ORDERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[VickiC]

Hi Debs!
I've been celebrating by myself since Monday.....when my husband ordered it. Well, maybe not "LITERALLY" celebrating, but just as excited. I'm ready when you are, though, so "let the party begin!" lol

Don't apologize for asking questions.....I enjoy answering (what little I know, unfortunately).

Well.....hmm.....actually, I know close to nothing about greenhouses. No joke. I haven't really been trying to learn a lot about them and about growing my orchids in one yet because I didn't know I was getting one this soon. Ordering a greenhouse now kinda caught me offguard. I've been hoping that I would have one someday, but I guess my husband must have gotten tired of listening to me talk, talk, talk about wanting one, and also got tired of lots of large plants in the garage (for the winter) and just gave in.

As for the size, it's 10'3"x17'6". We've picked out a spot for it in our backyard near the site where an old satellite dish used to be because there are still underground cables for electricity that run from there to our house. The Sunglo website says a "thermostatically controlled ventilation system" comes with it. I understand that some shelving comes with it, but I don't know the details. Other than that, I'm not sure, if anything else. Maybe Bikerdoc and the other members who have the same greenhouse will clue me in. Gosh, I have no earthly idea what I'm gonna need to add, so I've got a LOT to learn. Help! lol

Yes, I can certainly relate to the "what-ifs". Besides the "what-ifs" you mentioned, another one that has been bothering me is "what if we don't do something right when putting it up (foundation, etc.)?!" Then there's the "what if we don't install the correct things in it that we should (heat, lights, misting, etc.)?!. Oh, and then there's also the "what if the up-keep is more than I can handle?!" Since this will be my 1st gh, I don't have any experience under my belt. I don't even know what type of foundation we're gonna build. I'm sure my husband has thoughts in his head, but he hasn't taken time to share many of them with me yet. lol He and a "handy-man-fix-it" friend are gonna do whatever has to be done. Of course, I'll do my part (but probably will be in the way, for the most part).

I only started trying to grow orchids less than a year ago, so I'm still going through the "deciding what type(s) will work best for me". At this time, though, I have between 40-50.....mostly phals and catts. Some dens, oncidiums, zygos, 1 vanda.....can't remember what else (other than the three in my Exo Terra....masdevallia, dryadella and dracula.)

Thanks for your reply and letting me share with you!
Vicki

Originally Posted by DebsC

Vicki !!!

Woo Hoo!!!! Getting a greenhouse is cause for celebration! If you weren't excited, I'd be worried about you.

Now, I'm ready to hear all about it. What size is it? What comes with it, if anything? Have you decided where you're putting it? Does it go on a foundation? If so, what type? Shelving?

What do you grow primarily? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get a feel for your setup and I do want to hear all about it!

My husband built a greenhouse for me about 3 years ago. I know the feeling of excitement and a little uncertainty. The what if's. You know, what if I can't grow my orchids in it? What if it's just a money pit? Even what if I get tired of it?

Now I know, it's different than growing in my sunroom but I can grow in it. It's not cheap but what hobby is? And I can't imagine ever growing tired of the sights and smells of a greenhouse.

In other words, you'll love yours!!!!

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[peeweelovesbooks]

Congratulations!!!!


I don't have one, so I cant offer advice, but I can offer encouragement!

You will do great, I'm sure, and the people on the OB won't let you down. I'm positive any question you have can be answered.

Just enjoy the experience.

[mojomick]

Vicki, Congratulations. The SunGlo is a great gh. At this time last year I was just putting my plants in mine. Might I make a suggestion or two? I have a few things I would do different. First, I would build a foundation about 18" to 2 feet tall and place the greenhouse on it. We connected the gh to the cement foundation with 4" expandable concrete bolts. We have a lot of wind here, so needed the stability. That way you would have a lot more head room and insulation around the base. I dug out the floor inside and put landscape cloth down and covered with 6 " of sand. I made a walk way down the middle out of brick. I really like this as it drains well. I am extremely pleased with my SunGlo so good luck and have fun with the building project. Betty

[VickiC]

Hi,
Thank you so much.....I appreciate the encouragement! I am so looking forward to getting my greenhouse and start growing! Well, I should say "continue" growing. Anyway, I love my orchid room, but I would like to grow more high light orchids, and I can't get the amount of light output that they need from my T5s without the temp. getting too high, as well.
Thanks again!
Vicki

Originally Posted by peeweelovesbooks

Congratulations!!!!


I don't have one, so I cant offer advice, but I can offer encouragement!

You will do great, I'm sure, and the people on the OB won't let you down. I'm positive any question you have can be answered.

Just enjoy the experience.

[VickiC]

Hi Betty,
Thanks for the congrats.....I can hardly wait.

I'm glad you're enjoying your greenhouse. It's good to know that you are very pleased with it and I hope your orchids are doing well. I agree.....we thought the Sunglo looked well constructed, too.

You can certainly offer as many suggestions as you want! The more, the better! Boy, can I use the help! I would honestly appreciate any advice you or anyone has for me!

Your foundation setup sounds good. I know I would like the extra headroom. I'm 5'7", but still, I would prefer not to feel "closed in". How did you handle the issue of the difference in the height of your gh down to the ground in front of your doorway.....steps?

My husband says he would like to keep a foundation simple (for lack of time to build it, for one thing), but, of course, build it sufficiently. What do you think about using cross-ties to attach the gh to then gravel for the floor inside with either a brick walkway (as you have) or else stepping stones? Any suggestions.....downside or otherwise. ??

High winds are not a consideration down here normally. The main factor is bigtime heat in the summer. Hopefully, with all of your help, that problem in my gh can get solved with good shadecloth, so I certainly need your help in knowing what is best. By the way, I'm not familiar with landscape cloth. What is it's purpose, as far as using it in your base construction? It obviously doesn't interfere with your drainage since you say that your setup drains well.

Yes, I'll definitely have fun with the building project, but I'm guessing that the most of my fun will be AFTER it's all up and running, since I'm so clueless of all the things I'll need to constuct it well.

Thanks again, Betty!
Vicki

Originally Posted by mojomick

Vicki, Congratulations. The SunGlo is a great gh. At this time last year I was just putting my plants in mine. Might I make a suggestion or two? I have a few things I would do different. First, I would build a foundation about 18" to 2 feet tall and place the greenhouse on it. We connected the gh to the cement foundation with 4" expandable concrete bolts. We have a lot of wind here, so needed the stability. That way you would have a lot more head room and insulation around the base. I dug out the floor inside and put landscape cloth down and covered with 6 " of sand. I made a walk way down the middle out of brick. I really like this as it drains well. I am extremely pleased with my SunGlo so good luck and have fun with the building project. Betty

[DebsC]

Hi Again Vicki!
Oh that's a nice size greenhouse you're getting! As with many things in life, the bigger the better! I think the heat is better handled with a bigger GH.

As I said before, my husband built my GH and the bad (sad) thing is there is not another greenhouse within 50 miles of here. Nothing to go by. So, we really built the thing in the blind.

We do have high winds here. The winds from hurricane Ike blew the shingles right off our house roof and uprooted several old trees....but the greenhouse held tight!

I found that growing my collection of phals, paphs, phrags, oncidium and mostly cattleya in a greenhouse was totally different than where I had previously grown them, in my sunroom.

But with the help of my best friend in Texas, I figured out a lot of stuff. It's taken a few years to realize I couldn't really get by without running water, a 'real' humidifier ect.

Each year I add something else I thought I could do without. Adding it slowly, I don't feel so guilty.

Cooling it has been the hardest thing. I have shadecloth, exhaust fan on a thermostat, box fans sitting in the two windows and a Aquafog 400.

Last summer it got so hot my husband put a portable air conditioner in the window. I only had to run it two days, thank goodness! My friend says I need a swamp cooler. There's goes my budget!!!

Most days it gets plenty warm but not dangerous to the catts. The rest go outside on my orchid table for the summer.

This is my first greenhouse too and hopefully it will last and last. There's lots of trial and error down here! Hubby built a fogger system from pvc and ran it overhead. It worked great but the orchids got too wet no matter what kind of fogger nozzles I used.

Oh and just this weekend he went back in and braced all my benches and shelves. Said he didn't realize how many tons of weight they would have to hold!

The gh has a very high roof on it and I love the feeling it offers but I use inside shade cloth and so it gets covered up pretty quick in summer. In winter, the plastic covered frames go in to lower the ceiling and make it easier to heat.

You'll discover ways to help out on the ongoing costs! Once it's up and running, you'll never want to take it down.

To me a gh is a living thing, a labor of love. Each season my orchids look and grow a little better and it's so rewarding!

It's also pretty amusing. Like I said, there simply aren't any backyard greenhouses around here. So mine gets lots of attention from the 'drug' copters'. They fly real low and circle several times.

Little do they know, my cattleya's are so spoiled they would never allow a non-orchid plant on the bench!

I can't wait til yours comes in and you actually get to lay eyes on it! I hope you'll continue to share your adventure with us! You have so many joys ahead of you!!!

[VickiC]

Hi Debs!
Well, my husband and I aren't speaking this morn., so I may have to get the handy/fix-it man to do all the work on my greenhouse when it arrives.....and me, of course. Just kidding.....he'll get over it. (Uh oh...I forgot...the "handy/fix-it man" is one of his buddies!)

All silliness aside, I'm glad you think my new greenhouse is a good size. After reading several posts here on OB about greenhouse sizes, I would have liked to have gotten one even larger, but I decided that it would be best if we could afford food in the future.
Seriously, I have read that a person never can get a hobby greenhouse too large, but this one is gonna have to work for me. I sure hope it will.

As far as I know, there's not another greenhouse anywhere around here to get ideas from, either.....so I'll be on my own, I'm afraid. I don't even have a good friend anywhere, as you do, that knows the first thing about greenhouses. Thank goodness for help from all of you on OB.....you have no idea how much I appreciate it!!

I'm understanding more and more that my orchids are really gonna have to get used to their new living environment, with my help, of course.....so, I'm gonna monitor them a whole lot and try my best to make changes to suit them. The problem is, I'm not sure I'm gonna know how to make the changes that might be best for them. I'll be moving them from my indoor orchid room (T5 lights in a room off of our garage)....so I know this is gonna be quite a change for sure.

I won't have running water out there now....just a garden hose. I'm using gallon containers of distilled water mixed with MSU fertilizer for pure water now, so I guess I'll have to change my watering system. ?? Got any ideas what would be best for me to do for the time being, as far as watering goes? Also, I only have two room humidifiers and two floor fans at this time, so I'm gonna have to figure out what to do about these things. The website that we ordered the greenhose from says a "thermostatically controlled ventilation system" is included. By the way, I know nothing about shadecloth.....is there an advantage to having it on the inside vs the outside...or better vice-versa? Thoughts? Sometime back, I had thought about a swamp cooler for my orchid room.....it was SO hot in there.....but I wasn't sure that was the route to go at the time, so I decided not to then. I'll keep that possibility open for "food for thought" when I get my gh, though.

Thank you very much for your thoughts, advice and comments! I'll certainly clue everyone in when I get it going good.....or maybe even before. Pics probably ??

Thanks again,
Vicki

Originally Posted by DebsC

Hi Again Vicki!
Oh that's a nice size greenhouse you're getting! As with many things in life, the bigger the better! I think the heat is better handled with a bigger GH.

As I said before, my husband built my GH and the bad (sad) thing is there is not another greenhouse within 50 miles of here. Nothing to go by. So, we really built the thing in the blind.

We do have high winds here. The winds from hurricane Ike blew the shingles right off our house roof and uprooted several old trees....but the greenhouse held tight!

I found that growing my collection of phals, paphs, phrags, oncidium and mostly cattleya in a greenhouse was totally different than where I had previously grown them, in my sunroom.

But with the help of my best friend in Texas, I figured out a lot of stuff. It's taken a few years to realize I couldn't really get by without running water, a 'real' humidifier ect.

Each year I add something else I thought I could do without. Adding it slowly, I don't feel so guilty.

Cooling it has been the hardest thing. I have shadecloth, exhaust fan on a thermostat, box fans sitting in the two windows and a Aquafog 400.

Last summer it got so hot my husband put a portable air conditioner in the window. I only had to run it two days, thank goodness! My friend says I need a swamp cooler. There's goes my budget!!!

Most days it gets plenty warm but not dangerous to the catts. The rest go outside on my orchid table for the summer.

This is my first greenhouse too and hopefully it will last and last. There's lots of trial and error down here! Hubby built a fogger system from pvc and ran it overhead. It worked great but the orchids got too wet no matter what kind of fogger nozzles I used.

Oh and just this weekend he went back in and braced all my benches and shelves. Said he didn't realize how many tons of weight they would have to hold!

The gh has a very high roof on it and I love the feeling it offers but I use inside shade cloth and so it gets covered up pretty quick in summer. In winter, the plastic covered frames go in to lower the ceiling and make it easier to heat.

You'll discover ways to help out on the ongoing costs! Once it's up and running, you'll never want to take it down.

To me a gh is a living thing, a labor of love. Each season my orchids look and grow a little better and it's so rewarding!

It's also pretty amusing. Like I said, there simply aren't any backyard greenhouses around here. So mine gets lots of attention from the 'drug' copters'. They fly real low and circle several times.

Little do they know, my cattleya's are so spoiled they would never allow a non-orchid plant on the bench!

I can't wait til yours comes in and you actually get to lay eyes on it! I hope you'll continue to share your adventure with us! You have so many joys ahead of you!!!

[DebsC]

OMG Vicki! I nearly fell in the floor laughing when I read your comment about you and hubby being at odds with each other!

The reason I found it so funny? DH and I are temporarily in the same shape! I can't remember exactly why, all I remember for positive is that I'm right!!

After elevendy hundred years of marriage you'd think we'd outgrow that sort of thing, wouldn't you? But just about the time I think I have him properly trained....he acts up!

Okay back to the gh. It's probably true that one is never big enough but I look at it like this, without room constraints my collection would probably just be helter-skelter. Since I can and do run out of room, narrowing my collection down to what I really like happens every spring and fall. I think this is a good thing!

This is one factor that helped me decide what I really want to grow. Classic cattleya is my main interest, although I do grow paphs, phrags and phals, too.

Your orchids will do just fine with the change! They'll love it! This is a learning experience for you and them and it's fun! You'll see!

You're wrong about not having a friend to help you!!! You have oodles of friends right here on OB. These people have helped me through everything from armadillo's digging under and in my gh to my hubby's hay field trying to take it over. You've got backup and support right here!

I've never used anything except water from the faucet for my orchids. I wish I had rain barrels and I do plan to incorporate them...when I get the money.

The only thing about using the water hose is the water is too cold in winter. So I have two black 55 gallon barrels in the back that I fill up with the hose and by the time I use the water the chlorine has dissipated and because the barrels are black and sit in the sw corner, the water has warmed up.

The water is pumped to a faucet by a small electric motor and I have a water hose hooked to the faucet. Walla! It really is a good system and I used it for three years with no running water in the gh. Once the water warms up, I use the regular water hose.

I made it a couple of years without the Aquafog. Arkansas is suppose to be hot and humid so I figured I'd be okay. From the time we built the greenhouse, the summers remained hot but dry!!! I wet the floors down, sprayed the walls but it was just too dry.

Flowers would only last a few days and I had to water a lot! Still, the leaves never plumped up right. But yours might be a whole nother story.

I think the thermostatically controlled ventilation means an exhaust fan turned on and off by a thermostat? I'm not at all sure about that, though.

I bought a couple of box fans at Wal*Mart to fit in the windows. Nothing special, but I have gone through a few of them.

The reason I decided on shade cloth for the inside is because I wanted to use that aluminet shade cloth. It's suppose to not only shade but reduce temperatures. I can't remember right off hand where I got it, but you can read about it here Shade Cloth from ShadeClothStore.com

Hubby made me some frames that slip into place and act like a ceiling. In winter, heavy plastic is stapled on these frames. In spring the plastic comes off and the aluminet is stapled on. I can do this without any help and that's a major advantage!

Oh and another thing I use alot is the cheapo therm/humidity gauges you can get at Wal*Mart. I have about four of them scattered around the shelves so I can keep an eye on things. They even have a hi/low reading so I know if it got too hot during the day if I'm away.

I also have a remote thermometer I also got at Wal*Mart for 10 bucks. The readout part sits on the table by my chair.

These little gadgets are so handy and save me many steps while giving me peace of mind.

Are ya havin fun yet?

[VickiC]

Hi Debs!
So, are you two still at odds with each other? We're civil around here cuz neither of us wants to give in.....lol.....that would be an admission of guilt. Can't have that! lol Maybe by "greenhouse arrival time" things will be back to normal. Oh, and "elevendy hundred years"?! Geez, I don't know if I could handle marriage THAT long. lol Well, I don't know about elevedey hundred, but I can say at almost 40, he's not trained yet, and I've tried hard.....very hard. Stubborn, don't you think!?! Guess I best give up now. Trying to train is wearing me down.

Ok, as you say "back to the gh". You made a good point about room constraints. I've not thought about it that way, but I see how easy it would be for things to become "helter skelter", as far as I'm concerned.

I'm guessing that I'll end up as you....with classic cattleya being my main interest, as well. I also want to be able to grow dens. In my orchid room, it didn't take long for me to realize that I couldn't supply the amount of fc that catts require. As I've mentioned in posts from awhile back, the heat from my T5s is the main drawback. As for dens, neither was I able to supply the amount of fc they require, either. Even if I could, I doubt that I would be able to keep them sitting under the lights since the plants are rather tall....I'm sure the the heat would burn them. It seems a little strange.....even though phals are relatively low light, I haven't had much luck growing them and I have more phals than any other orchid in my collection. With most of my phals, I end up with droopy leaves and bad roots no matter how hard I try not to. Then, on the other hand, I don't have any phals that I have bought from very reputable vendors, either.....mostly Lowes and Walmart. I only have one paph now because I didn't have luck with the 1st one I bought......so, go figure......I wonder why two of the "supposed to be" easiest orchids to grow are hard for me to grow. Maybe my growing conditions?? Hmmm.

You cracked me up talking about armidillos digging under and in your gh and also your husbands hay field trying to take it over. Not very funny to you, I know. The problem around here, as far as digging goes, is groundhogs. They dig huge holes.....under, around, up, etc. Then there are moles. Geez.

I really appreciate you telling me that I have lots of friends here on OB for backup and support. As I said, I will really need help bigtime.....and my thanks in advance to anyone who can advise me.

I have no idea what I'm gonna do about watering. I'm glad you mentioned the cold water coming from a water hose in winter.....that didn't cross my mind. I would love faucets, but right now all we are setup for is electricity. Your water setup sounds good. I'm glad it's working for you. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with a good plan, too, in the future.

Gosh, there are soooo many things I'll need to consider.....humidity, a watering system, fans, shade cloth.....and probably the biggest problem I will have....too much heat in the summer.

Thanks for the shadecloth link.....I'm sure that will be one of my 1st needs. The site sounds good, so when I get to the point of needing to buy some shading, I want to check it out more. Before you told me, I was wondering how you put shadecloth on the inside of your gh, but now I understand.

Anyway, I know I'll have tons of questions.....so I appreciate your help.....I'll certainly keep everything you said in mind when that time comes.

Oh, and to answer your question: "yes, I'm already having fun!"
Thanks again,
Vicki

Originally Posted by DebsC

OMG Vicki! I nearly fell in the floor laughing when I read your comment about you and hubby being at odds with each other!

The reason I found it so funny? DH and I are temporarily in the same shape! I can't remember exactly why, all I remember for positive is that I'm right!!

After elevendy hundred years of marriage you'd think we'd outgrow that sort of thing, wouldn't you? But just about the time I think I have him properly trained....he acts up!

Okay back to the gh. It's probably true that one is never big enough but I look at it like this, without room constraints my collection would probably just be helter-skelter. Since I can and do run out of room, narrowing my collection down to what I really like happens every spring and fall. I think this is a good thing!

This is one factor that helped me decide what I really want to grow. Classic cattleya is my main interest, although I do grow paphs, phrags and phals, too.

Your orchids will do just fine with the change! They'll love it! This is a learning experience for you and them and it's fun! You'll see!

You're wrong about not having a friend to help you!!! You have oodles of friends right here on OB. These people have helped me through everything from armadillo's digging under and in my gh to my hubby's hay field trying to take it over. You've got backup and support right here!

I've never used anything except water from the faucet for my orchids. I wish I had rain barrels and I do plan to incorporate them...when I get the money.

The only thing about using the water hose is the water is too cold in winter. So I have two black 55 gallon barrels in the back that I fill up with the hose and by the time I use the water the chlorine has dissipated and because the barrels are black and sit in the sw corner, the water has warmed up.

The water is pumped to a faucet by a small electric motor and I have a water hose hooked to the faucet. Walla! It really is a good system and I used it for three years with no running water in the gh. Once the water warms up, I use the regular water hose.

I made it a couple of years without the Aquafog. Arkansas is suppose to be hot and humid so I figured I'd be okay. From the time we built the greenhouse, the summers remained hot but dry!!! I wet the floors down, sprayed the walls but it was just too dry.

Flowers would only last a few days and I had to water a lot! Still, the leaves never plumped up right. But yours might be a whole nother story.

I think the thermostatically controlled ventilation means an exhaust fan turned on and off by a thermostat? I'm not at all sure about that, though.

I bought a couple of box fans at Wal*Mart to fit in the windows. Nothing special, but I have gone through a few of them.

The reason I decided on shade cloth for the inside is because I wanted to use that aluminet shade cloth. It's suppose to not only shade but reduce temperatures. I can't remember right off hand where I got it, but you can read about it here Shade Cloth from ShadeClothStore.com

Hubby made me some frames that slip into place and act like a ceiling. In winter, heavy plastic is stapled on these frames. In spring the plastic comes off and the aluminet is stapled on. I can do this without any help and that's a major advantage!

Oh and another thing I use alot is the cheapo therm/humidity gauges you can get at Wal*Mart. I have about four of them scattered around the shelves so I can keep an eye on things. They even have a hi/low reading so I know if it got too hot during the day if I'm away.

I also have a remote thermometer I also got at Wal*Mart for 10 bucks. The readout part sits on the table by my chair.

These little gadgets are so handy and save me many steps while giving me peace of mind.

Are ya havin fun yet?

[DebsC]

The temperature is still a little cool around here and for the same reason as at your house, the REAL guilty person won't fess up. Shame on him!

You know, I grow a few dends but not many. I have one huge old girl that's outgrown a 12 inch pot and is about 3 feet tall. It blooms almost constantly.

But it takes up a huge amount of room in the greenhouse. It's so root bound I feel sorry for it. But what a job to repot!! I've put it off for several years.

I bet you'll find you won't have any trouble growing whatever you choose to grow in the greenhouse! My phals sit on a table in the middle of the gh and probably get more light than the like this time a year. There's four rows of catts hanging above them to help provide shade.

We also have groundhogs. We have a female that has her babies under our barn every year. I know some people would kill her but she's pretty old and just the cutest creature! I'm a real softie when it comes to animals. I love them all.

Afraid we've got moles, too. Can't hardly walk in the back yard. I guess I'll put out some grub killer so they'll move on.

You don't have to have running water in your greenhouse for the barrel setup. Just use a regular small water pump and hook a foot valve to it like you would for a well.

The pump has a place to affix a faucet. You just hook your hose to the faucet and the pump does the rest. I'll get some pictures of it.

It's really not complicated at all. You better butter hubby up just in case you decide you need him to do this for you!

I have two barrels but one would suffice. The black color of them draws heat during the day and supposedly releases it at night to help heat the gh in winter. I keep them empty in the summer.

Yep, you have lots of things to study. But the end result is lots of healthy plants and beautiful flowers. Makes it all worth it!