Greenhouse construction question

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

Hey all, I'm in the thoes of making an orchid house from an old hills swing set my kids are way to old to use anymore. I took the swings off it and am left with an "A" frame with a bar seperatig it. I was going to just drape it with shade cloth, maybe use some tent poles as an awning for half the front while enclosing the other half. I love orchids (who doesn't?).

 

The house I'm living in is almost impossible for growig in at the best of times, let alone summer. The only room I have to use is on an exposed western wall, no shaey trees against it ..nada..hot as hell until midnight. To cool it down to grow in would cost a mint, and be as sus ass can be.

 

It dawned on me if I put this contraption I'm knocking up for the orchids in the right place (my back fence is very high and made of light steel), I would have an are at the back of the "orchid house", which from every nosey angle would only be able to see orchids, ferns staghorns etc...while at the back I could fit as many as say 20 smallish plants.

 

I would still cover them, as I have neighbours from hell, but I was wondering what collective knowlege I could access here of what materials I could use to cover the dope growing side, so to allow good light penetration, while still hiding the plants . Even if you could stand next to them and stare, and see through it, that'd be fine. I plan to situate the contraption so that it'll only be visi ble to the neighbours from 20 mweters or so away.

 

I used to install skylights when I was a kid, and came across a material (hard sheets of rofing), called Alsanite (or something ike that). perspex looking stuff that is opaque, but llows plenty of light. but it's about 150 dollars a sheet, and would ake it look a bit sus. I was thinking more in lines of somthing that resembles shade cloth to some degree, but without the massive light drop.

 

Anyone ever done anything like this and can help me out?

I'd like to just go to the shop and ask for advice excpt I dont rtust saklemen to tell me anything truthful, and I dont know how to ask for material that lolows light in, but stops prying eyes. I think I'd be givign myself away.

 

Anyway, any advice at all at this stage would be excellent, before I start welding and spending money etc..

 

cheers

rob

[Luke Skywalker]

Try some white/cream coloured 30% shadecloth, might be a little difficult to source, but should work nicely without overly shading the plants. The rest of the house could be in 50 or 70 % depending on local light and climate.

 

Laserlite/polycarbonate roofing is good too, you can get it in a range of colours that would be opaque enough to keep eyes away but light enough for good transmission.

 

I would consider separating the orchids/staghorns from the mullies, as they'll require relatively different conditions, but other than that you should do nicely. I used to keep a couple of mums in the greenhouse when I needed the room for vegging, worked okay for a while, but I wasn't set up for proper growing in there.

[Gazza2001au]

if you have nosey neighbours your better off growing indoors and dealing with the hot room beats being busted by cunt of a neighbours than you have rippers aswell thats two reasons why i grow indoors

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

Thanks guys, the 30% shade cloth sounds good, I wasn't aware it went that low. I looked just breifly this arv, I mean very breifly, and it all seememd 70% or 90%. I saw the white stuff you mentioned, but was still rated very high. If they make it as low as 30%, I'll get it, finding it wont be a prob, I'll just order it somewhere.

 

I'm not worried about people stealing my gear, I have a hound that will protect the yard. Actually, that's just a joke, it's a half size jack russel terriror, but seriously, I don't have any problems with people touring the back yard, it's hard to explain, but it's not easily acccessable without permission.

 

Luke I am planning to seperate the grass from the orchids etc. I'll make a wall of thick shade cloth. The plan at this stage is so people could actually see into it easily enough, seeing the ferns and the like, that way loosing any suspicion I hope. From the angle the neighbour will see it from, it'll be difficult if even at all for him to see there's a back to it, if I can make it the way my mind sees it.

I'm playing with the idea now of using a solid roof, across both the front legal plant side, and extend it the back for the grass. This way I could use some opaque stuff like I was thinking, and like you suggested.

 

At this stage it'll be a winter grow mainly. Use a cupboard inside to take a number of cuttings, and raise them under a small light for a short while, then turn them out into the back garden, packing them in as a SOG kinda thing. From memory I used to do a similar thing (without having to hide the plants as I was deep in the bush), and could depend on a rotating crop of heads until as late as october.

Take cuttings ready to replace each harvest, and use the natural short nights to head them off. Used to be able to produce quiet a bit that way, and all going well, if it works, while I live here should be able to stockpile enough to keep me going through the 4 months of weather that makes it too hot inside, and of course, day lengths too long outside.

 

Seriosuly though, I have to get the hell out of here, find a decent place inthe bush again, but with real estate the way it is, its like finding rocking horse shit at the moment.

 

Anyway, maybe next season I can get away/

Thank aagain for the ideas, anyone else done this kinda thing? I saw a material used in commercial hydroponic farms, a bloke growing roses. It was a thick opaque plastic type material. I might look into that stuff, I think it's what they use to make those hydro tunnels for tomatoe farms and what not, but if anyone knows something about these materials, I'm all ears.

 

cheers all

rob

[Luke Skywalker]

Get yourself a copy of the Australian Orchid Review, there's always an ad in there for a shadecloth place that sells rolls of 30% and can also have some pieces cut and fitted to order....

 

The opaque plastic might be just horticultural poly, but it could also be something like a svensson screen, which has strips of reflective material sown into it to improve light capture...

 

Most of the hort poly is made in very large widths, but if you do a google search you should find a few places that sell it cut and heat-sealed into particular sizes.

 

The separation thing I was more talking about the separation of growing conditions than anything. The humidity from the other part could be a potential issue without good ventilation.....

 

Just a few thoughts there.

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

Thanks again Luke, but just check this out will ya?

it comes in clear or green, and i can pick it up just the other side of town and save posatge.

 

I was looking on ebay withthe hope that just maybe something might pop up that could help, and I found this. No way could u build even the most basic arrangement for this price, and if I plae it just right, betwen the garden shed and the high fence, you'd have to actually enter it to see what's going on.

 

Ordering one tommorow, see how it all goes.

 

thanks heaps for the help guys.

rob

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...A:IT&ih=005

 

PS. I should mention I just can't stop gardening. I always have veggies growing, seedlings of some kind comming up in dozens of pots here and there scattered around the yard, and always multiplying the best of my gloxinias.

So if I concnertate all that activity in and around the entrance to the greenhouse, put a table in the entrance, be in there every day cutting gloxy clones and so on...it's not like the neighours aren't used to seeing me gardening you know.. I was even thinking that before I put a single dope plant in there, drive the neighbour nuts asking him to come over and look at every new plant I put in there. Every day I have something strike, or buy a new orchid, or get some new fruit, ask him to come and have alook until he's so fucking sick of me and the garrden I could grow whatever I like and he will run a mile rather than ask what's going on..

 

anyhow, wish me luck guys, I'm goin in .

[Luke Skywalker]

Probably a little flimsy compared to a professional job, but it should service nicely. I should say there is one rule when buying a greenhouse, and that's get one double the size you think you need. You'll always fill it up.

 

Consider making a brick or perhaps wooden stand for the base, to raise it up a bit. 2m high isn't that tall, and you'll want bigger headroom particularly for ventilation and plant development. Mine's made of ali cubleock and is 2.6 at the crossbar and 2.2 at the side, but even that isn't tall enough for some of my more light hungry orchids, and the ventilation only improves the taller the frame.

 

Keep in mind your local council may need to be told about it, I'm not sure but it's worth the phone call to find out what the rules are.

[loylty gets u nothing]

mmm]

very interesting rob

would like to know how u get on with the set up

i been thinking of 1 for some time now

really at 79$ u cant loose, disposable nearly if its no good..

sounds like a great plan to bore the neighbour

all the ebst with it all and id love to see some pics wen its going

bil