Lath House (It Rhymes with Math Mouse)
 

I have been wanting to expand my growing area for a long while but i keep out-thinking myself and just letting perfect be the enemy of good.

My considerations were as follows:
-my primary goal is to have a "high light" area to grow Catts. and other orchids that are "in the dark" in my heavily screened patio.
-even though i want more light, the south Florida sun is a scorcher and it gets REALLY hot here so open and airy were a must.
-budget: i try to use old and found stuff for almost any project BUT when i am building outside here it has to be strong (HURRICANES) and able to resist the abundant rain so i wanted PT wood or metal.

I decided on a lath house on the north side of my house partially tucked under the eave of the house. I went with lath because it is cheap more attractive than a metal frame with corrugated poly carbonate and it will allow a LOT more air movement which is key.

I have thus far only cleared the space
sunk my four corner posts (the two against the house are 4'deep and filled back with gravel and sand, no concrete) and the front two are 5' deep and filled with 150lbs of concrete
i added the rear top frame and the sides and front as well as the bulk of the side lath.

I still need to figure out exactly how i want the roof and if i want vertical lath on the front ( easier given the construction and matches the direction of the roof???) and how to best secure the roof without losing interior space.

Is is 8 feet deep and 10 feet wide with the eave sticking out 3.5 feet.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a1cd2bd_4k.jpgLath house by J Solo, on Flickr

i am going to hang some wooden lattice in the back wall and use that as hanging space

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b0d4d33_4k.jpgLath house by J Solo, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...878ee00_4k.jpgLath house by J Solo, on Flickr


the bottom will be gravel and i will have a bench inside as well.....I'd love and comments, feedback or experience you may have to help me avoid mistakes.




Oh, I also sunk 3 4x6's to make a little pullup and boxing gym.....balance the body and the mind with the plants :)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d8c2b01_4k.jpgLath house by J Solo, on Flickr

Good luck with your project!

Looks good.

And "lath" does rhyme with "math".

How are you saying "math", Ray ????LOL



some progress pics

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...46b80fe_4k.jpgHoooooous by J Solo, on Flickr

i just included that one /\ just because i know it grey in a lot of people's neighborhoods and thought a nice sky would be a welcome sight


the view from the front

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...96f4279_4k.jpgMore haauuuus by J Solo, on Flickr


this is the prototype for the shelf..thanks for the tips guys

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...261fd65_4k.jpgSome green stuff by J Solo, on Flickr


and here it is sort of in place to get a sense of how it looks

it will be about mid way up the wall, so above the rack on the left and with a smaller shelf underneath

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9cf28de_4k.jpgSome green stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

Allllllllmooooost done

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a784fb_4k.jpgSome green stuff by J Solo, on Flickr


just need to source and add the floor covering ( white pea gravel) add the lath in the top of the sides and then build out the shelves and bench:)

getting started in the set up-- still not finished with the inside and i am going to add a shelf below these hanging guys but i am starting to move in


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...12e17a9_4k.jpgSome stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

I say it /maTH/, as in "mathematics", which does rhyme with "lath" and the first syllable of "catholic". It makes me wonder how you're pronouncing "lath"??? If you're making it a long a, then you're thinking of "lathe" (rhymes with "bathe"), and that's something totally different.

the stuff that people used to use to adhere plaster to walls. I thought it was said like bathe....with a hard A

HA jokes on me

excellent knowledge there, Paul, thank you for passing that along.




a few more updates:

gravel is half in....i did a calculation for the amount i would need ( 22 bags) that seemed like an impossibly high amount so i ingored my math and bought 10 bags ( i also wanted to save my back)



I was wrong and should have listened to science (D'oh!)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8deeee9_4k.jpgFunnels by J Solo, on Flickr

I am sort of doing the set up by "feel" but i would love anyone's insight..

i have the catts on the back shelf since that will be the brightest, then Oncy/Zygos and then Den types....does this seem proper given the general light needs of those groups?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...467c812_4k.jpgFunnels by J Solo, on Flickr

that Arachnid on the left is no longer there, she was just there at the time as i was shifting a lot of plants and repotting

Id really appreciate any advice from you greenhouse growers (or anyone with thoughts) about how you arrange the plants

Thanks

Plant arrangement for greenhouse growing and lath house growing are not the same.

In a greenhouse, the glazing is the source of the light hitting the plants, so the inverse-square rule means there’s a significant difference in light levels between upper and lower shelves.

In your lath house, you have blocked some of the rays to lower the overall intensity, but the sun is still the source, so a few feet of difference from 93-million miles is insignificant. If you are looking for light intensity variation, you need to provide areas of different slat density.

Arrange the plants so they are convenient and pleasing to you.

Boom, knowledge. Thanks, sir!

That is all the info I needed

still playing around with the new space and not trying to rush...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...83f3ac7_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

trying some stanhopea mounts

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...03b85be_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

this area is being played with for the more tall and vertically oriented plants.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c40e922_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

the hanging Bulbo garden

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3d8ec5e_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

this is going to get some Phals and the more 'don't water from above' species ...this area is in progress lol
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c0da0df_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

and some currently blooming flowers to brighten the day
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d4c1dd3_4k.jpgParsley has flowers? by J Solo, on Flickr

OrchidBro...yes to licorice
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f322a24_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c01d677_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...c3492a1_4k.jpgBuds n stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

Looks good! I saw the comment to yes to the licorice, nice! Your den. nobile bloomed rather early compared to mine. My buds are just starting to take shape and guessing they will open in mid February which is pretty consistent for mine.

Suggestion: You should put a copper strip around each of the posts, to prevent slugs from crawling up into the plants.

You might need to shorten the slats a little, to avoid the slugs coming up that way.

Thanks Kim.

I am not really aware about slugs. How can I tell if they are there

DC, how could they NOT be there? You have snakes, iguanas, palmetto bugs (shudder) and probably a host of things to keep me up at night! I'm certain you'll have slugs eventually. They leave slimy trails and devour your plants in an evening. Listen to Kim and save yourself the heartache of waking up to the mayhem.

Just for the record, I am convinced that slugs fly. I have found them in hanging plants that were not even near anything else. (I suspect either they laborously climb to hangers, or get dropped there as eggs from pooping birds) Along with eaten leaves, another indication is a bare spike that used to have buds yesterday.:(:((

TY, Roberta. I used to buy nursery stock from a grower in PA.
Great guy, nice product. One day I opened a box and saw the biggest slug I had ever seen! When I called him to joke about it, he said something like " over here we eat 'em for meat." I'll never forget my reaction...

yeesh i hate these guys already lol

I ordered some copper tape but i wonder if they are just going for my easier to eat plants or if the wolf snails are just feasting on them??

Hey, just escargot without the shell. Cooked with enough garlic and butter, probably just fine :biggrin:

i feel that a turd, with enough garlic and butter, would be palatable

🤯🤐😱

:scratchhead:Lath House (it does not rhyme with Math)

No, it doesn't add up, either...:biggrin:

Cheers, Bobj.

It’s been established that I was incorrect and cannot edit a thread title lol!!

Ye have to be a super moderator to be able to do that! :superwoman

I can change it for you, let me know what you want.

amazing! please change to
(Apparently, it DOES rhyme with Math)

Too Late!! SuperModerator hijack! :superwoman:

:rofl::biggrin::dance13:

Math Mouse??!? :rofl:

I'm the spelling, punctuation, grammar police. He lost the ability to choose upon engaging in poor pronunciation. :biggrin:

For the record....this is NOT what I asked for

:rofl:

For the record, out of order and Motion Denied. :superwoman:

:rofl:

Sad face

I hear that too much as is :biggrin:

I'm sure you do. But it never hurts to try. ;)

You miss all the shots you don’t take!!




Let’s take it back to orchids

Here are terrible shots and I will replace them with better pics

Very nice.

Miltonidium... super fun, and never heard of one. And nice Zygo.... how are the leaves? Do they give you trouble?

a few new additions from webstaurant.com

these are coated SS "wet" environment shelves, pretty cheap and unlimitedly configurable.

i figure i will end up moving the oncs to the one on the left and the one on the right will be for phals and shorter plants with supplies on the bottom with more room to add plants LOL

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d710319_4k.jpgGardena and friends by J Solo, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2cf3c3c_4k.jpgGardena and friends by J Solo, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...79dd249_4k.jpgGardena and friends by J Solo, on Flickr


here is the shelf i arranged- i got the 30"x48" shelves and the 34" rods. bottom shelf is 6" off the ground, top is 34"


i jumped up onto the shelf and the feet stuck into the dirt but the top did not flex...215 pounds jumping is probably close to 800-900pounds of impact so that's a plus
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...65de595_4k.jpgGardena and friends by J Solo, on Flickr

Those look like my racks, except wheels on bottom. And just stainless steel. Rated at something like 250# per shelf. I love em. I need to check that site and see if they have parts. I want about eight more poles and a few of the plastic thingys.

---------- Post added at 01:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:52 PM ----------

BTW... what’s a Math Mouse? :rofl::rofl:

i will stab you with a math mouse.....:rofl: :bowing


Wire Shelves - WebstaurantStore

they sell them primarily in pieces so you can get whatever you want. they have the stuff uncoated as well, it was only a tiny bit more expensive and i figured for full on outdoor use i should give it the best chance