Too Much Sunlight/Dessert Greenhouse..

[123abc]

Hi all, New here- nice to meet you all..

 

I am a bi product of Seasame Street.. or so the nick suggested

- i will jump str8 into the question. (or questions).. feel free to give blunt right wrong. maybe opinions..

 

Ok.. so lets build a scenario- a Green House in the Dessert. PVC Clear roofing.. say in a part of Rural Australia- Water Crisis regions- but water is available- upto 42-45 degree temps can happen (remmber sydney had that last N.Y's Day)

 

Now my main questions are..

Can there be Too much sunlight that will burn the plants.. or if using moisture control and humidity and implement a form of say temp leveling.. is it possible the intensity of the sun light will produce killer huge buds.. provided all other things like Carbon and Neuts are looked after?

What is the maximum intensity.. average temp regions a green house should be placed in?

 

Can a plant obsorb soo much sunlight before the rest is void? i assume because nothing else grows in the region they may burn.. could that also be lack of water/moisture..?

 

Maybe an Outdoor Soil/Hydro Green House method could be used..- Would a method like this compete or beter indoor commercial grows to satisfy sceptics "friends" with higher tolerance.. and still retain cost effectiveness due to lack of power required to run the lights.. (i understand temperature control could use up just as much or maybe more power. I am looking to some options.. suggestions also welcome).

.Thanks for the help i will stay uptodate with more questions as they arise

[stonedstump]

Sunlight turns nutrient + air into plant

 

It all comes down to how much air and nutrient the plant can or is able to absorb.

 

You can never have too much light, plants only get burnt when the bulb is too close causing heat burn just like if you touched a light bulb.

 

Humidity is not your friend either. You want around 40-60% max at any time IMO.

 

As for temp control.. if it's in a desert then you should just take the roof off your greenhouse but you might be worried about bugs etc..

 

Another method for shed cooling is to leave the roof on or off (does not matter) and simply put the shed slightly above the ground on bricks which will allow air to flow underneath it.

 

When you do that you will want to make sure the shed is anchored down somehow because you don't want it blowing away in the next storm.

 

Put clayballs on top of your soil to prevent the light hitting it directly/keep moisture in and to prevent bugs also.

[123abc]

I am worried about Sandstorms and other harsh climates.. could tear up plants faster than Clinton on a 18 year old school girls skirt- Thats why i have to keep it all under a roof and bugs etc are another issue.. - as it could go a few days un-manned (another reason is stealth but the location is half of that)

 

Water supply is a semi issue- but have underground supplies- though not plentiful.. may require an initial fill up of an underground rainwater tank manually installed..

 

 

Those devices you get in bunnings and other places.. that sit on top of a roof and rotate with out power.. for air supply.. would they be ample if/and mounted Side ways?(how many would u think per a 5x5m (3-4 meter high section)

 

I understand water crystals are the best way for soil water retention solutions- have read a bit on them

I will most likly be using soil, and underground methods.. leaving a 1 foot mesh'd gap at the bottom of the structure may help with air supply on the same principle as the bricks?

 

Clay balls will work similar to placing straw ontop correct?if not how does it differ

 

Thanks for the reply SS

 

P.S so no amount of sunlight can burn the Cannabis plant? I have seen some harsh aussie bush climate do some bad things to other plants

[stonedstump]

Good luck with the bugs.

 

The whirly bird things you're talking about only work when the wind is blowing but for a natural sunlight setup I don't see any major heat issues arising, espescially in a 5x5x3m area. And if you do decide to lift the shed up a bit with mesh then that will help even more.

 

Water crystals are excellent. I'm sure you know not to use too many though or they expand and push the plant out of the pot.

 

The one foot of mesh is an excellent idea (I'd be using flyscreen mesh).

 

Clayballs are non-organic. Fungus gnats love organic waste and will look for soil with organic waste on top, that is where clay balls come into their own.

 

Sit a nice 1 inch or so layer of them on top of your soil and you should not have any trouble from the little bastards; plus it will keep your soil cool and moist much in the same was as hay would.

 

Unless anyone on here wants to correct me, I would safely say that 100% no amount of sunlight will hurt your plant provided it has sufficient air and water supply.

[LOGGER_KING]

DEpends on the roofing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,MIne cuts out the UV,,,so it never cooks them..............

[Bundy]

Water supply is a semi issue- but have underground supplies- though not plentiful.. may require an initial fill up of an underground rainwater tank manually installed

mix seasol and water with enough water crystals to turn it into sludge then when you put the plant in the ground put the mix in the ground around the plant

 

the clay balls is a good idea

 

i concur with stumpy, the light itself shouldn't hurt the plant

 

UV shouldn't be a problem

[123abc]

Logger king..- Would cutting out UV be a good thing ?

 

Are any types of Weather Resistant PVC or similar Roofing recommended that would give optimum light results- ? i want to be growing larger tree's, using natural sunlight i presume all sections top or bottom of the tree get high intensity light..(consistant quality flowers ) does that change with a protective layer on top(is it just a minor differance)..?

 

 

 

Ok. SS clay balls sound good.. - i understand the logic of providing the outcome but nothing for the lil nastys to get off on..

Would Also adding Ash to the soil mixture do wonders for the grow? Maybe Neut retention

 

Im thinking of Using a Couple of folds of Fly Screen that is re-enforced by maybe a wire net, more so to stop sand from entering.

 

Do you think maybe a small cheap solar panal wired up to a 12v SLA batt. for fan/water should work well?

 

I hope to be able to get 2m-2.5 meter plants each fitting in a 1x1m area.. Is that too many/not enough*(-strain dependant)?

 

Aim of 300-600g per plant of Top Quality 90 percent Organic Smoke.. Unless any body has good suggestions on Cheap Soil/Hydro Hybrids that would fit well into my scenario (but i assume hydro=Alot of Maintanence)

 

Would Whiry birds still work well.. would they collect stray sand and dump them in the tunnel?

 

 

Bundy- 'Seasol' is what exactly..?

----

 

Any Strain Recommendation from Growers in the Desserty regions? Sativa or Indica or a mix.. i have an open mind at the moment and only want to get the best outcome.. all suggestions are welcome- But the strain has to provide a decent amount of medicinal properties so to kill all birds (or most) with one stone/cone *lame joke*

 

*Low-Medium Maintanence...

 

Once i have a general plan- i will get a few blue prints up and posted.. For the Hope of helping others (to use freely) and others helping me perfect it

 

The outter shell of the structure- any heat resistant/retardant materials pop up to mind that would suit our climate well? - Dessert Nights.. are cold, Negative Effect on the plants??

 

Cost is not an issue.. cannot skim out on quality BUT i dont want to be paying for premium brand named products that at best provide a 10 percent beter product at tripple the price of the nearest competitor PLUS GST!

 

Once again thanks for the replies and help..!

[LOGGER_KING]

Clear plastic roof or the wrong clear sheeting WILL BURN PLANTS AND DRY THEM OUT AND THE SOIL in summer.....I got my plastic from a garden nursery ,,it stops UV,,you can grow under it in summer ,,It keeps the heat out ,but lets the light in

[Luke Skywalker]

Use some light shade cloth, this will help ameliorate the high temperatures and you can even occasionally wet down the walls, (or set up some kind of simple retic system) which will then turn the whole structure into a kind of evaporative cooler. High temps and low humidity along with high light levels can lead to death quite quickly, particularly in a hothouse.

 

Make it a small shade structure, only use shadecloth of the v.light (20% or so) variety and you'll do well.

 

Hydroponic production methods would reduce your water usage to a tenth of what would otherwise be required too, so give serious thought to hydroponic growing if you're in a water-poor area. (Analysis of the water may be required if it's not a tap supply, and even if it is it's useful information to get from your local water company. This is a common question and they should have no problems giving you this info.)

 

A ventilation system is an absolute must, even in a shade house with lots of airflow. You'll want the stronest ventilation system you can situate, although there are plenty of passive methods you can use to reduce temps. Put the exhaust vent/whirlygig/fan in a position where it can draw the hottest air out and then have inlets running all around the base of the greenhouse. Even in the most cool positions you'll want some ventilation, although it would be reduced. If temps don't drop below about 15 during the night you should be fine, but by putting water barrels into the greenhouse, (the 200l or so black ones) then you can even temps out through the radiant heat and absorbtion properties of the barrels of water.

 

Anyway, hope that helps.

[123abc]

Skywalker.. Thanks for the Reply..

 

Wow 1/10th Water Use compared to soil methods, didn't know it was that smaller fraction.. Can you drop any names of certain methods/techniques of hydro set-ups i can look into, for example they would fit my criteria well in a outdoor environ with a lower than usual maintance..

Maybe a Bubbler kind of system with some compost bins(similar) dropped below the ground and work from there.. or am i on the wrong track on what would be a viable Hy.p Solution.

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Any body have experiance with Aquariums/Fish or have a boat- do they know much about water pumping stats with tanks/marine pumps(DC 12/24v)- how much power they require?

 

I think a truck batt. with a solar cell might have to be the power source to keep that flow...

 

Also - if i moove into a Hy.p Solution.. can i keep it a mixture with soil/hy.p or does that defeat the purpose ? Also i want to try and keep it as organic as possible, will i loose that with Hy.p methods? from what i have read u can still keep the plant organic (similar to egyption water culture)

 

Thanks for the ventilation help.. i will eleborate more on that once i get some Pump Power Stats.. so i can try cross referance if i have room to allow some current onto a power Fan/s .

 

P.S- Hy.p= Hydro

Any body have any strain suggestions>? i just downloaded a copy of the OverGrow Strain Guide.. but no pics

Edited November 9, 2006 by 123abc