So im from the pacific northwest and it rains alot. Im in the process of putting up 2 green houses side by side about 10x30. Ill be growing veggies if at all possible from seed in humidity domes and rockwell cubes etc and also cannabis from clones . Now more importantly the cannabis is in promix 3 gallon pots atm going to 7s or 10 gallon fabric pots eventually. I just use advanced nutrients line the 3 part with most of the additives. Waters gonna be collected via rain barrels. Now im curious will my veggie starts do well in that green house in promix or should i use some miracle grow for the veggies etc ? Also i been pilling grass clippings and old used promix in a pile out on the back lawn for over a year. Is there anything i can do with that? It smells horrible heh.. planned on using it to grow the veggies but then thought about how much nasty outdoor stuffs in that by now. How do people use that compost? Ill probally be spraying massive neem oil every week heh or ill just grow from all fresh dirt and use that for something else.any suggestions?
Advice on 1st outdoor grow and green house design?
- Thread starter corinth
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The "promixgardening" website appears to have lots of (or at least several) articles about food-crop gardening, so I expect so. I don't recall off the top of my head whether the company is still a sponsor, so I won't post a link - but "9 Fantastic Veggies to Grow in Containers" is one such article.
I was once told that, when adding grass clippings to a compost pile, that I should "add an equal amount of brown to the green," in other words, a 50:50 ratio of grass clippings to fallen leaves. Something about providing a more balanced macronutrient profile, since the grass clippings are probably relatively high in nitrogen. Or... something, lol, IDK.
What's the average pH of your local rain?
I was once told that, when adding grass clippings to a compost pile, that I should "add an equal amount of brown to the green," in other words, a 50:50 ratio of grass clippings to fallen leaves. Something about providing a more balanced macronutrient profile, since the grass clippings are probably relatively high in nitrogen. Or... something, lol, IDK.
What's the average pH of your local rain?
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- #3
Thats a very good question im not sure of atm but i did recently buy a ph meter and ph up and down. Was just texting my friend about collecting rainwater for the garden. I dont know exactly what im doing yet but im really excited and ive been just trying to get em up and running.
(Assuming it's a decent digital one instead of an analog toy...) Remember to get the proper calibration solutions, too. And storage solution, if its manufacturer recommends storing it with its probe in something other than pH 4 buffer/calibration solution.
Simon Limon
Well-Known Member
I'm between Mount Baker and Puget Sound. My first grow, last year, was both inside a greenhouse and a couple of plants outside. This year I'm having odd issues but hope to get all the plants outdoors once the weather warms up.
I also do a lot of gardening for vegetables, berries, etc. I wouldn't worry about pH of the rainwater -- in fact, based on my experience last year I'm not worrying much about the soil just as long as it is rich and reasonably balanced with nutrients. Last year I spent a lot of $$ on fancy cannabis amendments. The plants grew really well but did they grow a lot better than other vegetables in the garden? Not really.
Check out my journal, both last year and this new one -- it is easy to go overboard on amendments but in my experience basic good gardening techniques are the "secret" to success.
I also do a lot of gardening for vegetables, berries, etc. I wouldn't worry about pH of the rainwater -- in fact, based on my experience last year I'm not worrying much about the soil just as long as it is rich and reasonably balanced with nutrients. Last year I spent a lot of $$ on fancy cannabis amendments. The plants grew really well but did they grow a lot better than other vegetables in the garden? Not really.
Check out my journal, both last year and this new one -- it is easy to go overboard on amendments but in my experience basic good gardening techniques are the "secret" to success.
You make a good point, Simon.
On the other hand, what does "really well but not really a lot better" equate to? By that, I mean... If you spent $250 more than otherwise, and it only increased your yield a few grams, then it's obviously not worth it (unless it also improved the taste/etc. and you care about those things). On the other hand, if you spent $50 more and ended up with 28 more grams... Well, then it becomes more debatable. I've read that, in some locations, a pound of bud goes for $900 (although that might be wholesale pricing, IDK). In others, a lid (ounce) might be $300 or even higher. Last Summer, I decided to buy my brother a gram for his birthday and ended up having to pay $20
.
But I'm guessing that you live in a region where it's legal to grow cannabis openly, since you're growing it both outdoors and in a greenhouse, so I suppose you could just grow an additional plant if you want a greater yield, come to think of it, lol.
On the other hand, what does "really well but not really a lot better" equate to? By that, I mean... If you spent $250 more than otherwise, and it only increased your yield a few grams, then it's obviously not worth it (unless it also improved the taste/etc. and you care about those things). On the other hand, if you spent $50 more and ended up with 28 more grams... Well, then it becomes more debatable. I've read that, in some locations, a pound of bud goes for $900 (although that might be wholesale pricing, IDK). In others, a lid (ounce) might be $300 or even higher. Last Summer, I decided to buy my brother a gram for his birthday and ended up having to pay $20
.But I'm guessing that you live in a region where it's legal to grow cannabis openly, since you're growing it both outdoors and in a greenhouse, so I suppose you could just grow an additional plant if you want a greater yield, come to think of it, lol.
Simon Limon
Well-Known Member
I understand why many growers go to great lengths (and expense) to grow the very best cannabis. I should have mentioned in my reply to you that my needs are a lot less than some, mainly medical. I have a permit which allows me to grow far more than I could possibly use.
I had a lot of fun with my grow last year, countless hours spent in the greenhouse, several pricey trips to the hydroponics store for supplies, etc. etc. This year I'm too busy growing our food to give the same kind of attention to the cannabis.
When I was getting ready for my first grow I happened to meet the owners of two different commercial cannabis farms. Both gave me the exact same three words of advice on my grow: "Keep it simple."
I had a lot of fun with my grow last year, countless hours spent in the greenhouse, several pricey trips to the hydroponics store for supplies, etc. etc. This year I'm too busy growing our food to give the same kind of attention to the cannabis.
When I was getting ready for my first grow I happened to meet the owners of two different commercial cannabis farms. Both gave me the exact same three words of advice on my grow: "Keep it simple."
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- #8
Ya
Ya i litterally prolly live bout an hr from you heh by seattle. But ya i can grow 15 on my card or what not but yea man i got these green houses going up and fogure ill just keep em all in pots like id normally do but maybe just get alot bigger pots and keep to my same recipe with advanced nutes n promix etc. Ill spray neem once a week judt because till flower. I get clones from lake stevens nursery for medical its noce for non 502 producers heh same clones they get though hehe. Right on bro ya man just about fonished with a small 8x8 i reinforced with 2x4 and brackets etc and soon im hopong to finish setting up this other bigger 10x20 carport i plan on doing the same with. I would really love to just grab some compodt and try it but maybe if i was actually outside with them rather then in a green house. Hey so i plan on running a dehumidifer out in the green houses after summer and ill prolly have some fans in their also. What all do you need to sucessfully grow in a green house?
Simon Limon
Well-Known Member
Corinth, I have two greenhouses: one is a 10x20' Costco shelter frame covered on top (no sides) with UV protected plastic (buy on Amazon). The other is 14 x 20, a wooden frame fully covered, with double doors on each end. The hazard to avoid is overheating -- once the weather turns warm I do not close the greenhouse fully, only adjust the doors to keep it under 90º. I also pruned and trained my plants heavily last year to avoid having them reach the roof -- again, see my last year's journal.
The downside of a greenhouse is that you are creating a great environment for pests, mold and disease -- so my advice is to think of it as a grow tunnel and avoid shutting it up very tight. When the fall comes and we get back to foggy damp cool weather you'll want to watch your plants like a hawk and remove mold immediately. A fan could help but once the mold started I was forced to begin harvesting buds earlier than I wanted. (I still got enough for years, however!)
Consider leaving the sides open on your larger greenhouse. Plants can thrive with moderate temperatures but I've seen the inside temp go from 75 to 105 very quickly once the sun breaks out of the clouds. Cooked plants aren't likely to recover. Be cautious.
As for compost, I think you can do just fine with an organic bagged compost from Costco or similar store. I grew my plants in 20 gallon fabric bags. This year I'll add my own garden compost to one of last year's vegetable beds, feed with liquid fish fertilizer, Cal-Mag, and maybe some feather meal -- and I'll be very surprised if this doesn't give me a big crop. (Assuming, of course, we have an actual summer.)
Last year:
The downside of a greenhouse is that you are creating a great environment for pests, mold and disease -- so my advice is to think of it as a grow tunnel and avoid shutting it up very tight. When the fall comes and we get back to foggy damp cool weather you'll want to watch your plants like a hawk and remove mold immediately. A fan could help but once the mold started I was forced to begin harvesting buds earlier than I wanted. (I still got enough for years, however!)
Consider leaving the sides open on your larger greenhouse. Plants can thrive with moderate temperatures but I've seen the inside temp go from 75 to 105 very quickly once the sun breaks out of the clouds. Cooked plants aren't likely to recover. Be cautious.
As for compost, I think you can do just fine with an organic bagged compost from Costco or similar store. I grew my plants in 20 gallon fabric bags. This year I'll add my own garden compost to one of last year's vegetable beds, feed with liquid fish fertilizer, Cal-Mag, and maybe some feather meal -- and I'll be very surprised if this doesn't give me a big crop. (Assuming, of course, we have an actual summer.)
Last year:
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- #10
Thx bro wow yea thats amazing hehe. Even if it was just for the experience id do it. My buddy n his wife grow outdoor n made 100 gallon monster. I got 1 green house completely wrapped up in just some painters plastic. But that uv sounds alot more necessary if i want more long term. So basically im planning on using this mesh screen roll for vents i guess. Dont really wanna open up the bottom half but as you mention it gets hot af in their heh. Was thinking of running an extension cord out there for some fans or something i could use conduit but its like 60 ft away and over a hill. Figure ill run some sort of fans and dehumidi . Hoping i can get the heat down in those hot summer days down somehow. I wonder if an enclosed area like a green house could benefit from co2 tanks. I hear with co2 it can be in the 90s n higher decently and they benefit alot. I wonder if it can be used in a green house.
Simon Limon
Well-Known Member
I have no idea about CO2 tanks... but I'm not trying to produce killer bud and prefer to keep the cost and fiddling to a minimum. Remember, everything you do beyond the basics of good gardening technique will also introduce another risk factor. Overheating, overdosing, over watering, over pruning... I got those out of my system last year but I really wasn't getting as geeky as many people here with their grows.
I just checked a few minutes ago: 52º outside and 61º in the greenhouse, fully closed. The tomatoes and vegetables are growing slowly but surely and the cannabis are just sitting there, waiting for summer!
I just checked a few minutes ago: 52º outside and 61º in the greenhouse, fully closed. The tomatoes and vegetables are growing slowly but surely and the cannabis are just sitting there, waiting for summer!
No doubt. They don't let just anyone (openly) grow cannabis here, but they do have food-crops in greenhouses and, of course, general plant nurseries have them. Every single one has a huge ventilation fan at one end, up as high as it can be placed, running. Like a whole-house ventilation/exhaust fan, only larger and more powerful. But when I walk into one, it's still like walking into an oven, almost. And I'm not located in the deep-South.
Sure, if you've got really small greenhouses, lol (or are made of money and looking to spend it all on bottle refills). Of course you'll have to seal your greenhouse up so that the CO2 doesn't escape almost as quickly as you supply it. And then you're looking at temperatures that will most likely kill your plants regardless of how much gas you add. So you add air conditioning - a really powerful one, too. But it still won't keep up with the temperatures, most likely. So you frame up the walls and ceiling so you can add lots of insulation, do so, and... you no longer have a greenhouse
. Great idea, in theory. But leave the CO2 tank, monitor, valve, and dispenser indoors.CanadianJim
Well-Known Member
I use promix organic herb & vegetable blend for both cannabis and my veggies. I get much better results with tomatoes and hot peppers using promix than I did with miracle gro. I only used miracle gro soil for cannabis once, my abortive first grow. Did not go well.
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- #14
Ya i figure ill do prolly 6 vents all along the smaller 1 for the bigger green house im thinking of leaving maybe a 1 foot gap all along the bottom middle of the sides and again at the top so to have that upwards pressure. Maybe i can run a couple house fans in their to get the air movin. I dont have experience with co2 but i can get set ups on trade apps for litterally a fraction off the cost. Here in wa state where massive people are doing it and sometimes big 502s sell there equipment to the little guys and we get it dirt cheap.
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- #15
Hey simon. I was also curious about like what can we actually do with our green houses after oct/nov? Arent those the months people harvest outdoor cannabis? Can we vege cannabis all year round succesfully with green houses ? And so i have a huge vegetabke garden seed bank now and a bunch of humidity domes and all that stiff for germinating veggie seeds etc. Can we grow veggies all year round outside? Or are vegetables like cannabis too just 1 season?
You could use it to extend your flowering season and finish up some fine sativas, if you can keep it warm in there.
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- #17
How long can you extend quite awhile few months? Heh flushing these last 8 in flower grooling process when you only have 1 hose heh . Didnt come out as big as my others but i still got the others in jars heh so all good. Looks real good though. Getting my rooms cleaned out.
