Clematis is in full bloom. That is all i have got.
Looky what I've got!
Linda....My front yard is brown and slimey! But, I have lots of stuff that will come back. I f you need some plants to jump start your garden in spring, let me know. I'll be glad to start some for you. Have lots of salvias, etc I can share. I'm so sorry to think of you without power. Can't help you with that, but I can with some plants....Sandi
Newtons3rd - C............the plastic film is kept in place by stapling.....using a 1-1'2" wide - woven nylon strap mat'l that securely holds the plastic film good enough that I can pull and get the plastic sheet taut as I staple it in place........removal is fairly easy by pulling the strap away...perpendicular to the surface of the sheet....which pulls the staples out as it comes off.
Most of everything outside...unprotected was zapped, as Linda describes,...except for those which have some sort of "anti-freeze"
It actually got colder after I first posted at @ 7:10 this AM....wierd
Willis I have a 16x32 GH and right now is tightly wraped in plastic it has aluminettin on it for summer. I am curious about the geatextile flooring you mentioned. I put down weed cloth and rubber mulch it was expensive and the ground under the weed cloth gets really soft during rains even now after the snow the water from the melting snow seaped under my side boards and the ground is soggy I have thought about pulling it all up and spreading quickcrete around and then putting it back down but what you used sounds like the ticket is it hard to find and if someone like me wanted to buy some how expensive is it. I have seen this used under crushed concrete for long drivways but never did find out where to get it. Thank in advance for any info...rucky
Being a dark color, it was also serve to draw heat from the sun ~ if it would only shine! I thought that might have been why the geotextile cloth was being used too.
Hello Rucky - If you'll google "Geotextile"....you'll find several suppliers and information about the fabric. I'll venture to say that it is not cheap
but some of the retail suppliers/distributors have some types that are not too bad....there is a listing about 6-7 posts down that lists some prices
"BestNest" has a section for sale for about 75-80$ I think it was about 15' x 35' or close to that.
My source was from a manufacturer that didn't sell retail...I just happen to know someone who worked there and he had access to rejected material that was destroyed otherwise....hence, it was free to him/me thru him. Wish I had tons more but he's no longer employed there.
I have about 3-4ft deep sandy loam here n Willis....and being close to the San Jacinto river over there in Huffman,.....you probably have similar soil......my cloth keeps the soil somewhat compacted and firm.....with the exception of where pocket gophers may do their business.....I just take a short section of 4x6 timber and pack down their mounds when they appear as a hump in the floor...so the cloth is flexible enough to give when those varmints try to push their excavated soil out of their tunnel/burrow Good Luck! Lee
the black cloth does indeed help warm the soil (and GH when it's cold especially) a great secondary benefit!! I obtained it primarily as a permanent weed blocker...and it works great as that,...for sure! You do have to keep it clean...or compost/soil will accumulate on the surface and provide perfect environment for weed seeds to germinate & grow from. I've observed that some plants ' roots can actually penetrate from the top down thru the fabric.....but I've yet to see anything pentrate the fabric from below....including Coastal Bermuda or Bahia (sp?) grasses....which I have all around my place and which I DON'T want in my garden area
Lee. Exactly my experience with the propane. I had to use the infrared heater in my tool shed for the cats Friday night and last night...5 gal will be gone this morning. I am going to check into the oil filled heaters, also. Your greenhouse is a lot bigger than mine...I am humbled :)
The small fan/heater (milkhouse heater) did fine for my 8x10 GH. I was really impressed. Does'nt get this cold here too often. Everything outside turned to mush..Tomatoes, peppers, okra, etc. My 12' castor bean just "melted", looks pitiful. Really was a killing fost deluxe. Carrots, beets, lettuce, and cole crops look like they will make it though. Daytime temps in the GH stayed around 60°-70° yesterday with the sunshine. Outside temps stayed pretty much in the mid 40s.Will be working on the interior today...shelves and potting bench. This is going to really help me through the winter months, it is the perfect Christmas present!!! I love it!!!
My power thing wasn't over. After 2 1/2 hours of full power, it went back into a brownout. I was SO pissed. Had started dinner and had put something in the oven, then of course, no oven, so all we had was a salad last night. Then later that night, we went into total blackout. I wouldn't be surprised if for 24 hours, the 2 1/2 hours of full power was all we had. DH says we sometimes get brownouts (dim lights) because we share a "pole" with another property. When we called CPS after the second brownout, we were put on hold with the endless music for a long time, then when DH finally talked someone, he was told that they had just received hundreds of calls from our area and someone was working on it. Hmm...wonder how many of those people were as pissed as I was? Good thing DH talked to them, I might have said one of those words I very rarely say. Anyway, the power must have come back on in the wee hours last night. Not sure what happened...there was no ice, no storm, just the cold. What they told DH last night (transformer blew), he says that couldn't be, since we only had a brownout...he used to do that kind of work earlier in his life. Last night 37°, so no freeze. Amost all of my plants will survive...don't really have that many truly cold tender plants. I have lost more plants from drought and extreme heat than from winter cold. I just hate to see just about all of the blooming stop..the fall blooming has been so amazing! Thanks for the offer, Sandi. I'll just wait and see.
dennist........I've built several types & sizes of GH's thru the years.....my 1st was smaller than yours...maybe 6' x 4'....so don't feel humbled....you are learning the benefits of having some form of protection for your special projects....it's best to start small and expand.....having a larger GH means a lot more work....and,...because of the fact that I NEED a larger one...is my proof! (smile)
I've got to dig out my warming boxes for seed germinations to come....
One thing I have learned through the years is, there are two things that are too small as soon as they are finished. One is a storage shed / closet, and the second is a greenhouse. Where do we stop. I have just now got my peafowl addiction under control, for now anyway.
Linda.....all I can think of....is that you must dearly love that part of Texas....I've spent enough time in your area to understand why....it's beautiful!
Would be nice though.....if the power company could get on top of that split - power problem ...if that is causing brownouts!
I tell ya,...y'all've had more than yr share of bad situations.......hang in there!! Have you talked to Sheila lately?
Willis, I was trying to get DH to explain it to me better today. Very confusing and it doesn't really have to do with sharing the pole, it is the kind of equipment that we have on our pole. Being able to have "brownouts" can even be a good thing, as it's better than having a complete blackout, at least you have dim lights, and TV can work, as long as it's not a really old TV. So sometimes we're having a brownout while some people out here are have no power at all. I think the real problem is we get too many brownouts AND blackouts here and the power company doesn't get things working as quickly as they would in the city. I think we need to get a generator. Last night, when I went to get more firewood I could hear a generator going at a neighbor's house. Yes, I've talked to Sheila, she's fine...finally got to go see that second grandchild this fall.
That is a thing of beauty WillisTx Garden!! Much bigger than most of us need, but you filled it up it appears.
The oil filled raidiant or radiator heaters are so much safer than any we have used in the past. The cat can curl up beside it without worry, etc. Glad you got you one Christi. If you put plastic on the walls of your breezeway it could function as another greenhouse! LOL!
Good morning. Sheila, we still have another kind of heater for the little greenhouse and something keeps blowing the breaker. Talked to a neighbor who is an electrician and he said that is the nature of the beast....electric heaters.
I have several citrus trees in containers that I also keep in the GH - including 2 Blood Oranges (11 yrs old) that I started from seed back in 1998......I've had plans to start a nursery of sorts....so I decide to make a large one while I was at it!
I'm going to check into the oil-filled heaters!
I'm with you, Sheila....oil-filler radiators! I have two and will be getting another since I went crazy with the ghs while DH was out of town. He thinks the one I "extended" will need two. It's the entire length of the side fence out back. I was always afraid the open heaters would somehow get tipped over and start a fire. And HD has one on sale now for $37.99.
Hmm...I've used a small electric heater for many years when I need a little extra heat somewhere in the house...never had any problem with it.
We have had the tilted electric heaters and they get dusty in the shop and we always worried about the cats getting too close or their bedding etc. Also the older kind we had where I used to work would throw breakers all the time. They had to work too hard to keep the area warm.
This is my small GH in summer. In winter I wrap with plastic inside and lower the ceiling to 7'. There is a small pond in there too. Floor is pea gravel which works well for drainage.
Heat with the milk house electric heater. Way over crowded now. It makes it through our winters but not great temps for rooting or seeds. Really wanted/needed to build another one about the same size this year but did not happen. So am dealing with plants too close together which is idea for disease and bugs. I try to keep dropped leaves and other stuff cleaned up but a real never ending job.
What we do for our plants.
DD
Great looking gh DDude.
Thank you WillisTexesGarden I will check it out. My soil here is not sandy I do have some but mostly out back. I live on the water and most of the sandy soil up front has washed in to the lake. So I am down to clay its not gumbo but more of a grey and red clay that gets real sticky when it gets wet I have places in the GH where you sink 3". I'll check your suggestions out Thanks again....rucky
Just to let you know I am still here;) Been real busy with the shop and GH. Camera batteries had to recharge. Will be posting more pics soon. Got down in the 20s last night.
Yes its been cold here I was up in Blanco hunting it got so cold I came home. And its cold here to. I just use a industrial electric heater in The GH. It keeps it kinda cozy. I also wanted to tell everyone I bought some insulated plant covering bags at Lowes and covered my citrus trees. Didn't work at all it only covered the top of a 4' tree and when I uncovered them they were pretty shot. Leaves are brown and all of the little lemons and limes are brown. I am taking them back to Lowes and chokeing someone with them. This is the second year this has happened to these trees. They come back but at this rate I will never get any fruit.
WillisTexasGarden I haven't had any luck starting citrus from seed. I grew two trees from seed that got about 12 foot tall covered up in fruit but it wasn't true to the seed and we got something like a cross between a lemon and a grapefruit so I cut them down. I have a volenteer growing where one of them was I'm going to graft it with satsuma this spring. I have never tried a blood orange though but if it worked I will. I think I'm going to just get some citrus and leave them in pots in the GH I'm tired of freezing out these trees........rucky
Rucky - As a matter of fact,...I picked 2 of the blood oranges this morning....and it was true to form....and sweet to boot! I'm not knowledgeable about about them....but I will say it took a while before I realized the "fruits of my labor"....just thought I'd try growing them from seed....to see what I'd get! I've kept them all this time....and surprisingly....didn't kill them!
Sorry to hear about yr citrus damage!
Dennist - we had about the same temp....upper 20's....after the weatherman had been sayin' upper 30's all week....blah,blah,blah
I turned the heaters back on and rode it out....not as cold as the other night though!
About to wind down phase one contruction. I got some closet shelving from HD that I think is going to be just perfect.
Another view of the shelves.
And a potting bench where I plan to spend my otherwise boring winter "quality time".
Sorry for the blury picture. Notice the little heater that is doing such a fine job keeping the GH warm.
This big 'ol ginger needs it's own GH :)
Thanks for showing what you have been designing. I like to see different ideas as I get set in a rut and this lets me rethink what I want to do. I'd bet your ginger would be too lonesome if it were alone. Has it ever bloomed for you and what kind is it?
Podster. This is one of my first gingers..NOID. I bought 2 of them back in September. Planted 1...it froze...hope it will come back in the spring. Did'nt get a chance to plant this one so it ended up in the GH. The rhizomes are about to break the pot and the roots are coming out the bottom. This is my first adventure with gingers. Hope Ken will help me out here :)
I like your shelves Dentist and thats the same heater I use. I used some plastic shelves the stackable kind for use in a garage for the middle where I needed free standing shelves. The potting bench is a great Idea I am going to build one inside the GH as soon as I get my mushy floor problem fixed. Looks like your doing a great job. My ginger died off to the ground I hope it comes back next year also. My brug is hanging in there in the GH just lost its last flower. Does anyone know anything about desert roses I have two small ones that are loosing all their leaves and one big one is fine sitting right next to them?
I have white butterfly ginger in pots outside and it always comes back.
dennist, just what is it you need help with. If the Ginger is that pot bound I would step it up to a larger pot and as soon as it gets over any shock, I would see to it that it gets all the sun it can get. Then in the Spring I would plant it where it get at least three to four hours of sun a day, if possible. Some Hedychium need more sun than others to bloom. They like very rich well draining soil. Do not plant too deep, just a few inches below soil level. If you are planting just the rhizomes, use a little Sulphur to prevent fungus rot.
Thanks Ken. Was just wondering if it would be ok to divide the rhizomes now and repot. Should I cut the top growth back some? Root prune the long roots? Wait till spring? Of course it will stay in the GH till spring. So much to learn here.
April 08, RJ brought a truck load of tropicals from his paradise garden in Houston Heights.
Among the loot was two or three gingers. Planted them in the ground in different areas. They have multiplied to move than 30 plants and bloomed their heads off this summer. They have almost gotten to the stage of invasive, as have the bananas and EE's (alocasia and colocasia). Brugs are also in ground and they will come back bigger than ever. My garden is pretty tacky right now but there is always a price to pay for the beauty of spring.
If you step it up to a larger pot, I would not trim the roots or foliage. If you want to divide it, you will be doing some root damage so you will need to cut the foliage back to about 18 in. I would dust with sulphur and do not keep too wet. Gingers reproduce through the rhizomes and every piece with roots is another plant. If you divide soon, by Spring you will have several plants that have a good head start for the year and you should gets lots of blooms.
I do not know why more people don't grow more Gingers in this part of the country, we have perfect conditions. Maggi started her nursery the first week of June 08. Before she opened it she posted fliers in the little towns around us. On the fliers, she mentioned that we had Gingers. Someone called and said " I see on your fliers that you have Gingers". He said that a professor at UT Tyler where he worked, suggested growing Gingers because of their beauty and ease of growing. He said he had been to almost every nursery in the Longview, Tyler area and now had four different Gingers. He asked how many Gingers we had and I said around thirty, he said I'll be right there. When he came over he said you'll are a very small nursery, where are the Gingers, so I showed him around the place. Another time I went to a very large nursery in Tyler and asked the lady at the checkout if they had any Gingers. She replied that they had both types, but that one really was not a true Gingers. I informed her that there is over 1,300 Gingers, then she said yes but they won't grow here. So much misinformation.
If you step it up to a larger pot, I would not trim the roots or foliage. If you want to divide it, you will be doing some root damage so you will need to cut the foliage back to about 18 in. I would dust with sulphur and do not keep too wet. Gingers reproduce through the rhizomes and every piece with roots is another plant. If you divide soon, by Spring you will have several plants that have a good head start for the year and you should gets lots of blooms.
I do not know why more people don't grow more Gingers in this part of the country, we have perfect conditions. Maggi started her nursery the first week of June 08. Before she opened it she posted fliers in the little towns around us. On the fliers, she mentioned that we had Gingers. Someone called and said " I see on your fliers that you have Gingers". He said that a professor at UT Tyler where he worked, suggested growing Gingers because of their beauty and ease of growing. He said he had been to almost every nursery in the Longview, Tyler area and now had four different Gingers. He asked how many Gingers we had and I said around thirty, he said I'll be right there. When he came over he said you'll are a very small nursery, where are the Gingers, so I showed him around the place. Another time I went to a very large nursery in Tyler and asked the lady at the checkout if they had any Gingers. She replied that they had both types, but that one really was not a true Gingers. I informed her that there is over 1,300 Gingers, then she said yes but they won't grow here. So much misinformation.
That's what I wanted to hear Ken! Thank you so much. Warm weekend...will divide this monster and have more room in the GH and more gingers to plant out in the spring.