Shadehouse build

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:28 pm

Not just any bar stool, an Iron Maiden bar stool
\m/

I don't think a hammock would be a good idea, I'd probably toss and turn and wake up with spines stuck in the wrong places

Thanks Daiv! Hopefully it does help.

RIONMAIDEN · Post by **RIONMAIDEN** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:41 am

Hi mate, wow... what a collection of plants you guys have over there, you inspire me as a new collector of cactus plants, with around 30 so far. But, I have been collecting IRON MAIDEN merch for around 13 years or so, and I thought that was a Maiden stool in the shade house, and to hear you confirm it with such pride is a real blast, thanks for the great shots of your fine work, rock on...

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:07 pm

Thanks man!
Metalhead cactus growers unite \m/

Welcome to the forums.
Be careful what you wish for, the addiction is strong and runs deep. Go forth and grow!

RIONMAIDEN · Post by **RIONMAIDEN** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:05 pm

Cactus maiden

This is a group that we have named after the band, I am in the middle of making a stage shaped planter box for them, will post pics when completed...

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:13 pm

Awesome!
Cool skull pots.

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 8:49 pm

Winter Rain Coat time!

Checking the weather last week, i saw that our winter rains were-a-comin. I already had the plastic in anticipation. They had clear or black...however, the clear is not as clear as i would have liked.

I'm kinda wondering if i'll have to acclimate them back to the sun in the spring or not? Maybe add another layer of shadecloth for the first few weeks?

Since life has been so busy lately this past weekend was my last chance to get the plastic up...and of course we also had a 3-day sale with the Orange County Club. So i took off early Saturday and got to work. Good thing my parents are cool with short notice help requests

Took us about 3 hours to complete and only 2 small holes to tape up

About an hour after it was done, we got a short rain shower. Wow, that was close!

The plastic went up just like the shadecloth, wood slats screwed in to hold it. I added a 1 foot section to the roof to create an angle for water runoff. The plastic i used is just a painters drop cloth type from Home Depot. (10ft x 100ft) It's 4mil thick, so plenty sturdy for a few months.

I did try to add some form of ventilation by leaving the top back corners loose. I do have the option of rolling up the long backside along the bottom under the benches. Or just opening the door. I could also remove the wood slats along the top ends and fold the plastic up for ventilation. I'll see how this plays out...

Post by **daiv** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:50 pm

All of a sudden, you've got a second greenhouse!

You'll be how fast that sort of plastic deteriorates from the sun hitting it.

Is the idea to just have a roof? I see you covered it all the way down, which wouldn't really be necessary for rain protection. Are you wanting to control the climate too?

I think this will get you by, but you might want to contemplate a more robust solution over the long haul.

jenni · Post by **jenni** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:02 pm

Long haul? I think its only gotta last for like 2 or maybe 2.5 months. Once March hits (at the latest) we should be able to take the plastic down. We just want to keep the plants dry over the winter...plus, we have stuff propigating/potted on the floor so it does need to go all the way down....

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:13 pm

Well the idea was simply to protect from the rain. But rain does not always fall straight down

While also helping keep some extra heat in.

I figured by wraping the whole house it would cover both bases.

I remembered from your posts the plastic takes a beating from the sun, but it was inexpensive (very impotant right now!) and it would only be used for about 3 months of not so intense winter sun.

Think I went overboard?
Maybe I did, but I didn't want to take any chances. I basically followed Harvey's lead (owner of the Mexican Hat nursery) as he covers his shades houses like this each year. (although hoophouses are way easier to cover!) Plus, this gives me complete piece of mind the plants are dry when cold.

My ultimate goal is to get some bulk pieces of polycarbonate and use it from bench height up to the roof, leaving the roof and below the benches open. Then just throw up a roof cover when winter hits. Basically a greenhouse x shadehouse hybrid. The problem being, those bulk panels are not cheap, so we'll need to sell a few more plants for that

iann · Post by **iann** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:20 pm

I would have thought just the roof would do in your climate, but maybe an inch of horizontal rain would change my mind

Post by **daiv** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:34 pm

D&J,
As you can see from my incomplete sentances, I posted in a hurry on that. I did not want to come across so negative. I mean if this is going to be an annual ritual, you might come up with something more permanent. But that was thinking out loud. Harvey, obviously has more experience than me! Anyway, like you said, hoop houses are a lot easier to cover. Perhaps you could keep this method, but figure some sort of frame that you could slip the plastic over the top or something and avoid all the slats and such.

Daiv

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:39 pm

Ya, that horizontal rain can be a problem, good call going to the floor.

I have found that if I didnt cover the sides of my tables completly many would get plenty wet from drips splashing and wind swept rain.

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:00 am

No worries Daiv, I didn't take it as negative.
I do have ideas on how to facilitate the process in the years to come. Heck who knows, it may morph into a greenhouse.

Yup, I had images of rotten plants from dubious drips

Andy_CT · Post by **Andy_CT** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:26 am

Looks good Darryl, is it getting a rain test today?

TimN · Post by **TimN** » Tue Dec 08, 2009 6:32 pm

Looks good D! After wrangling plastic or the past two winters I have two tips for you; the plastic will bag and fill with water on the roof, even with the slant. Just keep an eye on it and drain it when it gets full.

The other tip is with plastic all the way to the floor it might get surprisingly hot on a warmish winter day. You'll need to make a way to ventilate. I think taking it a foot or two below bench level would be ideal under most circumstances. With all those plants on the floor all the way to the ground is probably the way to go, especially if they need to stay dry.

One other aside, even though the plastic is fairly opaque, it seems to let plenty of sunshine through. I haven't had problems with the transition to uncovered (yet!)

Sweet shade house!