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EEOS Original Articles |
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The many articles in our Orchid Culture section can solve most of your culture issues. Check them out before submitting a question. |
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AOS Culture Sheets |
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The AOS Culture Sheets are very thorough guides for growing orchids successfully. Read the one pertaining to your kind of orchid before asking a culture question. |
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Ask Your Own Question |
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If the articles and culture sheets in our Orchid Culture section did not solve your problem, feel free to submit your own orchid culture question. |
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(Posted on December 31 , 2003) |
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Question |
| Hi! I got the snails under control. Thank you very much. I'm going to replace the roof of my greenhouse with Lexan Thermoclear. Can I use white paint to paint the Lexan Thermoclear to reduce light to 4500-4000 footcandles? Thank you. |
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Tan Tran - Katy, TX - USA |
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Answer |
| Try some of the Greenhouse Supply Companies for the special paint they use on plastic roofs for different amounts of shade. Straight paint may block too much light. |
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David Schaffter |
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Answer |
| Tan, I would paint a small piece of the Lexan to be sure you're getting the correct amount of light through it before committing to the whole project. Another solution would be to use shade cloth of the correct percentage for your plants in conjunction with the lexan. Thanks for the question and for visiting the EEOS web site. |
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Bob Stipe |
| First, this site has a lot of good information, thanks for sharing! Sorry for the long question, but I want to be sure that I provide all of the relevant information. I am in the planning stage of setting up my first greenhouse, and there are a lot of choices that I have to make. I would appreciate any and all help, insight, or advice that you could provide (particularly expensive mistakes to avoid). The greenhouse will be used to house my orchid collection (mainly cattleyas, dendrobiums, vandas, and oncidiums), and will be located in my backyard. It will be approximately 9 feet wide and 15 feet long. It will have a wood frame (treated, or cypress if I can get it), a continuous concrete foundation, and a floor of gravel over landscaping cloth. I am reasonably handy, and will do the construction myself. My goals for the project are to provide a good home for my plants and to keep the costs (construction, operation, and maintenance) to a minimum. In addition, the house must meet the approval of the local homeowner's association, and therefore the county (Broward). I am considering either rigid plastic or film plastic for the roof, and the walls will be either the same material as the roof, or patio screening. Each of these seem to have advantages and disadvantages, and I can't come to a firm decision about which way to go. Rigid plastics are durable, and provide the most protection, but they are also more expensive. They also seem to offer more light diffusion, which I would like to incorporate. Film plastics are cheaper, but don't last as long or provide as much impact protection. However, expensewise, they may be better from a building code/property tax perspective. They don't seem to provide diffusion either. For the walls, I am considering the screening to take advantage of the natural breezes, rather than running a fan (there is also a precedent, in that many neighbors have screened patios, so this will be an easier sell to the association). Keeping in mind my goal of creating a favorable environment for my plants, at the lowest cost, without building an eyesore, which do you think are the best alternatives? I have a lot of other questions, but this is already way too long, so they will have to wait for later. Thank you for your help, it is Greatly Appreciated! |
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Chris - Miramar, FL - USA |
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Answer |
| Chris, since you are building a residential greenhouse, I would use the plastic panels for the roof. Like you say, it will offer more protection and diffuse the light. For the sides, you can use screening or if you want something more rigid, try hi-rib lathe. The lathe is stronger and will last longer. You can also hang plaques on it. Probably the most important thing to consider is how to cover the sides with plastic in the winter. You might want to nail or screw 1 x 2 PT furring strips along the perimeter of the sides in order to staple up your plastic during cold snaps during the winter months. |
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David Schaffter |
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