Author Topic: Greenhouse in the winter (Read 5115 times)

matherfish · « **on:** December 01, 2010, 04:17:01 PM »

Almost everything has been moved inside, both tropical land plants and tropical lilies. Some of the corms from the tropical lilies have been collected for storage, but many others have been brought inside to be worked on later. Land plants have to be watered occasionally. Also it is a good time to weed and repot them. The lotuses can be divided in February as they are stored inside as well.

tranquility · « **Reply #1 on:** December 01, 2010, 05:05:40 PM »

how big is your gh? it looks huge...
Lawanna

Kittyzee · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2010, 05:12:46 PM »

Whoa...that's one big greenhouse...like Lawana said! I thought I was looking at a Lowe's!!

matherfish · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2010, 08:22:43 PM »

The greenhouse is 60 feet wide and 50 feet deep. You see one section or a third in the picture, plus part of the middle section in the background of the picture. Here are pics of the middle and third sections. The middle section really only shows part of what is in that section. Really none of the pictures show everything.

matherfish · « **Reply #4 on:** December 01, 2010, 08:36:07 PM »

Next to the tables in the middle section are banana trees and brugs. Here are pics of them.

purplepshn2004 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 01, 2010, 10:05:25 PM »

Nice! You must have one acking back and a heck of a utility/water bill!

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 02, 2010, 10:47:55 AM »

Wow, My entire lot including my house is just a bit bigger than that. I think it is 90' x 70'!

matherfish · « **Reply #7 on:** December 03, 2010, 10:26:28 PM »

Here are pics taken this week of the inside of the greenhouse so you can see how full it is when things have been brought in for the winter. I am standing on the end of the sections to take the pictures. Here is the first section. It is a little fuller than the previous pic posted of this side. The second pic shows the wood sided liner ponds a little better. There are 4 of the shallow ones about a foot deep, and 2 deeper ones that are 18 inches deep.

matherfish · « **Reply #8 on:** December 03, 2010, 10:29:01 PM »

Here is the middle section. It has the tables in the middle of it that smaller plants are put on, and on one side are the brugs and bananas and on the other side are tubs with lilies.

matherfish · « **Reply #9 on:** December 03, 2010, 10:31:52 PM »

The third section has the ferns and the lotus tubs, a few hyacinth tubs, and as a couple of lily storage ponds (kiddie pools are used for this).

perplexed ponder · « **Reply #10 on:** December 04, 2010, 01:30:55 PM »

Are these all plants you use in your landscape that you move in for winter and back out in spring?!

matherfish · « **Reply #11 on:** December 04, 2010, 02:12:59 PM »

The ferns are placed around a large maple tree in the front yard, the bananas have been used to be a background for the pond, but I am going to plant the hardy ones when the new pond is finished, and the brugs were used to landscape a fence area. They were used in pots however, and so did not get planted and need to be dug up each fall and spring. We also use the ferns alot to be loaned to people for wedding decor.

water_sprite · « **Reply #12 on:** December 04, 2010, 06:04:40 PM »

Wow! That's impressive! Do you have time for anything else????

bunny56lbc · « **Reply #13 on:** December 04, 2010, 08:18:21 PM »

Nice set up Frank ! Nice & clean .

bonnie

matherfish · « **Reply #14 on:** December 06, 2010, 08:04:32 PM »

Bonnie, you should see it sometimes when I am in there working, dividing lotuses, pulling alage or weeds, or repotting plants. It can get pretty messy. I try to clean it up a little for pics, but not much as you can see.

matherfish · « **Reply #15 on:** December 10, 2010, 04:33:49 PM »

Here are some pics from a couple of blooms today.

matherfish · « **Reply #16 on:** December 13, 2010, 09:11:52 AM »

The last 10 days have been brutally cold, and fires are needed almost around the clock in the greenhouse wood stoves. It is amazing how fast you burn up wood. I am having to reload the stoves every 3 hours after sundown, and I do that up until midnight. I have the propane heater that will come on when the temp gets down too low to keep the greenhouse from getting too cold, so it will come on when the fires go out.

Michiponder · « **Reply #17 on:** December 13, 2010, 03:54:53 PM »

Very interesting! How low are your water and air temps at thier coldest? Have thought about trying some tropical lilies indoors. Right now the water in the indoor pond is running in the high 50'sF and I keep the air temp no lower than 45F. I know that with the months of cloudy crappy wheather here in MI I would probably have to supply supplemantal liight. Many terrestrail plants in there I have to water sparingly so they do not grow too much and get gangly or rot. Especially from early December to the middle of February.

Mikey · « **Reply #18 on:** December 13, 2010, 04:17:49 PM »

That's quite an operation you have going there Frank. Very impressive.

matherfish · « **Reply #19 on:** December 13, 2010, 04:20:59 PM »

I try to keep the temp at around 45*, but it is not possible to keep the whole gh at that temp. The thermostat is about 8 feet from the propane heater, but it still is warmer there that the 60 or so feet to the furtherest corner. The wood stoves are hopefully the primary heat source, but their heat only reaches out so far from the stoves. I try to keep all of the plants warm enough to survive the winter, and hopefully they will all be at least warm enough to do so.
here are some pics from today of two of the lotus tubes. Seems some of the tubs won't stop sending up pads.

Julles · « **Reply #20 on:** December 13, 2010, 07:41:51 PM »

Loved seeing and reading this!

matherfish · « **Reply #21 on:** December 13, 2010, 09:07:42 PM »

Just got back inside from feeding wood into the gh stoves. It is 6* outside, but 50* in the greenhouse. The propane heater is kicking on some to help the wood stoves out.

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #22 on:** December 14, 2010, 09:44:39 AM »

That's not just a greenhouse, Frank! You've got so many plants packed into that "greenhouse" it must be a full time job. Is this what happens to a hobby gone wild!?! Very impressive operation for sure.

matherfish · « **Reply #23 on:** December 15, 2010, 11:51:43 AM »

The temp in the greenhouse is 50* even though it is only 32* outside. Tropicals do not look as good as they do in the summer, but they are surviving the harsh cold outside by being inside.

matherfish · « **Reply #24 on:** December 21, 2010, 01:47:13 PM »

Yesterday was a good one in the greenhouse, as I had a chance to do some work there. I was able to inventory the corms that I had gathered last month, as well as start re-bagging some corms that were left from last year that seem to still be good, although they did not sprout earlier. I also had some bags of corms that had sprouted that I never had time to pot up and had just left in the pond that I started bagging up the corms and planting some of the bigger sprouts. It was 40* outside, but it was 70* inside, so it was quite a nice day!

matherfish · « **Reply #25 on:** December 31, 2010, 02:04:36 PM »

The many lotus tubs are ready to be divided and the tubers will be sold in March. With all of the varieties to chose from, the decision as to which ones to get is not easy, but what a delightful problem to have. Fat, firm, healthy tubers will be ready to start growing as soon as the warm weather gets here.

matherfish · « **Reply #26 on:** January 09, 2011, 11:03:43 PM »

The cold weather has meant that the temps in the greenhouse have stayed around 45* most of the time, slowing things a little more than normal. Here are some plants trying to bloom but I am not sure the little buds will be warm enough to open. It is nice to see them trying, however.

HOWELL · « **Reply #27 on:** January 13, 2011, 10:43:25 PM »

Can I live in your GH???? hahaa...tha is just so much life.

matherfish · « **Reply #28 on:** January 14, 2011, 12:41:08 PM »

Howell! With all of the bad weather we have had, someone was talking about the fear of the electric going out. I have gas heat, but need the electric for the fans to work, so if the electric goes out I have no heat. I told the person that if the electric goes out I would move to the gh. the wood stoves would keep us warm, and can be used to cook on also.

I usually start building the fires at 4 before the sun goes down, and reload about every two hours, so usually my last time to load is around midnight. Last night at midnight the temperature on my thermometer outside read 4*, but inside the gh was 45*. Not too bad. I used to get up at 3 and add to the fire but I decided that after midnight I didn't want to get up from bed and put wood on the fire, so I let the gas heater take over entirely after midnight when the temp gets too low. I need my sleep!

HOWELL · « **Reply #29 on:** January 14, 2011, 01:26:17 PM »

Sounds like a lot of work..but I am pretty sure it is worth it.
Wish I could go up there and help...I love working outdoors.