New vacation home (for orchids)

mycologist · #1 06-09-2008, 07:54 PM

I built this shade house out of some locust trees that needed thinning - it has traditionally been used for fence posts and resists rotting. I put the four poles ~3' into the ground then tied and screwed on some cross pieces. It is covered with 3 mil. plastic from the box store and 60% shade cloth. The bright plants get light through the right side. The shelves are makeshift for now, but I like the way the hanging one is working out.

First three shots were a test fit

It is actually square and level, but the ground sinks away and the camera angle make it look crooked

Current arrangement

Spike on the young Brassia, the Encyclia has one too.

Gongora still going

My first Phal that I tried so hard to kill before I learned anything

The brighter side

A couple of new seedlings on the left

Brutal_Dreamer · #2 06-09-2008, 08:16 PM

Hey, that looks wonderful! Good work! The Gongora is amazing! You have lots of room in there. I bet your plants will love it!

Cheers,
BD

digimom · #3 06-09-2008, 08:24 PM

Wow...looks great...and what a view!!!

mycologist · #4 06-10-2008, 08:25 AM

Thanks - it is tempting to fill it up but I have a lot of young plants that will need room to expand. Plus they have to come back in for the winter somewhere.

Brutal_Dreamer · #5 06-10-2008, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mycologist

..... Plus they have to come back in for the winter somewhere.

Isn't that the truth. Somehow, during the spring and summer I forget that little tid-bit of information. I end up with a bunch of tropicals on my porch and then have to figure out what to do with them in mid-October when we start getting the first frosts of the season. Like Friday for instance, I ordered a dwarf lemon tree (should be here this week

). I guess the only good thing is that it will be small since I will grow it in a container on the porch. The website said it would be under 15 inches tall when it arrives, so I guess I don't have a lot to worry about with it *right now* anyway.

Cheers,
BD

clintdawley · #6 06-10-2008, 01:03 PM

Very nice and a very cost-effective shade house.

I have one concern...is your vanda getting enough light? I see it hanging beside a Phal and I just wondered...

wetfeet101b · #7 06-10-2008, 02:00 PM

Very nice.
All you need now is a picnic table or a couple or reclining lawn chairs and you have a very beautiful spot to relax and enjoy the scenery

I had a chair in my greenhouse once. But it got evicted as I filled up the place with more plants lol.

mycologist · #8 06-10-2008, 04:41 PM

That's funny, we were talking about a bench out there just the other day. It was much more aesthetic before the plastic, 2x2s and shelves went in. I saw some bamboo being used to hang plants in another thread and that would look great instead of the 2x2s

About the Vanda - I'm not sure. It gets a lot more than the Phal because the sun comes through the side much of the morning but doesn't shine on the Phal. So it gets it straight through the 60% instead of through the shade cloth and the plastic which cuts out a bit. Also it is higher. I checked with a cheesy light meter and it gets 2000-3000, whereas the Phal is 1500-2000. The Phal has purple "racing stripes" but no serious damage yet. The Vanda gets purple spots if it is getting enough (my best guess as to why it is named "sun spots"). It may go back out under the front of the porch where it will fry until around noon (a bit too much).... Or it may go to a new home. It is my biggest problem to accommodate humidity wise in the winter and suffered a fair bit. It was a good big plant I got reduced from $60 to $5 from the box store, so I may pass it on to another member if it doesn't improve significantly (or flower soon).