Help me with my Low budget Makeshift Greenhouse thingy

[caregiverken]

I gotta Grow! But I don't have alotta dough. :sad0047:

So today I wraped 6 mil plastic around and old Gazibo

Gonna try to grow in there.
Maybe have a few CFLs in there to veg a bit.
and cover a few to make em flower

The high temp out side was 63 so far (feels like its cooling now I think)

The temp in the thing I call a greenhouse is 90 right now
It's working :)

Gets down to upper 30's some nites..most are lower 40's
But I know it could freeze any day. So I will keep stuff in pots Just in case I need to move them inside

I don't want to vent all that warm air out.
But I know i need fresh air in there.:sad0047:

Maybe I could ventilate early in the day and stop to let it warm up before dark?

Gonna check the temp tonite and 1st thing in the morn.

 

[kolah]

Plastic is a poor insulator. IMO even if you let it heat up to high temps in the day you will lose that heat very quickly as the outside temps drop. IMO it's best to keep things ventilated or you're asking for problems.

A thermometer and a RH are a must. (keep it at plant level)

Being in Cali you could benefit from storing up some thermal mass by putting large rocks inside, or by putting black water-filled buckets in there.

You can drape plastic (or a light blanket) over the plants at night.

It is a must to keep the soil warm and their roots, moreso than the external plant parts. If the plants are in buckets give the buckets some good insulation (pack the sides with dirt or wrap them in blankets. Make sure to remove them in the morning otherwise your water run-off will collect in the materials (hay, blankets, etc) and create mold. I used horse manure which breaks down and releases heat in the process.

My belief is that under 35 degrees is putting your plants at risk. Others say MJ is very hardy and will survive below freezing temps. IMO temps under 50 slow down the plants metabolism which can make plants shocky and stressed. The further the temps go down the more riskier it becomes. Yes, they might "survive" but possibly never reach their full potential. As the plant gets more and more stressed it is also more prone to diseases, bugs, etc. Another consideration is the strain of MJ as some tolerate temps better than others.

Really watch your RH levels, though. ( ^RH=molds, mildew, etc) "been there, done that."

A fan or two will help not only to circulate the air but to limit frost and freeze issues.

It must be nice to grow outdoors all year long. :)

 

[caregiverken]

Thank you Kolah. All sounds like excellent advice.
You were right on about the plastic not holding in heat.
I just got home (12;30am) and checked the temp. It is the same as outside.(41* right now)
I had heard of the water barrels, Not the rocks. makes sense.
But I don't really wanna carry rocks.
I just happen to have a horse and a goat. So tomorrow I will be seeing how much manure I can gather and see what that does for the temps.

Gonna have to see if i can find some cheap Black Barrels

So, If I can keep the temps above 40 in there at nite.....The plants would do better in the soil than the would in pots?( i have a raised bed in the "greenhouse")
Or I could do like you said and bury the pots in manure and hope it don't get to hot for em.

need to know
Does store bought manure get pretty warm too? Could I leave the manure in the bags, and still get heat?


BTW I have plants in this Greenhouse already but they are plants that I really couldn't care less about.(old abused mothers and a big tree that still has left over buds on it..lol))
And if I can make this greenhouse thing work. I will probaly have to killem to make room for good fresh blood.

Anyway those plants are hanging in there.not really growing and probably stressed like you said. No mold yet though.(that i know of) and the humidity has been pretty high. Just sayin


Thanks again Kolah..Great info and things to think about.


:passingjoint:

 

[kolah]

To use animal manure for fertilizer "they" say to wait at least 3-4 months before mixing it into soil. IMO, "fresh" manure is too hot for plants and even older manure will most likely give out too much Nitrogen. I used fresh manure just around the pots (for insulation and heat release) and not directly put into the soil. Since the manure won't be in contact with your potted plants you can use fresh manure that is still decomposing and releasing heat. I have no idea about store bought manure but would avoid it. IMO, there could be a whole bunch of pests and creepy things in commercial manure.

If ya can't find black barrells just paint them black or wrap them in black cloth, plastic etc. Black plastic on the ground is a good idea too.

Rocks don't have to be that big. Wheelbarrows make it easier. But if you have a young helper, put them to work.

Yes, I think the plants would do best in the soil and out of the buckets (for better warmth and moreso for root expansion). But you could just bury the buckets right the ground. Or even cut off the bottom of the bucket and then bury it while shes still in the pot. In my GH I grew plants in 5 gallon pails with very nice yields but the ones I put directly in the ground yeilded twice as much.

Any old plant material (stems, stalk etc) I use as compost and just bury it right back into the ground. Never bury infested stuff in the GH.

Ventilation/fans should be yout top priority. I can't stress that enough. You do not want to make your GH wide open to Poldery Mildew and other evil forces of Nature. It can happen overnight.

For emergency you could buy a cheap little propane heater. A single Coleman burner would tide you over. (theres a pictire of it here in my GH grow diary) You may want to monitor your soil temps too. Just stick the bulb in the dirt a bit.

 

[Chronic Monster]

hey there, Hoping u can get that structure rocking :-) . no good advice.from me. just.good.vibes

 

[caregiverken]

Thanks again Kolah !

Thanks Chronic!

I will make this work some how.
I will heat this sucker with propane or wood if I have to.

But gonna start with water barrels and manure.


I just read this and thought it made sense...probably not cheap though..

If you would like to boost insulation in your greenhouse so that your heating will be more effective, you can line the walls of your greenhouse with bubble wrap.

hmmmmm:dull

wonder if they make 4ft wide bubble wrap...lol

 

[caregiverken]

It only got down to 40 last nite and it's sunny today so it should warm up nicely in there today :sun

 

[caregiverken]

found this online

this stuff looks pretty good.

4mm Twin-Wall Corrugated Plastic 8' Wide

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_greenhouses_accessories-ft1_greenhouse_covering_2-ft1_greenhouse_polycarbs_2;pg102948.html

Twin-Wall Corrugated Plastic has a multitude of applications, Greenhouse sides, ends and covers, Sidewalls of livestock and poultry buildings, Migration fence for poultry, Brooder rings in turkey and poultry buildings, Tree guards, and Grow tubes.

• Fewer seams and joints.
• Follows the contour of most roof structures.
• Manufactured from double-walled, high-density polyethylene with UV additives for long life and durability.
• Translucent corrugated plastic transmits about 72% of the available light and has an R-value of approximately 2.
• 4mm (0.1574") thickness.

They have Other cool stuff too.

10mm Twin-Wall Polycarbonate 4' x 8' sheet

 

[hiboy]

Dont let that damn goat by dem plants,, they love cannabis
h

 

[crom]

Check this out ken..

Click me
Click me

 

[fishwhistle]

check out the website biodomerevolution.com for a couple good ideas about retaining heat in your greenhouse basically using water and a horse trough you can absorb the days heat and then it gives that heat back off when it cools down at night.

 

[cannabeans]

wood heat vs propane

wood heat would remove excess humidity. propane heater would add humidity

 

[Dye]

It can be done but it is hard outside with changing temps with plastic.
I use to live next store to a grower. All plastic greenhouses all roll ups for air in summer.
He had fires(winter) going in homemade wood stoves and shit was funny.
It was a real spit and duck tape scene, my style.Had it piped with round duct work.

Had 50 gallon drums and old oil tanks with the tops cut off.
He grew veggs and huge Korean pears real good.Gave me a case every winter.For all the smoke what a deal.

He would burn everything and anything only problem. He would burn onion
boxes wow what a stink, I was growing weed in my greenhouse so I
did not want to start too much shit.But I talked to him and he stopped.

I used commercial heating mats to get by in my winter outdoor grow times.(past)

Bottom line you survive a cold grow, get what you can then move on.
Ran xmas ornaments close by nobody thought twice about electric cords.

Now I am happily divorced my plants are inside my house now.
Safest place on earth. Yes there is a cost for freedom.

 

[caregiverken]

Thanks again for your help everyone!
Im out of Kamra today..I will pass out more when I can :)

What about a Smudge pot for heat?
Would have to vent it out somehow of course

 

[crom]

Get some ducting elbows, what are the smudge pot exhaust diameter? 8" at most? Get some ducting at the Dpot and pipe it out the top. Get a bracket while your there to hold the exhaust port in place. Should help your cause if you have smudge pots on hand.

 

[Purple Grapes]

Heating is a must Ken. I put a couple plants out into my greenhouse to see if they will grow, but they died because of one freezing night.


I thought about adding heating, but I wonder if its really worth it to pay for the heating....


Come the end of February though, I'll put out plants I have vegging indoors now and let them flower.

Good luck

 

[kolah]

I am going to experiment next year with a small woodstove in my GH instead of my propane heater. One, wood on my land is free and two (as Cannabeans mentioned) burning wood lowers humidty where my propane heater raised the RH terribly high.

Fans and ventilation 24/7 are a must.

 

[caregiverken]

im trying to wing it

Thanks again everyone
Crom; Those solar fans are awesome and that is the way I will probaly go.
when I can aford it.
I am not working right now and don't know when I will work again (carpenter).
So, I can't spend any money on this right now.:sad0047:


A wood stove would be great
I have wood too. (5acres of oak) but no wood stove to put out there. :sad0047:


I hear ya on the ventilation Kolah;
but, for now I am just folding back the plastic in the day and putting it back at nite.

I found these in my storage container

I am useing the catalytic heater for now.
Last nite the temps out side went down to 37*
was still 37 when I woke up at 5am
I checked the temp inside and it was 45! :)

I bought a cheap humidity/temp thingy this morning and opened it up a bit then took this photo a few hours later round 3pm.

I just lit the heater bout 5pm. I will check the humidity before I go to bed
and in the morning

I just put these Neglected and Abused moms out there,
cause I need to make room in the house for new stuff.

behind them is a ST tree that still has 4 month old buds on it...lol
No Mold that I can see!

I know this looks half ass...that's because it is...:bong2:




:help:

 

[BudderBreakfast]

just cut some windows out opposite from each other so there is airflow. it gets to the upper 20s maybe even mid 20s where i am at and my plants are fine and i just have a hoop house that is completely open on the ends. and i also bought a propane heater to use this year though i havent used it yet and am gonna do woodstove next year also

 

[kolah]

Your carpenter skills should help you make a homemade woodstove. Look online and there are lots of simple plans for making a woodstove out of a metal barrell. Shouldn't cost ya much at all. I use Craigs List.