caught off guard..You must of been relieved for sure.

Looks like it's going to be another COLD winter own this side of the country while the western side basks in above normal temps for quite some time..Lucky as usual..All mine are in for nights now , now that it's going to be in the low thirties quite early i'd say! It stinks. I've yet to even bring my Figs in..I think I will just let them freeze..I'm tired..If anyone want have of my fig trees, they are welcome to have them

JoSH..AMAZING buddy!!! Thank you for showing me those beauties..I can't believe yours do that while the very same ones I have do nothing...I just don't get it..Everyoe has better sun than me and I am beginning to rethink my living area...I'm tired of short summers, short heat spells and a very weak sun most of the year..It gets cold too soon here and stays for a long long time. Thank you

Oh no Jinny! I hope they're ok! I would have freaked out too and done the same thing. I hope there was no damage. Mike - don't you dare let those figs freeze!!! Poor things! I wish I lived closer, although I don't have much space left in my yard. Here are some shots of my main plant rooms - they are all outside still. With the big tree gone, there is sooo much more light! I'm going to track it through the day. I still think the lights will help for the more interior plants -especially mid-day.

Laura, your rooms looks very bright, and, your trees will have a nice lit room to reside in for the winter. Extra supplemental light will help on those dark dreary days..

Laura, you are so lucky to have more sunlight! Good for you! I have to wait until the leaves fall before I can get anymore sunlight for my trees..I have come close many times of giving up and then I have also prayed a storm would rip the tree down blocking all the sun I could use, then I kind of like that tree. You should see all the birds in it..My yard would be so exposed if it did come down..So, I guess I just except the fact it's the best I am going to do without added lights, throw them out, or pray they cut that tree down...I fluctuate..Arg

Jinny..How do you temps look for the rest of week or month? Are you going to be abnormally cold this year? I hope not. It really stinks..I am glad you brought them all in as you did

Glad you like those blooms, Mike!

I think it'll be a long time before 'Legolas' blooms, though.

Josh

Top and bottom of south glass is now insulate with wood chips.

Steve how's your set up looking now? Can you take some side shots as well? I would love to see the whole exterior...)

The east and west end pictures.

each end is going to get a reflective insulated wall to keep light the enters through the south window from escaping out the ends. I will get more light saved than Ill get with glass letting what little light in the morning and evening comes through

6b Steve

That is a great set up...Your trees will be very happy in there. Looks like you have plenty of room..How high is it to the top? Good job there)

The highest the glass goes is 5.5 feet. I have concluded that that the glass size is correct and I can make permanent windows that I can lift from a permanent frame then place back come cold weather. I will keep the trees trimmed to a hight of 6.5 feet by 6 feet around. The glass will set about 2 feet higher when the trees are bigger. It will take me about 8 hours instead of 40 hours.

Steve,man you amaze me with your ideas..You have and inventive and imaginable mind. Good work. I hope it all works out

Thanks Mike. I am 59 years old and I am simplifying my gardening practices so I don't have to work so hard.