Mini Greenhouse is just about finished - Orchid Board

RonCo · #1 11-13-2008, 09:06 PM

I'm getting close to the finish line.

A few pictures of the progress.

Got a bench built and everything is sealed up on the outside.

Right now I'm doing some temperature measurements to see how things fluctuate from day to night and to see if I can get by just using the heat from my shop. So far we haven't had any really cold stuff but it's been down in the 30's at night.

The greenhouse is running about 5 degrees below the shop temperature without any assistance from a fan. We haven't had any sun for a few days so I have not been able see how hot it will get during the day.

The Thermo Humidigraph is an old Bristol Instruments unit that's about 50 years old. It still works and the temperature is very close to nice accurate mercury thermometer. Not sure about the accuracy of the humidity readings, running about 40-45%.

The UPS guy is bringing my bubble wrap insulation tomorrow so I'll be playing with that this weekend.

Now the pictures.

smweaver · #2 11-14-2008, 06:37 AM

Nice job, Ron--and much more than I would have trusted myself to do. What kind of orchids do you plan on growing inside of it, and what orientation is it in? Best of luck with your continuing project.

Steve

RonCo · #3 11-14-2008, 07:03 AM

Thanks Steve

The front wall of the ghouse faces due east so I will get full sun till about 1-2 in the afternoon.

As far as orchids....

The collection only numbers eight at the moment and that is a mixed bag of one cattleya, one dendrobium, a miltonia, and a few oncidiums. Oh, and a spathoglottis and a no name something or other.

Time will tell what else gets added, but I bet it won't take too long and I'll be out of space.

Ron

smweaver · #4 11-14-2008, 08:37 AM

Ron, have you ever considered neofinetias (and/or their hybrids)? They stay nice and compact, are very fragrant, and they're easy to grow. In fact, you probably wouldn't even need to provide much heat to your greenhouse during the winter since neofinetias are dormant during that time of year and easily withstanding temperatures down into the low to mid 40's. If you're interested in them, check out the website for New World Orchids (www.newworldorchids.com). They're in our area of the country (I'm just next door to you in Indiana) and they have lots of great plants. Again, good luck with your project.

Steve

RonCo · #5 11-14-2008, 08:48 AM

Another orchid family member I haven't heard about. Will check them out.

Thanks for the link.

Ron

BikerDoc5968 · #6 11-14-2008, 09:54 AM

Congrats, Ron. You are going to have soooooo much fun in your new GH home, and so will your chids! Good Job.

RonCo · #7 11-14-2008, 10:53 AM

Thanks Bikerdoc.

I've been out this morning playing around and having fun. I need to get some shading up to keep the chids from getting a sunburn.

Now I have to get my workshop cleaned up cause I'm sure some people will want to see the orchids.

Ron

Uechi · #8 11-15-2008, 11:00 AM

Very nice indeed. God I hate mechanically talented people. Being challenged in that area I envy your ability. Nice work. Just remember Orchids are a disease and you may well be expanding the size of your mini in a short time. Once again great. Regards

RonCo · #9 11-15-2008, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uechi

Very nice indeed. God I hate mechanically talented people. Being challenged in that area I envy your ability. Nice work. Just remember Orchids are a disease and you may well be expanding the size of your mini in a short time. Once again great. Regards

Uechi, don't be to hard on us mechanically talented, it's an affliction that usually lasts for a lifetime but somehow we suffer through.