Author Topic: Hoop house  (Read 28200 times)

simon_grow

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #25 on: November 29, 2017, 10:55:39 PM »
If I had a large heated greenhouse or hoophouse, I would love to try fruiting Rambutan, Pulasan and maybe even Mangosteen just for fun. Your hoop house is coming along nicely Spaugh, please keep us updated!

Simon

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #26 on: November 30, 2017, 10:37:55 AM »
By the way Mark, is the floor of your GH dirt?  I was thinking of making my own 18 or 24" pavers and doing a floor out of those.  But not sure.  I figure a dirt floor will always be a mess otherwise.

Am on my 3rd greenhouse and yes this one is dirt.  It's alot easier to rake leaves on dirt than on rock and as you know those trees will dump leaves all year long and lots of them.  I keep a qt. sprayer bottle handy with diluted glyphosate herbicide in it for very infrequent spot weed control.  I also have tomatoes crawling on the floor, some volunteer, one now that I planted next to a mango pot so it gets auto watered with the mango.  I can get maters 8 mos. out of the year.   Other greenhouses had a 24" walkway down the middle using cheap big box store 8X16" gray cinderblock type pavers (8 + 16 = 24") and pea gravel under the benches.  My dirt is a clay loam which can be like quick sand when wet.  I put on my old choos and make sure to keep the watering hose on the pots and not flood my floor.

The wet pad can be made by taking a 3'W roll of galvanized hardware cloth and doubling the height (length) you'll need.  You'll lay it on the ground and lay the piece of aspen pad on one end and then fold it over.  To secure the aspen I cut spikes, about 20 of them so that when you close the piece the spikes will pierce the fiber and hold it in place.  Heavy duty wire cutters will do.  Just cut and turn in 90* on a random basis. Make the finished unit overlap the framing sides about an inch so there are no air gaps, leaks around the pad.  Hang on nails at the top or anyway it's convenient.  Attach a closed gutter trough on the bottom below the pads to catch the dripping water.  Using a cheap pond pump to recycle the water, run a flexible tube from the pump which is sitting at one end of the gutter trough to a holy 3/4" PVC pipe above the pads, end being closed. Use a 1/8" bit, holes spaced about every inch or so.   It's cheap, very effective.

Good luck!

« Last Edit: November 30, 2017, 10:49:48 AM by Mark in Texas »

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #27 on: November 30, 2017, 02:22:55 PM »
Thanks Mark, I think the wet pad will be an easy bolt up deal.  Will install it on the same thermostat as the fan and shutters.  My only issue will be the shutter motor may be in the way.  Will have to figure that out. 

So I got the wiggle wire rail on the base boards and end hoops and am installing a 28x48ft piece of 6mil UV poly today.   The hoop house footpri t is 16x44'.  Have a few friends coming to help.  Will be installing the end wall plastic next then it will be usable.  I can switch to a hard plastic end wall covering later if needed.  For now I am trying to save $.

Here is a greenhouse megastore deep channel on the end hoops and farmtek channel on the base boards.  I figure I can throw another rail on the base board if needed for shade.  Although I think both products are deep enough to carry 6mil poly and shade cloth with 2 wiggle wires.



« Last Edit: November 30, 2017, 02:25:57 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #28 on: November 30, 2017, 07:40:57 PM »
Top poly went on well.  Had my neighbor and a couple other helpers come over.  End walls will be done in a day or 2.





Brad Spaugh

nattyfroootz

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #29 on: November 30, 2017, 08:40:52 PM »
Awesome! I am hopefully going to be getting my poly on saturday with two of my friends haha. Any reason you decided to do top before endwalls? Are you gonna lay extra wire on top of the existing wire? And if so does it look like there will be room on the greenhouse megastore latch channel? I actually bought the channel form GHmegastore and farmtek also haha.  I'll post pictures when I get to my greenhouse tomorrow
Grow cooler fruits

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spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #30 on: November 30, 2017, 08:49:13 PM »
I did the top first because I may need to modify the end walls later so it will be easier to leave the top alone if its on bottom I figure.  Yes I put GHMegastore deep channel on the end rails and farmtek on bottom.  I think I like the farmtek better.  Its just about as deep but the wire is thinner.  Either will hold 2 rails.  Maybe 3.  The farmtek rail is tapered without a bottom demple thing too so the wire fits in easier.  The GHMega stuff has to be crammed into the bottom of the rail. 

If I was starting over I would put 2 hoops at each end and run farm tek double rail on the end hoops and baseboard.  Then you could run 2 layers and shade easily.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2017, 08:54:27 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

nattyfroootz

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #31 on: December 01, 2017, 07:30:20 PM »
I did the top first because I may need to modify the end walls later so it will be easier to leave the top alone if its on bottom I figure.  Yes I put GHMegastore deep channel on the end rails and farmtek on bottom.  I think I like the farmtek better.  Its just about as deep but the wire is thinner.  Either will hold 2 rails.  Maybe 3.  The farmtek rail is tapered without a bottom demple thing too so the wire fits in easier.  The GHMega stuff has to be crammed into the bottom of the rail. 

If I was starting over I would put 2 hoops at each end and run farm tek double rail on the end hoops and baseboard.  Then you could run 2 layers and shade easily.

I see, I purchased the regular channel from GH megastore and was a little worried it wouldnt fit two wires and two layers of poly but I did a little test today and it looks like it should be all good.
Here's where I am right now, 12'x20' sitting on a ton of top soil for the first time in my life. Very stoked to plant in the ground. 


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spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #32 on: December 01, 2017, 07:59:30 PM »
Great I love it.  Looks like you are doing roll up sides maybe?

I was going to do that but we have a lot of rodents and rattle snakes that go after them.  Trying to keep mine well sealed so the critters dont get in.  I have to always be on the lookout for rattle snakes here.  Almost stepped on many.
« Last Edit: December 01, 2017, 08:03:58 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #33 on: December 02, 2017, 08:28:31 AM »
Looks awesome.   Your comment about rattlesnakes is interesting. 
« Last Edit: December 27, 2017, 10:08:36 AM by Mark in Texas »

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #34 on: December 03, 2017, 04:17:05 PM »
Got the plastic all tacked on today.  Its cooking in the HH, was around 90F in there and its in the high 70s outside.  Need to get power to this thing and do something with the floor and its good to go.

« Last Edit: December 03, 2017, 04:19:35 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

boxturtle

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #35 on: December 11, 2017, 01:05:02 PM »
how did it withstand the winds?

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #36 on: December 11, 2017, 01:18:38 PM »
No problems with the wind.  We are on top of a mountain and get severe winds.  All the plants inside were spared from the wind.  Everything outside is looking parched. Which is nice because now I know there is no worries with wind and the HH.  Its quite sturdy. 

I have the fan and shutters on a thermostat and am keeping it in the 90s during the days.  It dips down at night so a heat source may be in the future.  Cool thing is all the mango plants in there that were stalled out for winter are now flushing again.  Will post some more photos soon.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2017, 01:21:46 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #37 on: December 11, 2017, 03:34:42 PM »
by the way, the hoops are all concreted into the ground.  The hoops are 1-3/8" top rail bent with a bender.  And there are 1-5/8" pipes concreted into the ground sticking up for the hoops to screw into. 
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #38 on: December 12, 2017, 09:03:35 AM »
Looks great.  My floor is raw clay loam dirt.  Makes raking a lot easier than dealing with leaves that get stuck in rock and such.  Solid floor would solve that.  My elves recently raked and bagged up about 30# of leaves for my veggie garden.

boxturtle

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #39 on: December 12, 2017, 12:34:58 PM »
would the fans still do anything if it's 105 outside? 

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #40 on: December 12, 2017, 01:29:38 PM »
There will be a 50% shade over it and an evaporative cooler sitting in front of the air intake during summer.
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #41 on: December 13, 2017, 08:27:49 AM »
There will be a 50% shade over it and an evaporative cooler sitting in front of the air intake during summer.

Someone's gonna be doing some tweeks!  Been there, done that.  I have 2 5,000CFM swamp coolers and they are marginal even at a RH of 25*.  Pad area is just too small.  Am considering a high pressure flash system as the coolers are worthless and a bitch to maintain - float valves screw up, salts build up in the pads.

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #42 on: December 13, 2017, 11:03:20 AM »
What is the volume of your GH Mark?  Mine is about 4000CF.  I have room for 18sq ft of wed pad and a 4000CFM fan already. I may go with a fog system but they cost $$$.

The thing is here its super dry.  Its literally been 1% humidity all week.  Its pretty much bone dry all the time when I would need a cooler running.  Since I am surround by several miles of native vegetation in all directions there is just no moisture in the air.  The guys living in town don't get as dry as here with all of the landscaping and irrigation going on there.

Its so dry here even a low pressure mist system may be enough to really drop the temps quick. 

I am planning on getting a 150 gal per day RO system too so I have pure water to use on the plants.  I could always go bigger with that and use some RO for cooling also if it helps keep things clean.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2017, 11:08:01 AM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #43 on: December 14, 2017, 09:36:41 AM »
What is the volume of your GH Mark?  Mine is about 4000CF.  I have room for 18sq ft of wed pad and a 4000CFM fan already. I may go with a fog system but they cost $$$.

The thing is here its super dry.  Its literally been 1% humidity all week.  Its pretty much bone dry all the time when I would need a cooler running.  Since I am surround by several miles of native vegetation in all directions there is just no moisture in the air.  The guys living in town don't get as dry as here with all of the landscaping and irrigation going on there.

Its so dry here even a low pressure mist system may be enough to really drop the temps quick. 

I am planning on getting a 150 gal per day RO system too so I have pure water to use on the plants.  I could always go bigger with that and use some RO for cooling also if it helps keep things clean.

My greenhouse is 31 X 37 X 18 peak, or about 16,000 Cu. Ft.

Spent a lot of time researching R/O and pressure nozzle systems.   Everything has some frickin' caveat. For example, due to my water quality I need a salt water conditioner before the R/O unit or you'll have a lot of wear and tear and maintenance changing out membranes.  R/O technology was founded on purifying salt water.  Then there's the tank.  There's a cheap, self contained 96 gal. R/O system, float valve, the whole enchilada that I looked into for whole house R/O.    You will definately need the RH so any kind of water cooling system would be great.  I can see it now, based on the single digit RH the internal temp of your greenhouse will be 40F.   Am a bit shocked you're able to grow much of anything under those RH numbers.

Here's a few links out of dozens collected.

http://www.raindancewatersystems.com/whole-house-reverse-osmosis.html

https://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/

Template Assisted Crystallization, TAC.  Saw one of these in action feeding an outdoors patio flash system at an Austin restaurant.  It was amazing.  No white dusting of the tropical trees and plants.  Austin water is limestone based and rock hard.
https://www.purewaterproducts.com/articles/template-assisted-crystallization

Misting

https://www.advancedmistingsystems.com/misting-pumps/

http://www.mistingdirect.com/


spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #44 on: December 14, 2017, 10:13:56 AM »
Thanks for all the links Mark.

Yes it is exceptionally dry right now.  Has not rained in 9 months.  I am surprised things are growing too.  All my plants are looking so much happier already inside the hoop house.  I had about 100 potted plants outside that are now inside.  I go out there and just hose it down inside and it keeps the RH around 30% inside the HH.  Do you have a preferred temperature and humidity that you can suggest Mark?  I asked Simon and he thought 90F and 50% was good but he wasnt really sure.  Since its so dry, its not hard to adjust the RH to where it needs to be.  And keeping the HH around 90 seems to work well also.  The fan runs on medium about half the time.

 Besides fruit trees, we also use a lot of cactus and succulents in our landscaping.  You can see why.

For the fruit trees, mulch mulch mulch, water water water....

Heres our water tank and power system


Happy plants
« Last Edit: December 14, 2017, 10:29:02 AM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #45 on: December 15, 2017, 10:08:06 AM »
I'd say the RH and temps is whatever is indigeous to their natural environment.  Before I embark on an kind of plant material I find out how and where they grow and try to duplicate it.  Based on your production it's pretty nice that they adjust well.

Beauty of a water/solar system!   Pumping treated water into the tank and then out as needed is fine.

spaugh

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #46 on: December 19, 2017, 11:18:41 PM »
Mark, hoop house plants are growing awesome.  Only issue right now is keeping humidity up.  I am able to keep the temps around 90+ no problem even in December.  As soon as the exhaust fan kicks on to cool it, the humidity goes super low.  I ordered misting nozzles and fittings and hose from advanced mistings.  They are pretty close to my location.  Going to plumb it all up then order a 1000psi pump in a few weeks.  Should have the cooling humidity system online in January.  Can't wait, plants are looking so good its amazing how fast they have responded.

I also got the 150gal RO system hooked up and a couple of 30 gal drums on float valves hooked to RO system.  One is pure RO and the other I am going to  mix fish fertilizer or dyna grow in.


Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #47 on: December 20, 2017, 09:43:15 AM »
Wow, what an awesome system and set up.  You've taken the stress off those plants.  Can't wait to hear how the high pressure system works.  Mind linking me to the R/O system you used?

Helper looks quite amused too.

spaugh

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Brad Spaugh

Mark in Texas

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Re: Hoop house
« Reply #49 on: December 22, 2017, 08:08:15 AM »
Heres a ling to the RO system.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MYVS35X/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513783347&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hydrologic+ro+150

Thanks.  I have been on the fence since my well water TDS is so high, 800 ppm plus.  What is your TDS and how often do you expect to replace the membranes?