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Pineapple's Greenhouse

  • #21
They sell 3' x 36' rolls of cloth ground cover at OSH, so I'm going to make a trip to get a roll or two so that I can cover the entire floor with that. Then, I can put down gravel or bark or whatever else I feel like sticking down on the floor.

Been there, done that. Ground cloth is a reasonably good material for preventing growth from below, but the minute you get any accumulation of soil or organic matter on top, you will have weeds. Oxalis loves that environment, as does Cress. The only floor treatment that is guaranteed to stay clean and weed free is poured concrete, but I doubt you want to go that route.
 
  • #22
If you're putting down geotextile fabric or weed fabric, I don't see why you couldn't then add gravel on top of that.
 
  • #23
On your passive heating question, I have two cents I can toss your way.

Take large, plastic, clear containers (Or just a lot of two liter soda bottles, whatever) and fill em full of water but add a whole bunch of food coloring to make the water black. Darker water absorbs heat more efficiently, and is likely to get warmer as a result, and should help keep things warm at night for you :)

True, however I was thinking about getting one or two half wine barrels from my local garden shop and filling them with water. Those would be like 50 gallons, while I would need like 100 soda bottle to equal one barrel.

They sell a plastic ground cover that would probably work a lil better. You can get a 6 mil thickness. The gravel would probably shred it over time though. Have you thought about covering the floor in rubber mulch? The plastic with a 3 or 4 inch layer of mulch would probably make a good floor.

I'll check the prices for rubber mulch 6mil plastic at OSH/Home Depot/Lowes. Hopefully rubber mulch isn't expensive. If it is, I can always go with another dark mulch to hold in heat. :)

---------- Post added at 04:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:35 PM ----------

Been there, done that. Ground cloth is a reasonably good material for preventing growth from below, but the minute you get any accumulation of soil or organic matter on top, you will have weeds. Oxalis loves that environment, as does Cress. The only floor treatment that is guaranteed to stay clean and weed free is poured concrete, but I doubt you want to go that route.

I see. I don't think I would get as many weeds as I would with the lawn that makes up the flooring now. Would the weeds be manageable with mulch flooring?

If you're putting down geotextile fabric or weed fabric, I don't see why you couldn't then add gravel on top of that.

Yup, that's what I was thinking. Weed fabric, then gravel on top. :)

---------- Post added at 06:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------

Since I got the Ventricosa x Talangensis two weeks ago, it has grown two basal shoots, both of which grew 2" stems. The front basal shoot's 2" stem just turned into a leaf. The back basal shoot's 2" stem is about to turn into a leaf. The main stem of the plant had a big leaf unfold the day after I received it. Since then, it has grown a new 8" tip, that is just now opening up, in the three weeks I've had it. I am surprised as the growth rate of neps. I thought they would be really slow growers that were difficult to care for. :blush:

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My Pasian Highlands Truncata has grown a 2" stem in the last three days. I'm not familiar with the growth pattern of these guys, but I'm assuming this will turn into another leaf and won't vine like the Ventricosa x Talangensis.

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I am currently creating a time lapse of the Ventrata, following a forming pitcher, an opening pitcher and a browning pitcher. I'll finish those in a couple of days and share the pics. :blush:
 
  • #24
Figured out the flooring... You see, in my side yard, I have a bunch of stepping stone tile things. I'll put the weed block down, put down the tiles, then I can put the native sphagnum I have between the tile stone things. :)
 
  • #25
First, I put some cheapo $10 weed block down. I staked it into the ground and stapled the edges to the wooden foundation.

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Then, I started to lay down the tiles. They were $4 each and I had 35 that I had gotten from Home Depot five or six years ago. So basically, the flooring was $15 -- for the weed block and the stakes.

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All done!

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In the last pic, you're only seeing three rows of tiles. There are actually five rows of four tiles, and on the ends I had leftover space, so I broke two tiles in half and they fit perfectly! I'm going to check Home Depot, OSH and Lowes for mosses that I like to fill in the cracks. If I can't find any, then I'll put sand in the cracks and seed it with native sphagnum moss. :)
 
  • #26
Looks nice! Good luck. Seems like you'll have plenty of room for your truncata when it starts getting big in 8-10 years lol
 
  • #27
Did you put sand underneath the blocks? They look a little uneven - and as they settle they could become even more askew.
 
  • #28
Oh, I forgot... According to my high/low thermometer, it gets about 45F at night and 70F during the day.

Looks nice! Good luck. Seems like you'll have plenty of room for your truncata when it starts getting big in 8-10 years lol

Does it really take them that long to get big? Dang... Oh well, at least it will be a milestone. :blush:

Did you put sand underneath the blocks? They look a little uneven - and as they settle they could become even more askew.

Nope, I didn't. I'm going to buy a few bags of sand though, and I'll put it under the tiles to make the even, as well as putting it between them to keep them from sliding around. That will give the moss a place to attach. I'll pick up a few 500cu" bags of LFS on the trip too. They have them priced at $3!
 
  • #29
Oh, I forgot... According to my high/low thermometer, it gets about 45F at night and 70F during the day.

45F is OK for some ultra-highlanders, but for anything else, thats going to be too cold if its a regular occurrence. You really should aim for 55F nights. Daytime highs should go higher as well, at least a couple days a week. I think you are going to find you will have to supply additional heat. Small propane heaters are excellent for the small hobby house like yours.
 
  • #30
45F is OK for some ultra-highlanders, but for anything else, thats going to be too cold if its a regular occurrence. You really should aim for 55F nights. Daytime highs should go higher as well, at least a couple days a week. I think you are going to find you will have to supply additional heat. Small propane heaters are excellent for the small hobby house like yours.

What ultra-highlanders could comply with those temperatures? I may keep a look out for some. I'll wait until it warms up a bit I suppose. 55F nights would be spring/summer, but 50F nights will probably occur in a few weeks.
 
  • #31
He's referring to plants such as N. hamata, N. rajah, N. macrophylla, N. villosa, etc. All of which are among the most stunning, but also very expensive, hard to find, and require very demanding conditions
you. Especially for a newbie. Not saying you can't do it, just thay practice and experience are worth their weight in gold.
 
  • #32
He's referring to plants such as N. hamata, N. rajah, N. macrophylla, N. villosa, etc. All of which are among the most stunning, but also very expensive, hard to find, and require very demanding conditions
you. Especially for a newbie. Not saying you can't do it, just thay practice and experience are worth their weight in gold.

I'll stay away from those for now then. I guess I'll grow my collection of the newbie neps. :angel:
 
  • #33
I agree with DaveyJones: learn to grow the easy stuff first, then consider some of the more challenging plants. There is little point in spending $300 on a wee plant of N. villosa if you can't provide the right conditions for it!
 
  • #34
Here's that native moss I'm culturing. I think it's sphagnum, but I'm not 100% sure. I pulled little chunks up from a few different patches in my yard and I put them in a saucer of soaked dirt. I soak them every few days and drain the excess water out about an hour after soaking them. They seem to be growing a bit. Three of the five saucers...

m7wbqu.jpg


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I agree with DaveyJones: learn to grow the easy stuff first, then consider some of the more challenging plants. There is little point in spending $300 on a wee plant of N. villosa if you can't provide the right conditions for it!

I don't think I would spend anywhere near $300 on a nep... I think the price is for rarity, not beauty. What attracts me to neps is the coolness of a plant being able to eat an insect, when it's usually the opposite of that. Even my ventrata keeps me happy! :-))
 
  • #35
I just went to Home Depot and got two 50lb bags of playground sand. I'll work on leveling the tiles and filling the cracks tomorrow. I also picked up three bags of dry LFS, which I can hopefully nurse back to life and grow my own sphag! :banana2:

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At $3.97 each, it was pretty much a steal. I don't think I'll use this much, but it's more bang for my buck than $15 per bag. :blush:
 
  • #36
Wash that Sphagnum really well before using it.
 
  • #37
Wash that Sphagnum really well before using it.

It doesn't say anything about fertilizers on the back or sides of the package, but I can for sure give it a nice, long soak in RO water just to be sure. I'm going to keep a big bunch really wet for a few months until it (hopefully) comes back to life, and the other two will be used for potting the ventrata and ventricosa x talangensis in hanging baskets when the weather warms up enough for them to happily live in the greenhouse.
 
  • #38
Great start Pineapple!
 
  • #39
Mosser Lee moss is painfully to use if you dont wash it.
 
  • #40
Great start Pineapple!

Thanks! Taking it slow and using things I already have is already starting to pay off as I can see. I saved a bunch by using those tiles instead of gravel, and I like the tiles a lot. Plus, I can grow sphagnum between the cracks in the moss! :-O

Mosser Lee moss is painfully to use if you dont wash it.

I'll definitely be washing it then, and I'll let it soak for a really long time. So I take it there is fertilizers and other junk on it. :blush:
 
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