Thank-you Frank,I can always count on you
to get me tru winter with your green house
blooms.You made my day!!!
Thank-you Frank,I can always count on you
to get me tru winter with your green house
blooms.You made my day!!!
I took a picture of this same bloom one week ago. I have been watching it since then to make sure it was not a new bloom. Not only has this bloom lasted a week, it also has been staying open all night. This picture was taken at 11 pm, 1-2-13. It is Key Largo, a tropical.
Last edited by matherfish; 01-03-2013 at 01:18 AM.
WOW! That's a long lasting bloom!
I bought a new heater for the greenhouse. This is actually a patio heater and works off of propane. Thought it would be a great heater for the gh as no electricity is required, so if the electricity goes off, There would still be heat in the gh. I know nothing about them really except have seen them on patios in restaurants out west. Does anyone have experience with them? I would like to know how long a tank of propane will last. I am excited about getting it. Can also be used on patio in fall and spring if desired.
That is a great backup! Try this website http://www.patioheater.info/heater_faq.html#burn_time.
The top of that looks a lot like this thing flying around when the world ended!!!!
Thanks for the website.
So you noticed that many propane heaters are flipping their lids? There is a strong resemblance.
Last edited by matherfish; 01-04-2013 at 12:42 AM.
Do you feel that the amount of effort you put into heating the greenhouse is really worth it? Would it just be easier to use it like a huge coldframe, getting an early start in the spring/late finish in the fall? I bet with the pond/s in it, you have plenty of thermal mass to help regulate the temperature.
We have borrowed one of those patio heaters from my father-in-law for the winter. It's in our upstairs, unheated porch, which I use as a gym (and my wife as a bar), and it does a nice job when I'm working out. One thing I've noticed is that the heat certainly doesn't spread in a very wide radius, but it's quite nice when you're near it.
I've used propane heaters in my winterized shadehouses for 25 yrs now and they do a great job, but I am not fighting huge differences in temps....as a rule.
How long the tank will last is primarily a function of how many btu's it is producing and where you get the tank. Mine are adjustable from 30k-80k btu and I have two layers of fall poly...giving me a 3.5" air space for insulation...so most nights I can run them at the low end and a 20 lb tank will last me 12+ hrs. At the high end they won't make the night and there are problems with the tank icing, so they have to be swapped.
Not being familiar with the one you have, I don't know if it is adjustable or what the burn rates are, so icing may not be a problem. I mention that time is also dependent on where the tank is filled because here the places that "swap" tanks only fill the tank with 15 lbs of propane but if you go to a business that fills the tanks, you will get 20 lbs of gas.
Fwiw....I am still using the heaters I originally purchased, so they are durable if maintained.<g>
Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking
Craig
I will have to get myself some of those for my greenhouse, they would make a great backup for power outages!!
As I recollect you are building or have built a huge greenhouse, no? They make larger units that produce up to 200k btu's and while the units run not much over $125...especially if you wait for summer to buy....they won't work on 20 lb'ers, they need to be fed by at least 100 lb'er.
Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking
Craig
I went on the website FIT BMX provided and found that the heater will last about 10 hours. Since this one has adjustable heat, I assume that that may be the middle temp. It also will heat about a 20 foot radius, but I am sure the heat will still go out beyond that area.
Unprofessionable, I sometimes wonder the same thing, but we have really only had two events that caused a problem, and really the second event was the result of the first. We did not go back and get the plastic properly attached after we put it up after the fire. We will repair it properly this time. In addition to the pond plants, however, there also large ferns, and hanging baskets, brugmansias, banana plants, hibiscus, and other trops in the gh. The heating is a problem only because I have not finished insulating the gh, and I am trying to heat it as inexpensively as possible.
I suppose it's where you're at. Here, I don't think it'd be worth it at all, but Florida/Texas/etc, I could totally understand it. I suppose you're right in the middle of both of them!
I think I am close to being halfway between Florida and Michigan.
We have the ends fixed! Also have lots of fire wood so we are good to go!
For the most part Unprofessional, even the growers I know in FL and TX replant starting in early winter rather than holding plants over. For instance, I have rolled out the heat mat (8') and am starting seed for corkscrew, Hibiscus, Colocasia gigantea and such, then starting next month the liners from the tissue culture lab start in. I try to heat only my personal collection and propagating stock. But then, at my end at the bottom of the food chain, you get so little money for marginal plants it is more cost effective to compost the left overs than to heat them.
Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking
Craig
FiT BMX- I bought this because I think the reflector top (also known as unknown object sailing in air ) will push the heat down to where the plants are, more than the kerosene heaters that I have tried in the past. Since the heat will be confined to the greenhouse, I expect to salvage more heat from the unit than if they were used outside in the open. Since the greenhouse is not as air tight as a house I do not there will be a problem in that regard. I bought it a salvage store at less than half the price that I find them on the web. During the spring and fall, it can double as a heater for outdoor parties.
The purpose of the greenhouse is not really to make money. To me, ponding is a hobby. I sell the plants to help with the expenses, but I enjoy watching the plants develope, grow and bloom. I am certified and inspected by TN Dept. of Agriculture because I want to raise healthy plants. With a greenhouse, I can go out, even in bad weather, or freezing temps, and play among the plants. The ferns are in 20 gallon pots or larger, and are used in several weddings each year. We can not grow them from seed each year and have them big enough to loan to people to use to decorate for a wedding. Also, where else can you watch a water lily bloom continue to be open for over a week? And it is still open, although it is starting to look a little tethered! I am a pond-a-holic! The one pic makes it look white because of the flash, but you can see it is standing above water, and the other is from above, but you can see the color.
Last edited by matherfish; 01-07-2013 at 09:19 PM.
Among other plants, a yellow brugmansia is blooming in the gh, and filling the gh with its sweet smell.
Some have asked about the rabbits, so here is a pic of 6 of them. I currently have 9 of them.
I was simply trying to address unprofessional's questions on the economics of overwintering plants and at least on the growers end of the spectrum, when you are making little more than a dollar a plant it is better to start over. And you may recall from your professional days the 6 cm pots that the marginal for the most part are shipped in? Another reason not to overwinter them is they just don't maintain quality being in a pot that small for a year.
Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking
Craig
Interesting discussion.
Of interest in the heating department for you both might be Flexwatt, a product we used in the zoo, and I've started using to heat my roach colonies. You can buy it to length, and with a rheostat, it becomes an extremely efficient and elegant solution to heating under objects. I'm hoping to build a grafting chamber this year, for conifers, and plan to use it there.