Building a mini greenhouse

[bleepblop]

I wasn't sure where to place this thread, so I put it in this sub-forum.

I want to build a mini greenhouse since I do not have a lot of room for a full sized one. I am not quite sure what kind of material I need to cover the building with (i.e. plastic covering) for retaining heat. I think the framing will be the easy part.

The only other problem I can see is ventilation for when it gets too hot outside. I wanted to get the advise of this forum before I venture out to other resources. What ideas do you guys have? Have any of you already made plans for a greenhouse before?

Just curious what ideas people have.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Check out this thread on this site:

http://www.bonsaisite.com/forums/in...69844&hl=greenhouse&fromsearch=1&#entry169844

It tells of what I did to make a greenhouse (ryan_tree)

 

[chansen]

When you say mini, what size do you have in mind? I realize that you're up in Park City, but you could come see mine if you'd like. The one I have is about 8' wide and 6' long.

Shoot me a PM if you want to come see it.

 

[bleepblop]

Hey thanks for all the advice. Christian I would love to come by and check out your greenhouse. SLC is like a 15 min drive for me, so it is not too far away. Sent you a PM.

 

[koda659]

i have plans for an 8' by 8' green house and since you got a green house already. what is it like to use it with bonsai. and what ventilation should i use other then a lifting window in the roof if needed, like fans, other vents, etc.

 

[JoeR]

You can do the clear corrugated plastic, they come in 6',8', 12' pieces. But its relatively expensive.

 

[koda659]

im building a greenhouse similar to this.
http://www.greenhousescanada.com/kz-content/images/large/8146x8146-cedar-greenhouse2581134.jpg
using poyethylene sheeting. typical greenhouse film.

 

[aml1014]

You can do the clear corrugated plastic, they come in 6',8', 12' pieces. But its relatively expensive.

And they break easily, I used it on my coldhouse and I ended up shattering 3 just by bumping them with the drill when it was cold out. Next year I'm just gonna use good old plastic sheeting.

Aaron

 

[armetisius]

When you switch to poly film your heating prob will vaporize.
I get by with a fan and opening the door through about mid-May.
After that I give it a bris. Runs fine through the summer and
re-cover it in the fall. Use the good stuff like 4 to 6 mil but the
not so expensive 8 or so thickness. Given your summer heat
it will only last a season anyway you go so don't waste the extra
money on the ultimate oooowee expensive stuff.

 

[Nwaite]

Find some old windows and screw that shitty ass plastic stuff... I bet you can find.some old used ones someone's tossing out.

 

[Stickroot]

Warp's flex-o-glass is the toughest, longest lasting poly there is. Most houses have two layers. With a small blower pressuring between the two so it makes air space between them and keeps them tight.

 

[Jarath]

I just finished this greenhouse. I used 6 mil. Clear plastic used for greenhouses. I bought an automatic vent opener. Total cost just under 300 usd.

 

[Jarath]

Send me an email address and I can send pdf file of the plans I used to build it. Also my plastic sheeting is rated for a couple of years and I live in Florida. Greenhouse has been standing for 3 months now and survived several nasty, windy thunderstorms.

 

[GrimLore]

Find some old windows and screw that shitty ass plastic stuff... I bet you can find.some old used ones someone's tossing out.

Also there is a lot of places selling them for dirt cheap to repurpose.

I want to build a mini greenhouse since I do not have a lot of room for a full sized one.

That being said check out this old link - There are some pretty cool ideas buried in there -

http://www.inspirationgreen.com/greenhouses-made-from-old-windows-and-doors.html

Grimmy

 

[Southern loft]

I am starting small with my azalea bonsai...I bought a mini green house from ikea and have modded it to fit my 12 inch tree. I keep it indoors near a south window and have the window open a bit to allow cooling at night and during the day. I have used plexiglass to cover any unused part of the open window so that only the greenhouse is exposed to the frigid air. So far the lowest this winter it has dropped to about 38 F ar night with the highest temp being around 80F during the day.

 

[MrWunderful]

I am starting small with my azalea bonsai...I bought a mini green house from ikea and have modded it to fit my 12 inch tree. I keep it indoors near a south window and have the window open a bit to allow cooling at night and during the day. I have used plexiglass to cover any unused part of the open window so that only the greenhouse is exposed to the frigid air. So far the lowest this winter it has dropped to about 38 F ar night with the highest temp being around 80F during the day.

To be clear, are you keeping an azalea in a small greenhouse, indoors?

 

[JackHammer]

I threw up some painted 2x and used the greenhouse panels from my local big box store. They work great and didnt collapse in 21 inches of snow this winter. About $450 for a 10x12 greenhouse. When it got really hot, I just left the door open.

 

[badatusernames]

I was debating this but what I think I actually want is a cold frame up against the house to mimic an unheated garage. I have a side porch, beneath it is concrete walls on three sides, essentially open on top and in the front, and I'm thinking I can probably put sheeting or something up and make a pretty easy one. put some mulch in there any maybe I can think about overwintering tridents and such.

 

[ShadyStump]

I found some clear vinyl sheeting, not a heck of allot but enough for a sizable grow box. Maybe the size of a 6 seat dining table or just an enclosed cold frame.
Any thoughts on designs to make the most of something of that sort for semi-tropicals? We have long hot summers here, but cold unpredictable winters.

 

[Southern loft]

To be clear, are you keeping an azalea in a small greenhouse, indoors?

You bet, I live in a building with no balcony access so this is really my only option... right now its cloudy outside so the temp has been hovering between 7-8 degrees C or around 48F. humidity is a tad low at 55% but that increases at night and during sunny, warmer periods. From what I've been reading online this temp and humidity is rather good for wintering a tropical azalea bonsai no? and thanks for the reply! PS: the bottle cap is filled with water to ensure that the base of the tree is not going through any unnecessary hard freezes.