Author Topic: My new grow room + update on the mango tree in Canada! Lycheeluva chime in! (Read 12899 times)

samuelforest · « **on:** July 29, 2012, 09:05:19 PM »

Hi Greenthumbs! Me and my friend just built a grow room with panda film for the winter. What is nice about that setup is that I can remove the panda film each summer, because it's mounted on roler shade. The room is 8 feet by 6 feet 8 inches. I will put soon a 1000w mh grow light. I did too an update on the mango by video aslo for the grow room.

Here are they:

[IMG]

samuelforest · « **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2012, 09:05:54 PM »

Sorry for my english, as some of you know my first language is french.

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 30, 2012, 10:40:25 AM »

Hi Samual,
No need to apologize for your english

Je comprends bien votre anglais

That's very clever to use panda film for a grow room

I went low-tech

Just took 2 metal frames and acacia wood to make the green house stable with wire. I found a roll of thick plastic at my uncle's house and then used it to covered the whole naked frame

...that's all...nothing fancy

It worked like a charm for me

As long as you keep them alive and happy...that's mighty fine

Thanks for sharing and good luck with you grow room

I hope you get some Canadian mangos soon...fingers crossed!

samuelforest · « **Reply #3 on:** July 30, 2012, 01:23:58 PM »

Wow! It's beautiful

You made it the redneck way! Strong and heavy duty

As long as it works and your plants are happy it is not nescessary to make it fancy. Does the temperature raise a lot when the greenhouse is closed? Thanks for your wishes!

Ethan · « **Reply #4 on:** July 30, 2012, 02:15:56 PM »

Great idea Samuel, that makes it so easy! Good luck with your trees this winter.

-Ethan

Very nice also Steven, it if fun to see different people's setups.

MangoFang · « **Reply #5 on:** July 30, 2012, 02:52:18 PM »

SAMMY!!!!!!!

Way to go Canada on the Olympic Gold grow room!!!!! and Yeah, your English was fine - I thought
you could have been from Torrance, California or perhaps "the Valley"....... $:-\$

Now you can start some serious growing....Good luck ami!!!!!!

Mango Fang

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 30, 2012, 03:15:57 PM »

Quote from: samuelforest on July 30, 2012, 01:23:58 PM

Wow! It's beautiful You made it the redneck way! Strong and heavy duty As long as it works and your plants are happy it is not nescessary to make it fancy. Does the temperature raise a lot when the greenhouse is closed? Thanks for your wishes!

You bet, the temperature rises

The plants stay nice and warm throughout the night...which keep them trees chirpy

I only used the greenhouse for only few months...till spring has stabilized and no risk of cold temperature at night. I need to build another permanent greenhouse before winter to keep all my plants happy this winter

Quote from: Ethan on July 30, 2012, 02:15:56 PM

-Ethan
Very nice also Steven, it if fun to see different people's setups.

Hi Ethan,

I was a bit embarrassed with my ''redneck'' contraption

...I just share them pics to show that you don't need something fancy to keep them seedlings alive and kick'n

samuelforest · « **Reply #7 on:** July 30, 2012, 04:41:21 PM »

Thanks Ethan

Hey Mangodog! How's the maha doing and all the other mangos? I'm waiting for a new update! I guess the harvest is not so far away for you growers from SoCal? Thanks for the compliments on the grow room

. Does peoploe from Torrance speak weird??? $:-\$ I'm still learning english.

I just wanted to know Jack because I might build one...I don't know if it is possible, but build it 10' by 10' with plastic just like you. I don't know if I could extend the growing season for like a month or two with this? Could it protect from frosts?

And guys, should I put panda film on the floor and the top or it's a waste?

Thanks

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 30, 2012, 05:16:27 PM »

Quote from: samuelforest on July 30, 2012, 04:41:21 PM

I just wanted to know Jack because I might build one...I don't know if it is possible, but build it 10' by 10' with plastic just like you. I don't know if I could extend the growing season for like a month or two with this? Could it protect from frosts?
And guys, should I put panda film on the floor and the top or it's a waste?
Thanks

Samuel,
Yes, you can extend the season for a month or two, in around fall. But, with very cold winter like you have, I don't think this will be of much help. Is this for your mango?
On the frost issue $:-\$ I cannot answer that question. Since, I don't have frost over here, only freak'n strong cold wind

.

I think it's a good idea! To put panda film both on top and bottom

CoPlantNut · « **Reply #9 on:** July 30, 2012, 06:57:06 PM »

Samuel,

Looks good!

I would suggest putting reflective film on the top and bottom to increase light usage. However, stretching panda film across the top unsupported may not work as it has a tendency to sag and stretch over time, especially once you have a hot light inside. Putting it on the floor would help reflect more light and help protect the floor from water spills, but it also can be slippery to walk on, and if water or humidity gets under the film on top of the floor it can cause mold problems. One thing you could do cheaply is to raise the plants off the floor a few inches on shelves, and put the film on top of the shelves (or just under them) so you would get air movement between the film and the floor, and still protect from water spills-- but then you can't walk on it so easily, and you lose some plant growing height. My last temporary plant growing room was set up that way, with plastic hanging under the shelves the plants went on, draped underneath so it would channel all spilled water to one end of the plant room where I collected it in buckets.

Every time I've made a new plant grow room I've learned a lot, especially after using it for a few months. There's always things I discover that I would do differently, just like with growing plants themselves!

Kevin

samuelforest · « **Reply #10 on:** July 30, 2012, 07:44:49 PM »

Jack, It's for all my plants, It doesn't get that cold in october, but I just look and the temperatures at night are close to freezing same as in April, so I won't attemp this finally.

Kevin, I won't have any molds or water spill problems because it's in my garage. I don't know if I will be able to put some panda film up because I'll need to put the light above the grow room or close too, but I'll see if I can

. An idea came out, I will panda film at the bottom and put a clear plastic over it to not damage it when I'm walking on it! Is it a good idea? Height won't be a problem my garage is very high I could have a 12' mango tree if I wanted and it wouldn't be a problem

Thanks guys!

CoPlantNut · « **Reply #11 on:** July 30, 2012, 09:11:13 PM »

Quote from: samuelforest on July 30, 2012, 07:44:49 PM

Kevin, I won't have any molds or water spill problems because it's in my garage. I don't know if I will be able to put some panda film up because I'll need to put the light above the grow room or close too, but I'll see if I can . An idea came out, I will panda film at the bottom and put a clear plastic over it to not damage it when I'm walking on it! Is it a good idea? Height won't be a problem my garage is very high I could have a 12' mango tree if I wanted and it wouldn't be a problem

Samuel,

You can always make a "tent" out of the panda film over the light, like I did in one of my previous plant room incarnations:

For this I had just taped mylar to the sides of the board my light-moving rail was mounted to, and the other end of the mylar was attached to the top of the "walls". For this temporary plant room I had concrete cinder blocks holding up 3 parallel 12-foot long 4-inch by 4-inch lumber, with black plastic draped over the 4x4's such that any water would spill to one end of the plant room (the end in the first picture-- clear plastic is hung over where the draped plastic would empty out any water). I put plastic shelves spanning the 4x4's and put the plants on those so I didn't have to use saucers for the pots and could flush the pots with water if I wanted. It worked rather well for something that took me a few hours to build, but it didn't keep in the humidity or heat very well due to all the openings. Humidity from the plants would condense on the windows to my basement and started to grow mold, so that wasn't good either.

Putting clear plastic on top of the panda film on the floor will offer some protection, but also another layer to slip on, and the clear plastic isn't really "clear"- it steals a lot of light. It is likely to get dirty and even less clear over time, so I would just put panda film on the floor with no clear plastic on top. Such thin plastic is likely to be cut and torn over time by walking on it, so you may need to replace it after a while, but in my opinion another layer of clear plastic on top wouldn't make it last much longer. My current plant room floor is 1/2-inch thick white UV-resistant HDPE plastic meant for boat decks or cutting boards and it works great, but it wasn't cheap or easy to get- in fact it was the most expensive single part of my plant room. It should last for decades though!

Kevin

samuelforest · « **Reply #12 on:** July 30, 2012, 09:22:54 PM »

Thank you very much Kevin

It is nice to see other people growing things in northern climates

. The bad news is that mean my job is not over...I'll work on this.

CoPlantNut · « **Reply #13 on:** July 30, 2012, 09:35:27 PM »

Samuel,

The job is never done- there's always more to do!

In case you haven't seen it from some of my previous posts, you can see pictures of the construction of my current plant room at:

http://photobucket.com/cprc

Disclaimer: This room took me months to build...

Kevin

samuelforest · « **Reply #14 on:** July 30, 2012, 09:49:22 PM »

I just looked Kevin and I don't have enough panda film left to do a top for the room...there's still 50 inches left over my room where there's nothing. I won't put anything there for the moment even if I can still put panda film on the top, because I'm scared of burning it with the light because it will be relatively be close to the top. I might change my mind, we will see. Thanks for the pictures by the way

samuelforest · « **Reply #15 on:** July 30, 2012, 09:57:04 PM »

This is amazing! Your room is so nice

It is really well built it should stay strong for years. What's the size of it? Just wondering I'm curious, how much did it cost you? Mine only cost me 58$ for now and with the lights I guess 358$+ a top maybye 388$? Did you put any reflective material or you painted it flat white?

CoPlantNut · « **Reply #16 on:** July 30, 2012, 10:37:21 PM »

Samuel,

If you get a light mover to move your light back and forth, you'll have happier plants and you won't have the "hot spots" that come from having the light in one place all the time. Bamboo poles could be used to cheaply support reflective film at the top.

My current plant room is 15 feet by 12 feet. Plants just keep growing; no matter how big you make it, you'll always wish it was larger.

My plant room ceiling and walls are lined with "Orca film" which is similar to Panda film, but is flat white, doesn't stretch, puncture or tear easily, and (of course) is therefore more expensive. The Orca film is hung inside 1/16" PVC plastic sheets which provide the air- and water-tight shell of the room. If you look at the descriptions for the photos on the link I included above you can find what materials I used and why I used them.

The whole room was expensive... About $800 in wood, $400 in screws, $700 in aluminum tubing and angle, $2500 in plastic flooring, $800 in rubber, $600 in PVC plastic sheets, $700 in Orca film, $1000 in lights, $300 in plumbing, $2200 in rust-proof shelving on casters, and about $500 in other materials, so it was around $10,000 in total. Keep in mind that this is my 8th incarnation of a plant room, each building upon the learning experiences from the past, and I tried this time to make one that would last, work well, be easy to clean and maintain, and fit the most plants possible. I've been told by a couple real estate agents that I could probably sell the house based on the plant room alone and recover my costs- though the buyer would probably not be growing ornamental or fruiting plants.

Kevin

samuelforest · « **Reply #17 on:** July 31, 2012, 10:06:51 AM »

Wow, very nice. As you said the medicinal marijuana is legal. I wouldn't be surprise it would been sold fast

Another question, what is the plumbing for?

SWRancher · « **Reply #18 on:** July 31, 2012, 10:43:22 AM »

Whats Panda film and why use it? Samuel do you grow any temperate fruits outdoors too?

CoPlantNut · « **Reply #19 on:** July 31, 2012, 11:10:04 AM »

SWRancher,

Panda film is plastic sheeting (about 4 mil, if I recall correctly) that is black on one side and white on the other side. The white side is used for reflecting light back into a plant growing area, while the black side absorbs any light that's going through the film so you can't see the lights on the other side. It is basically a replacement for mylar, and has some advantages over mylar film, not least of which is that you don't get blinded by mirror-like reflections of very bright light bulbs when you're inside the plant room. If the edges are sealed together with tape, panda film, mylar or other plastic sheeting can be used to contain humidity and heat within a plant growing area as well.

Samuel,

My grow room is basically the basement equivalent of a greenhouse- a completely water-tight and air-tight structure. I water and mist plants with a hose, and the water that runs through the pots (as well as spilled dirt, leaves, etc) is carried away by a sloped water-tight floor to a sewer drain. I don't have to worry about puddles forming on the floor.

The plumbing supplies were for:

the drain filter system (so I don't clog my sewer lines with sand or leaves)
Connecting the plant room to my house water supply so I have access to water inside the plant room via hose bibs
a water filtration and storage system which removes chlorine from the tap water and allows it to reach ambient temperature before use (it comes out of the faucet at 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter here- tropical plants don't like that!)
a fertilizer mixing tank and pump so I can mix up 20 gallons of water-soluble fertilizer at a time and adjust the PH before using it to water the plants via hose;
an in-room sink which I use for washing pots, hands, etc. without having to be concerned about clogging up my sewer (the drain filter captures it)
the various pipes required to move the water between all of these things.

Kevin

samuelforest · « **Reply #20 on:** July 31, 2012, 12:04:23 PM »

Wow Kevin, really your a god! I don't what's your job, but your good in building things

It might be ralated to your job.

SWRancher, yea I do grow I couple of temperate fruits. I have a 10 year old bartlet pear tree, an asian pear tree (Nashi pear), rasberries, strawberries, Kiwis and that's all. I am not a huge fan of apples and cherries, so that's why I don't have those trees.

CoPlantNut · « **Reply #21 on:** July 31, 2012, 12:16:16 PM »

I write computer software for a living; after sitting in front of a computer all day, I'm not really interested in sitting in the evenings, so I garden and build things.

Kevin

samuelforest · « **Reply #22 on:** July 31, 2012, 01:19:47 PM »

???A natural talent!

Pancrazio · « **Reply #23 on:** July 31, 2012, 08:42:19 PM »

I'm not good as kevin in building thing, but i also have my hard time keeping mango alive here. Luckily (for me) my winters are ways hotter then yours, but we should be more or less at same latitude.
Well, i came up with this structure, that solves, for me, a problem similiar to the one you might be experiencing.
If you aren't scared by my messy english, take a look. I don't assure it can work for you, but it can be an idea.

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=358.0

samuelforest · « **Reply #24 on:** July 31, 2012, 09:45:47 PM »

I knew that you build a structure, I follewed you on garden web with the same name. I remember last year you had a unusual cold winter, but your mango tree survived. I never thought that it could be so cold in Italy in winter. It is truly a well built stucture. The temperature you posted, was it without a heater and during the day? I'm really surprised your mango survived at those temperature, 6celsius and lower is really cold for a mango. I think it lacked from a embryo, because it was too cold when the tree flowered. I will never be scared of your english and I can't make my opinion on this since I'm french. Our winters are way colder as you said. We can get -20 to -30 sometimes, but not for a long time. Do you plan to buy another mango? How's the fruiting seedling doing?

Thanks by the way for the idea

News:

Author Topic: My new grow room + update on the mango tree in Canada! Lycheeluva chime in! (Read 12899 times)