Kathy,
last winter literally broke my heart. It makes you want to just forget about doing anything out there. I lost thousands of dollars worth of plants and then there was the love and care for all the babies I had raised. All gone as young plants just won't take the cold. Even now I can see the big plants struggle to grow again. Lots of stuff still looks a mess and it will take another year before they're back to normal. I know it was one of those 'every 25 years' freezes but now I'm at least protected for a few things I can move into the greenhouse. I need to get a new Old man's palm as I just now noticed the core is dead and there goes the plant. Another is fine. Both were outside and I thought OK. Some of these slowgrowing palms take a long time to show the effects of cold weather.
Fred

You're right about the long delay for some palms and other plants to show the effect of the cold. I read it can take up to three years. I had a lychee that I thought survived as it put out fruit and new growth in the spring. Come September, it dropped dead. The bark on the main trunk and major branches began to crack and that was the beginning of the end.

Jim

So sad. I feel your pain! I know 2 people who had freezes in their greenhouses here in the cold north. And lost their entire collection of orchids. I think folks in the orchid society donated new orchids to one member. That is why I bought a generator here. Too many bad stories.

Same here regarding the generator.

Kathy and Ursula, that means you are heating electrically? I haven't tackled that problem yet. I dodn't know if I have enough voltage back there for anything big and was thinking of a thermo conrtrolled propane heater. Any thoughts?

BTW I was loading more orchids into the GH yesterday and noticed most of my phals had turned white. Too sunny out there. I have two 4 foot runners of clear poly on the roof and the rest is opaque white. I wanted my options open as far as light goes but the clear sides provide plenty light and I should have gone with an all white roof. Now I ordered Visor Greenhouse Shade Coating from Gemplers to paint the clear roof panels white.

It seems that this whole plant business is a constant period of adjustment. Will I ever get it right? I dodn't think so as some orchids will always complain.

Fred, my greenhouse is part of the house and which is heated with oil. I have 3 air ducts coming up into the greenhouse. If the electricity goes, so does the heat, which would spell disaster in the middle of Winter here in NJ. One cold night.....

I don't have a greenhouse Fred so everything is in my barn where I live. Here is a thread that shows my set up as I bring them in. http://cubits.org/orchids/thre...
Around here, folks use propane or pellet stoves in greenhouses.

Still working out the bugs. Clear poly is entirely TOO MUCH light. The orchids are getting baked from the sun. I only have two four foot clear strips in the ceiling but these admit too much sun. Then there is the wall that gets the noon/early afternoon sun. Also too much.

I purchased shade paint from Gemplers and applied it to the approriate areas today. We'll see if the orchids are happyier now. Lots of yellow leaves have appeared which is not good.

This is the wall in progress.

then comes the roof

and the finished wall and roof nice and white

WOW! Fred, it looks great!

Around here it is sufficient to hold off washing the outside of the greenhouse to somewhere in October. Coming up....

Good to see that dirt and procrastination work!! Ha, ha!
Fred, once you iron out the kinks, you will be stylin'! Those orchids will let you know it too!!
You make me want a gh all over again. Can't wait to see Lindsey's too!

Ursula, what are the dimensions of your greenhouse/addition? How many orchids fit there? Thanks!
Janice

I bet you can't get a count from Ursula! (I should talk! I'm also getting beyond a count here!)

I took an orchid class a few years ago and the instructor kept stressing the importance of keeping distance between orchids to keep desease and insects in check as well as to allow air movement. I don't think he understood the quantity issue.

Jim

Jim,
I went to buy some lava rock from Jade Orchids here in Naples the other day. All their growing houses have orchids practically on top of each other on flat tables. I was wondering about the extreme togetherness and they said if an orchid somewhere shows signs of yellowing they simply remove it but that seldom happens. Besides, they have more orchids then they know what to do with. Business is horrible.

I'm now faced with repotting and repotting and repotting. Don't like it one bit.
Fred

We all stall on that but it really keeps them alive!

About placing Orchids tightly - I like to leave just a touch of space between plants, but that gets a bit more difficult as the collection expands...I try.

Janice, about the dimension of the greenhouse - it is 20 x 12 feet. As to how many plants fit in there? I don't know, I am nowadays really beyond a count. Personally I think I am up to capacity, it seems I better keep my "side-ways" to get around in there.

Thanks, Ursula! That is very helpful information.
In the event I purchase a greenhouse, I would be sure to get a similar size, as it looks like you have plenty of space.

Janice are you thinking about a greenhouse??

Btw I never mentioned it. My greenhouse is the Geneva type built by
http://www.floriangreenhouse.c...