A glimpse of my greenhouse

[sweaver24]

What a great set-up you have. That wall of paphiopedilums (in the photograph with the three Maudiaes in the foreground) is impressive (and a little intimidating). I really like the mystacidium. You're lucky to live in an area where the angraecoids grow naturally. The bird is also great.

Steve

 

[Trithor]

I have been very busy repotting all my plants. I only realise how many there are when I have to handle each one. Even the potting mix is a mission to mix up. Up till now I have used 4 bales of Sphag, 2m3 fine bark nuggets, 1m3 of coarse perlite and half a m3 of 12mm hardwood charcoal chips. I hired a small electric concrete mixer from a local equipment hire company after I got tired of mixing the potting mix. Much easier to fill the drum with a m3 of mix, bit of water, turn on, .... and go inside for a glass of wine. I have about 500 plants to go, so almost there. My wife just shakes her head and repeats the same old thing, .... It has got too big to be much fun as a hobby. Problem is, it is too small to be a commercial venture.

Angela, I made the doors in my workshop (one of the items we make quite a bit of are special hardwood doors). These are made from Merbau, a Asian hardwood which is reasonably resistant to water. The idea to extend the greenhouse is on hold at the moment (need to buy food for Christmas dinner). I am not too sure how to go about it, the roof span will be 25m. This hobby is getting very badly out of control!

There are now 14 Gouldians resident in the greenhouse (of which 6 are new babies). The Quacker parrots are too noisy and have to go! I have sold all my tarantulas to a local collector. He has spent a few days catching them and clearing them away. Some of them became too territorial and aggressive. The only ones to catch (as far as we can figure) are the pair of Cobalt Blues. They are fast like lightning and very aggressive! I am amazed how high and far they can jump, and am afraid that they might start targeting my finches soon. I no longer see any crickets, snails, slugs or other creepys. (despite the reduction in insects, I cannot claim the tarantula experiment to be a success and will be glad when they are all gone!)

 

[Justin]

I do love tarantulas. Cobalt Blues are beautiful but not sure i would keep one!

i was wondering if they might go after the birds!

 

[abax]

Your whole set up is beautiful, but I particularly love that wood. Every single door is perfect even if you can't open them. I can get the Scot engineer who lives here to work out the specifics of construction if I have
measurements. He loves such things. Of course, food first!

 

[SlipperFan]

...(despite the reduction in insects, I cannot claim the tarantula experiment to be a success and will be glad when they are all gone!)

So what will you try next?

 

[annab]

Gary you have built your heaven,it's beautiful, you can enter and exit from it, now for you and for us the watchword is to resist. the plants have need of us ,and we have need of them. God give to Gary and us the eternity or a long life.
bye and congrats,Anna

 

[Trithor]

Gary you have built your heaven,it's beautiful, you can enter and exit from it, now for you and for us the watchword is to resist. the plants have need of us ,and we have need of them. God give to Gary and us the eternity or a long life.
bye and congrats,Anna

Thankyou Anna

 

[Trithor]

I thought I would post an update of my greenhouse. Most of the plants have been repotted. Things are starting to look a lot neater. 99% of the plants under the benches are mottle leaf paphs (max shade and highest humidity) The benches are a bit of a mix of complex, novelties, multies and plain leaf with the occasional mottle.
Dot, I don't know what my next experiment in pest control will be. Perhaps I will try a method similar to RickH (gnomes with an African spin)?

 

[orchid527]

Trithor


Thanks for the additional photos. I always enjoy seeing someone's growing area. I noticed that you have a lot of young plants in various stages of development. I think watching these seedlings bloom for the first time is one of the best parts of growing orchids.

Mike

 

[Ruth]

So Nice!!!!!!:clap:
I notice that you use small flower pots to hold up the shelves next to the floor.
It gives me ideas. Are they plastic or clay?

 

[Trithor]

Ruth, the pots are plastic.
I cut some sheets of polystyrene and drilled holes in them to hold my small plant pots. I got tired of pots falling over all the time. Now that they fit snugly into the polystyrene tray I no longer have that problem, but the problem was that the pots did not drain properly if the tray is placed flat on the floor, hence raising them on the pots. (The trays are universal and also fit on my heated bench for raising seedlings. The polystyrene cuts down on the cost of heating by insulating between the pots and ensuring that the heat is directed up through the pot and the root zone, without too much loss)

 

[Carkin]

Outstanding! :clap: I am enjoying the glimpses into your greenhouse immensely!!!

 

[SlipperFan]

I love the hanging moss. But how do you keep your floor so neat and clean?

 

[Rick]

That's a ton of orchids:drool:

Where do you find the time to keep up with this collection??

 

[abax]

Yep, when all those babies get a bit older, you're gonna have to expand
your growing area. What fun! Everything looks so neat and clean...how
on earth do you keep algae off the floor???!!! Even the grout looks clean!

 

[paphioboy]

Very nice update! Love to have your growing area.. What is the multifloral paph blooming from what appears to be mottled leaves in the 3rd pic?

 

[Trithor]

how do you keep your floor so neat and clean?

Everything looks so neat and clean...how
on earth do you keep algae off the floor???!!! Even the grout looks clean!

I give the floor a quick scrub once a week with a 'car brush' It has a hose attachment and a long handle so I can use it upright and not crawl around. I find if I scrub it lightly once a week the algae does not get a chance and it is easy to keep clean. I also let the floor dry out for a few hours each day. I find that the dry cycle prevents the algae from getting started.

Where do you find the time to keep up with this collection??

As the collection grows I find it more and more difficult. I spend about an hour every weekday morning before I go to work, and a couple of hours each evening. Then I spend a full day every second weekend (when I am not up at the farm) But yes, I am starting to run out of hours in the day.

Very nice update! Love to have your growing area.. What is the multifloral paph blooming from what appears to be mottled leaves in the 3rd pic?

Paph Ultor, my all time favourite! It is not a show winner or something that other growers like, but it has fantastic red colour on an exotic bloom. As I ran out of space and had not only filled the under bench space, I started hanging plants off the benches and on a trellis which I made for the purpose on the back wall. This vacation I will make a trellis for the two side walls which should give me space for a few hundred more plants

 

[JeanLux]

....
I cut some sheets of polystyrene and drilled holes in them to hold my small plant pots. I got tired of pots falling over all the time. Now that they fit snugly into the polystyrene tray I no longer have that problem, but the problem was that the pots did not drain properly if the tray is placed flat on the floor, hence raising them on the pots. (The trays are universal and also fit on my heated bench for raising seedlings. The polystyrene cuts down on the cost of heating by insulating between the pots and ensuring that the heat is directed up through the pot and the root zone, without too much loss)

very nice, but lot of work cutting these holes, or did you had a great trick ? Jean

 

[Trithor]

Jean, I used a hole saw slightly smaller than the pot size to pre-drill the holes, then I used a pot which I had cast a steel shaft with fibreglass resin into the pot. I epoxied silica sand to the outside of the pot. this contraption grinds the hole to the exact shape of the pot so that the fit is very snug. The whole process does make it look as if it has been snowing even though it is mid 30 C.

 

[Trithor]

Paphioboy, here is a slightly better view of Ultor



and while watering this morning I was surprised to find a flock of prehistoric predatory birds peering at me from a basket in the back corner of the greenhouse