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OT Amazing orchid greenhouse

I went to a picnic at Woodstream orchids in North Carolina and what a cool greenhouse.  He had almost everything I though I would need when I build mine.

First it was a gutter greenhouse and the rain water was collected in cisterns for later use.
It had screen area with thrip screen on the intake fans so that bugs are not sucked into greenhouse.
Evaporation cooling pads to keep temps cool.
The place was neat as a pin.
All I can say is I was inspired. 

You mean something like this   :-)

Takes money, time, more money and then even more money.

Winter heating runs about $3,000 per month for both houses.

Can buy a house in many parts of the country for less money than a greenhouse like this costs.

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Yes something like that.  It's a little cheaper to heat down here.  I couldn't tell if you have a separated area for thrip screens.
I'm assuming the benchs are on rollers.
Double wall or triple on the poly carb?
Do you have a cooling pad?
Is this your business?
What do you mainly grow?
I'm curious.
Do you do the cisterns with rainwater?
Yours is nice and clean too.

are your shade cloth automatic?  My old greenhouse had a 12 zoned system for watering/misting which I think still worked but never got used.  I may offer to buy it next time I am back in NJ. 

Nice pictures too.

Benches are stationary on one side of the house,
the other side is on rollers.
Double wall polycarbonate.
Cooling pads are on the intake fans,  did not post a photo showing that end of the houses.
Yes, for business, at 6,000+ sq ft, bit excessive for personal use, or maybe not  ;-)
What is grown changes with market demand, but focus on  Figs, Native Plants, and Mexican herbs.
Involved with seed production of native plants for restoration projects.
Shade cloth manual.
Thrip/pest exclusion is accomplished with a exterior screening room ahead of the intake fans.

No cistern for water catchment,  1" of rain will produce 3800 gallons of water from my roof,
cost to install properly sized cistern  was more than the price of a new pickup truck,
installation of a well was far more economical in the short/long run.

Clean =  lower operating costs, more profit
Dirty = lots of headaches and expense.
As I'm sure you're aware.
Far different world to raise plants on a commercial scale with good results
than someone propagating in their backyard with no quality control.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hungryjack

You mean something like this   :-)

Takes money, time, more money and then even more money.

Winter heating runs about $3,000 per month for both houses.

Can buy a house in many parts of the country for less money than a greenhouse like this costs.

1.jpg  2.jpg
3a.jpg 
4.jpg 
5.jpg 



Nice...

The greenhouse in NJ that I moved out of was 25' x 96' and I really liked that size.  One on my friend went longer and found he had to pay extra for custom cutting on shade cloth.
I have consisted putting up 2 smaller houses instead of 1 large one.  I would like to keep my breeding plants apart from sale plants.  It's is better that the public can't see what you won't sell them.  Also nothing is worse than having someone come up to the counter with a handful of tags saying how much are these. 
I also maintain some very old, very virused plants which are used as pollen parents but must be kept isolated from the rest of the plants.
Did you build it yourself or have it built.  It looks like you have cement walk ways or is the entire floor cement?
Who was the manufacture?  Is that the Svenson shade cloth?  If it is how do you like it?  I've heard very good things about it.  I am surprised your heat was so low.  Two years ago my friends were melting snow off the greenhouses in NJ and the bill was easily that much every 2 weeks.
As for neat I agree.  A friend gifted me most of his collection after he moved.  The collection was a mess and it took forever to recover from the bugs and weeds it carried. 

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