Brokken's Greenhouse

[mass]

Great looking H/L's!! What kind of temps you getting in there? And do you run it all year round?

[Brokken]

Great looking H/L's!! What kind of temps you getting in there? And do you run it all year round?

In the summer, I put an evaporative cooler in there. Try to keep the temperatures from getting above 90. At night it generally cools off to the 60s or lower.

In winter I have a small portable heater that keeps the temperature from dropping below 50 usually. All of my lowlanders are moved into a glass terrarium with heaters which maintain the temperature a little more elevated but still sub-optimal.

Either way, the lowlanders suffer in the winter and the highlanders suffer in the summer.

[mass]

Does it get lots of direct sunlight? I'm just trying to think of the best place to put mine when I start assembly. I'm growing mostly H/L's too.. so I figured I'd ask all the questions I can.

[Jayson16]

Looking great Brokken, gotta love the Heli!

[Fred P]

Looking great Brokken......as always!!

[Brokken]

Does it get lots of direct sunlight? I'm just trying to think of the best place to put mine when I start assembly. I'm growing mostly H/L's too.. so I figured I'd ask all the questions I can.

It gets a lot of sunlight. Too much really. Temperatures can soar above 100s which is deadly to the helis and neps. The best place to put one intended to grow one or the other or both here in Cali would be a place that gets dappled or bright shade... This is my observation here in California though, your own conditions will dictate what is best for you.

[Brokken]

Yet more plants from the greenhouse:

xMorganiana:


xRokko:


Truncata x (aristo x ventricosa):


Veitchii x maxima:

[back2eight]

so what do you do to keep it cool enough in there for neps, especially lowlanders? Thats my problem, it is already 108 degrees outside, nearly 130 degrees inside the greenhouse!

[Brokken]

Well, to call it a greenhouse is not completely accurate: In the winter it does function beautifully as a greenhouse - maintaining the temperatures in the 70's during the day and with the help of a heater at 50 during the night.
In summer, during the day I have the exact same problem that you do: Temperatures in the 90s and even hotter temperatures inside the greenhouse. I had to resort to shadecloth (75% opacity) and a swamp cooler to maintain the temperature in check effectively turning it into a shade house. During the dog days of summer, I am lucky if temperatures in the GH stay below 90. Nights are never a problem in the Bay Area. Sometimes they will go down to the low 60's and 50's and I think that this coupled with my temperature reduction measures during the day make it tolerable for the highland species - though they show obvious stress during this time - which manifests in slower, curled growth. Shadecloth will definitely help cut down on temperatures, it's also important to spray the neps with water during these times and also turn on the swamp cooler.

I hope this helps!

[Brokken]

Yet more stuff from around the house:

Ventricosa x aristolochioides:


Eymae:


Lowii x campanulata:


Sibuyaensis x talangensis:


Singalana:


Aristolochioides:


Jamban:


Lowlander1:


Lowlander2: