Allotments 4 All
Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: wilko on April 05, 2007, 23:11:13
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:'( :'( this is my first year 'growing my own' got the greenhouse, dug the beds, I had tomato plants about 4" high,chillis, cucumbers,basil,etc I nurtured them every day, but today i forgot :-[ I left the house and didn't open the greenhouse, or the mini greenhouse in it, and when I got home, they were all cooked :'( :'( temp was 120 + in the mini, over a 100 in the house I don't think I can salvage any thing, is it too late to start again??
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dry your eyes wilko...no, it's not too late - honest! :-*
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Aw Wilko :'( Happened to me last year with the mini in the greenhouse, lost all my tom seedlings. It's not been allowed back in their since and now lives outside the greenhouse for hardening them off.
No, you're not too late - have you got any more seed and a torch? You could pop down to the greenhouse and sow some now!! ;)
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Mine gone the same wilko. A combination of really hot green house and low evening temps. I'm going to be nice to wife see if she'll let me use windowsills.
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I have some flower seedlings in the greenhouse. Temp went up to 40C yesterday all seem fine. Going to fit another auto vent today.
What is the max a greenhouse should be allowed to get to ?
Not sure if my dial Max/Min 100% accurate although it should be for a tenner.
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Thanks for the sympathy folks :'( I still feel sick about it this morning :( I never thought this growing your own lark would be easy, but i thought maybe some nasty disease or virus could get the better of me, never thought it would be my own blinking memory ( another senior moment :-[ ah well) . Do you think I could use the seedling compost again, or should I start fresh?? ( could that be cooked as well ???)
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Wilko - I only sowed toms etc last week, roughly the same as last year, so no (I hope!!) it's not too late to sow again. Are you ok for seeds? I have a few cucumber and chilli seeds I could let you have, and maybe toms - I'll have to go look for the latter. Just pm me if you want them.
There's also small plants from the allotment shop/ garden centre to grow on if you think it's all a bit time critical now.
Cheers
Ellkebe
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I'm only just sowing mine for a cold 'house.
Max temp? For most things, 80F.
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Thanks ellkebe, I'm ok for seeds ;) and slowly cheering up, maybe all is not lost eh! :)
Tim how can you regulate the temp in a green house ? :-\
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You can't!! I was just about to come back on this.
We have 24 vents & use shading & we still exceed the 'limit' by yards!!
A Fan helps - at a price?
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I suppose the difficulty is due to our ever changing climate in this country. If we could rely on some steady weather for a few weeks we could remove some glass from oppposite the greenhouse door and get the hot air to circulate through, a bit like a glass poly tunnel, hmm, might try it.
If I get some rolled up polythene to cover the back of the greenhouse at night it might just work, a bit like a soft top greenhouse ;D ;D ;D
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Does anyone have any thoughts on watering the floor of the greenhouse to take the temperature down a bit? I know it would only be a temporary measure as it would evaporate pretty quickly, but would it help to do it just around mid day if the temperatures soar again this summer?
cj :)
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Does anyone have any thoughts on watering the floor of the greenhouse
I wouldn't do it at this time of the year!
With the extremes in weather we have been having recently (warm days/cold night) it plays havoc with the humidity in the greenhouse. If you are like me and have a greenhouse/s full of seedlings the risk of 'damping off' is increased in my opinion.
I like to keep the air in my greenhouse as dry as possible at this time of year, and I can only do this if I am not throwing water all over the place and by keeping up with ventilation (but not draughts) when I can.
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So that's a daft idea then :-[
cj :)
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Your idea isn't daft, in fact greenhouse gardeners have been using water as a method of lowering temperature and providing a degree of humidity in Summer for many years but seedlings do keel over with very little provocation sometimes.
I start mine off on a windowsill in the spare bedroom, not quite so much light but a very constant temperature, turn them regularly to avoid wobbly stem syndrome and keep moist. When they are a little more robust they will be fine outside
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So that's a daft idea then
As Gazfoz says it is alright in 'summer' but I as I mentioned I don't think it is a good idea at this time of the year.
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Yes & yes!!
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So sorry to hear about your plants Wilko. We have just had a second greenhouse and it sits in the sun whereas the old one is part shady. I couldn't believe it when I went in there. had to take the cover off the mini GH. I cover it with fleece to shade it. Does the trick. Thats the problem this time of year the weather can be so changeable. My plants are in one day and out the next. Soon we will be having to shade all the time and water. Crazy eh!. I hope you manage to get some more plants. I bet you won't do the same thing again will you.
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Just sow them again, they'll be fine.
Like Tim, I'm only just sowing mine. I find they're much better if sown late, they grow up much tougher and they only need TLC for a few weeks. Treat 'em mean .... ;D
When I used to sow them in March ( or even Feb when I couldn't contain myself :o), they needed constant mollycoddling, grew into pathetic sickly plants and often died so I would have to plant more - then they grew much better.
So that was a lesson learnt.
Do have to give 'em a bit of tlc though , throughout April & May, then they go outside and fend for themselves but they usually do me proud ;D
Terri
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I've been seriously thinking about putting one of those plastic tarpaulines over the greenhouse roof while the sun has been so hot and strong during the day. It will let through some light when it's on. If I put it on about 11.00 ish and take it off about 5.00 ish, do you think it might work or am I having one of my "moments" ::)
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I've been seriously thinking about putting one of those plastic tarpaulines over the greenhouse roof
Have you considered just draping fleece over your plants or pinning/fixing it to the roof of the greenhouse.
I find this is as good as blinds or paint on shading.
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The exact same thing happened to me last year. I bought new plastic greenhouses again this year but the small ones cover ripped down the side of the zip after the first day so it provides excellent ventilation LOL... and the bigger greenhouse seems not to cook everything.
Good luck with second sowings.
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Hello grand day again. Would the plantsget enough light if you put a tarpaulin over the top? When you say fleece do you mean the white stuff? I suppose that would let some light through but keep the temps down. Or is bubble wrap best? Ihave to try something this week.
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That's it, think I'm going to go the fleece route, will bring some back from the plot today. Will have to give it a wash first though! ;D
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Have had to take the brassicas and lettuce out of the greenhouse each day...
:-\
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It`s not too late to sow again, I hack on about this at times but `off the peg` greenhouses do not have enough ventilation-it`s well worth the extra expense to get additional vents and louvres.
I admit that automatic vents do got come free but they should last for years and can save heartbreak
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This time of year I use the conservatory instead as it doesn't get as hot or cold as the greenhouse. The fan gives air movement if needed and opening it to the house helps regulate temperature.
Convenient too, as you can check plants whilst eating breakfast!
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As I've just put on another thread, I nearly did the same thing to my melon seedlings this morning, it was 80 degrees in my 'cold' greenhouse at 9am, higher in the mini greenhouses inside that! 8)
I'm still sowing some tomatoes for outdoor growing, always useful to have a few spares and stagger the maturity a bit...well that's my excuse!
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So that's a daft idea then :-[
cj :)
Not daft at all - just not a good idea at this time of year. I have 6ft x8ft with two side vents, a roof vent and leave the door open and last summer spraying water all over the place and watering the floor in the mornings was the only way I could keep the heat down.
I lost a lot of my tom seeds by sowing in too soggy soil this year - got a terribly low propagation rate. Bit of a b*gg*r when a lot were F1 and only come 10 seeds to a packet! But nil desperandum, will be replanting any day now. I remember planting some at this time last year and it wasn't too late. In fact found they tended to catch up with the earlier ones.
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:)just an update folks,
I started again, and so far every thing is fine, discarded the plastic cover to the mini greenhouse, and use it as shelving only, and everything gets shaded with fleece when the sun is strong, I've just to sow the cucumber now or is it too late for that?
The radishes and turnips have germinated in raised beds, and you'll all be glad to know that my upside down potatoes ('this is not a late April fool ' thread in Basics) have come to the surface, after a long battle ;D ;D
oh I am mightily pleased ;D
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Hi Wilko, I know I am repeating myself, I said this on another thread a couple weeks ago but, when you shade the GH, make sure the shading is on the outside. ;)
The glass still soaks up the heat despite the shading when you use it on the inside, and all it does is shade the plant from the light of the sun.
I heard this on GW years ago and although I have not tried both ways, it makes perfect sense so it's got to be worth doing.
I use old bamboo window blinds (only £3-£5 each brand new) on mine, laid on sideways and attached with tie wraps at one end, roll and unroll daily if need be.
Good luck with your new stuff! :D
Donna
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:)ok thanks Donna, I'll have a go at that, makes perfect sense really dosen't it! ::) :)
thought for the day !!!!
I must put my brain in gear ;D ;D
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I find shading paint is a very heap and easy option. use a long-handled broom if you can't reach, and it just wipes off afterwards. Trouble is , deciding when to put it on! I also have some of my glass bubble-wrapped, originally for winter but it also provides shade for summer, although after a couple of years it rots in the sun.
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That Bamboo sounds a good idea. I got round my problem by opening door and vents on a morning and closing again at teatime. Not a problem as i'm up there more often now.