greenhouse for highlands, lowlands and cactus?

[musamusa1975]

Hi,

I am having some work done on my house, and am interested in putting a greenhouse on my deck. I am looking at something along the lines of 10 feet wide by 15 feet long. Ideally, I want it compartmentalized so that one section can be used for growing highlands, one for lowlands, and one for cactus. Has anyone ever tried this (or at least highland and lowland in one structure)?
I called a pre-fab greenhouse company (Cross-Country Greenhouses) and they were estimating a cost of over $12k, which is way over my price range. Does anyone have any other leads?
Thanks,
Michael

[ahortman]

I would think that the humidity required for our lovely nepenthes would be really, really bad for cactus. I've grown cactus for over ten years but never in a green house. All of my cactus come in for the winter and go back out on my sunny porch for the rest of the year. They flower and do all the normal cactus things this way. I live in Memphis, so it's really hot and pretty dry in the summer.

Unfortunately, I have no place for a greenhouse here, but I'm sure you could build a pretty good one for a lot less than 12K. I've done it before and it takes some work and friends. Check around for books and things. You will probably save money. That's all I have. Good luck!

Angela

[pinglover]

Farmtek kits-
www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;;bb759a8_104609.html

[musamusa1975]

thanks!

[pinglover]

I believe that particular greenhouse comes in a forest green color also. Farmtek has other styles of greenhouses that are designed somewhat differently that cost less that might be of interest to you. You'll have to poke around at their website a bit.

Regardless of what style you choose, I don't believe you'll be able to incorporate an area to grow cactus into a greenhouse of this size. The cultural requirements for these species are a tad bit too different.

You might want to call Farmtek on the phone. Ask if you can purchase an entire end panel complete with a door. I bet that could be installed in the middle of the greenhouse to create two separate grow areas. You will need two equipment kits. Two compartments within the greenhouse will need two separate intakes, two separate exhausts, two separate heaters, 4 fans, plus two additional roof vents, etc. Swamp cooler would be on the highland side. From there you might want to install an air conditioner right on the interior dividing wall facing into your highland grow area. I've spoken to people who do this. The cool air goes into their highland area from the AC unit while the warm air and humidity blows out into their lowland grow area.

I have one of Farntek's larger commercial greenhouses. They are kits but they go up nicely and these people include everything in their kits from extra screws to caulking for all the roof vents and joints. If this really interests you, Michael Catalani can most probably figure out a design for you that will work. He is a member here and although he may not have seen this thread, I'm sure you would be able to contact him privately for help to steer him to this thread. He's forgotten more about Nepenthes cultural requirements than I've ever known and he is the person who basically helped me with my greenhouse from the ground up. Everything from where the floor drains in the concrete were placed on up to where the exhausts and the intakes were placed. I am very pleased with my greenhouse.

[Michael Catalani]

musamusa1975 said:

Hi,I am having some work done on my house, and am interested in putting a greenhouse on my deck.  I am looking at something along the lines of 10 feet wide by 15 feet long.

My first greenhouse back in the 80's was a Sturdi-built 11'x14'.  It was redwood.  It was beautiful.  I outgrew it in about 6 months. Not joking.  When its empty, it looks huge. But a greenhouse this size gets small fast. Subdividing it into 3 separate areas is going to make you feel like you are inside of a clown car, not in a greenhouse. Think about how important it is to have all 3 areas. You may find yourself getting more enjoyment out of a greenhouse that that houses one type of plant. In my first greehouse, some of the best times I had was to go outside in the middle of winter and be able to just sit in a lawn chair in my greenhouse wearing shorts and a t shirt. Dont underestimate the amount of area you need to be able to relax and enjoy the greenhouse, otherwise you will not use it like you would want to.

Some things that would help to know would be your location, and how high the deck is off of the ground.  A high deck in northern locations is going to require something like an insulated subfloor to be placed under the greenhouse, because cold air driven by wind that can flow underneath of  your greenhouse is going to drive your heating bills thru the roof.   An insulated subfloor is actually a good idea anyway, because you will need the greenhouse elevated off the deck in order to gutter and drain the water from the greenhouse and away from the deck wood.  It will also shield the deck wood from the constant moist conditions of the greenhouse.

  Ideally, I want it compartmentalized so that one section can be used for growing highlands, one for lowlands, and one for cactus. 

wowsa.  Ideally, I would like world peace.  I think I have a better shot of achieving that. 

Has anyone ever tried this (or at least highland and lowland in one structure)?

Yes, and actually you can have a highland, lowland, and cactus area under one roof. But you will need something more along the lines of a grow chamber setup versus a greenhouse.  Think of it as a 10' x 15' building, but with a polycarbonate roof.  Each 5' room would have a door access, its own circulation fan, its own exhaust fan (this would not have to be large, because the volume of each room is quite small) and its own heater. The highland Nep house would need an A/C unit, and preferably one that has an auto/start function.  You would then need a timer/thermostat for each room, and each device.   This is a very basic overview, the setup is actually more complex.  Each compartment would need their own environmental controls whether you used a greenhouse or chamber setup.  The reason the chamber setup is easier to implement is because it is very easy to insulate solid walls between each room (highland/lowland/cactus) in the chamber. You will need this insulation in order to provide he temperature separation between highland and lowland houses, and humidity difference between the Nepenthes and cactus houses.  It is not easy to insulate sections in a greenhouse. 

I called a pre-fab greenhouse company (Cross-Country Greenhouses) and they were estimating a cost of over $12k, which is way over my price range.

Was this a "total package" cost?  The price of a greenhouse is low as compared to the accessories that must go into it. My 22'x45' Jaderloon Greenhouse was about $6K for the greenhouse alone (with polycarb and metal endwalls.)  The total price of the complete setup was $18K, and that was with getting the electrical and gas connections wired for free. 

You may need to check your local ordinances and home owners association to see if there are any restrictions for greenhouses in your area. Some may restrict you to a wood and glass structure. These are more expensive than metal greenhouses, but are really nice to look at. You can see some at www.sturdi-built.com

[musamusa1975]

I did call FarmTek, and they were very helpful. Their quote was much lower, and they said all three could be done. On the other hand, I see now that I didn't give a lot of thought to how cramped it would be. Guess I might just make a lowland green house. (I can always build the rest when I win the lottery : )

Thanks again for the great advice!

[Randy Zerr]

I built a "redneck" greenhouse once for about $350 from scratch. There was nothing to it really. And I did not know much about carpentry. I'm not even sure if I spelled that right
Dug out a 12' x 10' square in the backyard and put down heavy plastic barrier and pea gravel. Some stepping stones down the middle. Used treated landscape timbers for the base, framed with 2x4's, made a simple door with cheap fence hinges from Ace. Benches were 2x4 construction with 1x2 slats. Roof was sloped to one side and a rain gutter collected water which stored in a 18 gallon plastic container up on the side on a 2x4 stand, elevated. And a non-contaminating polyethylene hose siphon for watering. The sides, door and roof were fitted with the clear corrugated fiberglass panels. Those were the most expensive parts. Just a circular saw, power screwdriver, hammer, and jigsaw. Panels were fastened with wood screws and a big washer with rubber gasket to prevent from stressing / cracking the panels. Ran a power cord up high from eave of the house to keep it out of the way of the mower and kids. Installed a cheap light socket with a pull chain. I heated it with a small electric space heater in winter. The heat didn't stay in too well (did I mention I am not a carpenter?) Holes and gaps filled in with canned spray foam and trimmed / painted. Light levels were adjusted using movable shade cloth sections pinned up on the inside. Door propped open in summer for ventilation and the opposite end panels removed and replaced with shade cloth when it was really hot. Probably would cost more than $350 now, that was in the early 90's. But still cheap compared to commercial. It wasn't the prettiest thing but it worked great!