b. What are the internal workings of the fogger? The fogger consists of a motor suspended vertically over a pan of water. On the lower end of the motor shaft is a pair of disks and a conical pickup that dips into the water. On the top end of the motor shaft is a propeller. When the motor starts, water is picked up and spun out across the disks at high speed. Around the disks is a fine screen. The water is thrown with great centrifugal force from the disk at high speed into the screen where it is atomized. Anything not atomized runs back into the pan of water while all the mist that is created is sucked out the top by the fan. This mist can evaporate quickly when introduced to a hot bunch of air thereby cooling the air.
c. What does the fogger do for my greenhouse? The fogger is on a special control which I made up of three controls. First the fogger fogs the greenhouse at 5AM each morning so that the little plants think that they are in the cloudforest. Next, the humidistat turns on the fogger whenever the humidity gets below about 70%. Thirdly, the fogger turns on to add moisture and help cool whenever the temperature of the top of the greenhouse gets above about 95 degrees.
The fogger is a pretty versatile device! This is the fogger 200 which has been advertised in Orchids Magazine...RKS]
paulav (Paula in Boca Raton, Florida)
Rick, with all that equipment in there, how many orchids can fit in your greenhouse?
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Lisa, that is a fogger and is used in addition to a swamp cooler. A swamp cooler is a box with water soaked pads through which is pumped air. The air evaporates some of the water in the pads and is thereby cooled. The fogger is more direct, it just pumps out the fog and the fans blow it around.
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL)
Thanks!
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Paula, believe it or not, I have about 2000 plants in that little house. There are three levels of shelves, with the bottom for cool growing stuff (like Phrag. Hanne-Popow), the middle is intermediate while the top is WARM!
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
Rick how many hours of labor a week does that all save?
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
So it seems you have 3 systems working in concert, Rick. The misters, which I gather you use primarily for watering/feeding while you're away, the Swamp cooler (of which there are none in the State of California, they are all in Texas) and the fogger.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Back to the timers and what they are for: The timers in the photo above are set so that the plants are watered completely twice a week however, with the temperature in the greenhouse and the ambient relative humidity settings, the plants dry out after a week and are a little too dry after two weeks. These
settings are by design so that hand water and some attention is required once a week. If a completely unattended environment were desired, three watering per week with about 10 - 20% additional watering time would be necessary. At that point, no attention would be necessary. Because this violates my desire to attend to the plants just a little, the watering system is set to require some attention about once each week or a little more.
Kathy, you are right. This is an agglomeration of at least three systems. They are balanced - and as you saw from the last paragraph, they take care of the plants on a week to week basis. The good news is that my plants thrived all the time while I was gone and are spiking like crazy.
Here are the valves used to control the water systems.
Fleur (Tasmania)
Wow, are you a plumber!!
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Rick, you just wowed us with your plumbing! Every time I see it I just freak! I know I could figure it out given half a day to stare at it....
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL)
Rick!! I think we're all in awe!
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS
Fleur, that looks a little complicated because I run fertilizer and RO water through the same line and need extra valves to avoid duplication of spraylines.
Fleur
Very impressive.
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
Blueprints and schematics and I could almost understand it!
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
For those of us who don't have to work outside the state, we can cut down on the # of valves!!!
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
PVC glue is a wonderful thing.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
It's simple if you think of it this way... There are three watering lines, each one has two inputs, RO water and fertilized water. There is one valve for RO water for each line and only one valve for the fertilized water. The rest of the valves do other things like, one valve waters vandas while another valve waters
mounted plants.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
LOL!! Sharon!!
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
Actually it's a solvent--just called glue.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
So, at the risk of boring everyone to tears, the timers you showed originally set the valves to open or close, like lawn sprinklers do?
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
But one ques Rick?? Do you have a generator backup?
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Good question Sparky! Also If Andy is around I'd like to hear about his alarm that calls him at any of 3 #s if the electricity goes off.
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
Yes, Kathy--they are one and the same.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
The results of all of this are that my plants are probably healthier because I have a tendency to overwater my favorites and underwater the less favorite - the sprayers are impartial. The plants have done very well despite sometimes suffering no attention for two weeks at a time.
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
The one thing I would be afraid of is the private inspection of the plants as often as I can
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Here's a nice picture
Phaius Greyesiae
Fleur
Lovely flower you have there.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
KB - don't see Andy. SensaPhone makes a very good dial-up alarm system that is still affordable.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
The only thing that I am missing is the automatic backup generator. I do have a water system that opens whenever the power goes out and sprays the center of the greenhouse. That system has been the only system to prove a problem.
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
I'm sure with modern technology you can upgrade it by now, Rick!
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
SensaPhone, where can I see them? Search the Net?
Rick, dumb question, but how does it know the electricity is out? Increased temps?
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
That is about all that I had, any further questions? For additional followup, I'm completing my web site on this topic. It isn't all finished yet but has some of the stuff presented tonight.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
That's why I wonder if its not a wise Idea to have top vents which open in case of really high temps, and maybe a spray system that comes on just to drench the living heck out of everything till you can get home(????)
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
We get SensaPhones thru Hummert in Earth City, MO. Many distributors stock them. Let me know if you don't find them at a nursery supply place and we'll send you some info. Cost is 350 - 400, as I recall. They not only call up to 4 numbers in an emergency (they call in succession until they get an answer) but you can call in and the unit will report things like temp, water as in a flood and other things monitored.
Fleur
The wonders of modern living.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Yes Ed! That's what I think Andy had copied. He got the parts thru work and rigged something similarly. Thanks!
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
Rick, or Ed, how does one know how often to set watering? Can you figure mathematically, or just see what works for your area.
[The answer to this is pretty much the same as when you water the plants yourself. How do you know when to water the plants? If you have a pretty steady greenhouse environment, your plants will need water at regular intervals. This would be the interval that you would set for your automated system. Some people make the big mistake of thinking that an automated greenhouse system will do something magical, and all automatically. The automated system will only water however often that you tell it. So, the first thing that the user of the system must determine is how often must the plants be watered? If you tell the system that, then it will water reliably and dependably (better than people), just that often. The key to having a regular water schedule is having a pretty constant greenhouse environment - especially from a humidity standpoint. If the humidity were to drop several percent in its normal operating range on a daily basis, you will find that the plants need to be water more frequently ... and vice versa. So, to figure out how often to water automatically, first get a steady greenhouse environment and then watch the plants to let them tell you how soon they need water...RKS]
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Rick...What types of orchids are you growing. Do you also have a problem with the water lines heating up during the day? We have hit 105 several days in a row. I'm curious to know if the PVC water lines heat up during the day?
[Dan, this one is a bit of a puzzlement because I don't have that problem. First, the valves that I use have a drainback mechanism so that the water drains back down and out of the pipe when watering is finished. Hence, the pipe may get hot however, the incoming water cools it rather immediately. My RO water is stored in barrels along the north side of the greenhouse in a shed area and it doesn't get very hot. The rest of the water to the greenhouse is underground and it doesn't get hot either. So, I guess that all I can say is that it isn't a problem...RKS]
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Kathy, there is a normally open valve that the electric keeps closed. When the electric goes out, the valve automatically opens and waters - as long as there is water pressure in the city water lines. The problem that I had with it was last winter, one weekend, power went out in the middle of the night. That shut the fans down and turned on the water. The water was very cold as was outside temp. It got everything wet by the time that I got it shut off. It has caused me to think twice about this kind of system.
colinham
Duty calls. Thanks Rick. Before I go, I found a great FREE electronic greetings card site the other night. All the orchid photos are really great and taken by Greg Allikas (West Palm Beach). Catch you all next time.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Oooh, good point!
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Whether watering is done automatically or manually, the answer is the same: as needed. It varies thru the year so do as the plants tell you. We do not automatic water inside except in acute emergency.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Sharon, I set the water duration by watching how dry the plants get in a few days and then varying the timers. I just water enough so that everything gets wet throughout and then wait until it dries.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Sharon, its the scientist in you that wants it done mathematically!
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
Good answer guys, us engineers look for formulas and orchids don't listen. Water as necessary (SP) stupid... [KISS]
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Rick, if your life was different, and you could keep regular hours, would you keep the overhead watering system, or would you junk it in favor of the fogger/swamp cooler? This assumes you'd water/feed by hand like the rest of us.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Hi, Ellen. Sharon, I didn't put that ending on the water comment. *G* If we have a choice, we never control water with a timer. They don't know when it is cloudy, cold or raining.
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Rick....do you have problems with the PVC lines heating the water up during the day? It has been so hot in Wharton Texas of late 105 today. I want to run water lines under the benches for spraying during the heat of the day. I get concerned, the water in the lines will get very hot! Like a water hose laying out in the sun all day! When you first turn it on it is very hot!
Ed....glad to hear it!!
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
That should read junk it and just use the fogger/swamp cooler for humidity purposes only.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
My watering varys by season too. As winter rolls around, I will cut the water back to once a week and let everything get fairly dry. The plants seem to like that. Someone asked me about what I grow. I grow most all usual intermediate stuff with some cool stuff on the lower shelf. I have a few Masd's and Draculas and Cirropetalums. On the top shelf which is about 15 degrees warmet, I have Catts, Dendrobes, Equitants, Catesetums, etc. On the northern side, I also have Phals up on the top shaded by the hanging plants.
Ellen,Smithtown,NewYork
The difficulty with an automated system is it doesn't know when it is cloudy. I had one installed with the greenhouse. Went on vacation for 2 weeks. The sun never came out that time but the system watered anyway.
[Grainger sells a variety of photocell switches for about $8 - $11 which can be used to sense cloudy or bright. I've just bought one and will be adding a piece of circuit to stop watering on cloudy days. The logic is very simple. Using power generated by the powersupply (24Volts) for the watering timer, I can actuate a relay which is normally open when it is sunny and closes to shut off the watering valves when its cloudy. The relay will have to have three pairs of contacts to turn off all three watering circuits but, other than that, there is nothing fancy here...RKS]
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
What about a hybrid system, where you decide when to turn it on, but use the plumbing manifold system that rick has??
[Technically, any automated greenhouse system is a hybrid system and will be as long as someone goes out to touch up the watering job done by the automatic system. The real issue is how much touch-up is needed? Or, to state this another way, how close to doing everything is the automatic system? The key to the issue is maintaining a consistant greenhouse environment. That is, day after day, the greenhouse should warm up to a certain temperature and cool down at night within some close range. During the day the humidity should vary within some range like 70 - 98%. If this kind of environment can be maintained then the automatic system can be effective. And, my recommendation is to allow it to be as effective as you are capable of programming it. You will find that your plants grow better and will bloom better with an automated system because plants seem to like some degree of regularity. Yes, there is room for the manual work and I do some whenever I'm at home - like add extra water to the baby plants - but by and large, the plants do better when I let the system manage them...RKS]
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
We find the same with most timers, Ellen.
Ellen,Smithtown,NewYork
Someone told me you can attach a light sensitive device that will prevent the watering when the weather is cold and cloudy.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Dan, no problem with overheating in PVC. I have a black ABS pipe radiator on the back wall just to warm the water. Kathy, if I had it to do all over again, I would keep the overhead sprayer because they water much better than I do and they don't accidentally miss a plant as I sometimes do. They are wonderful.
AORCHID
There are water shut off devices available for yard sprinkler systems that could be adapted to control the amount of water.
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
Ellen, you just gave me an idea: we fly licors, light sensors on our payloads, I have many of them that we have already flown, just sitting around. I can build the signal processor and use that in that manner, for
free. Now I just need the greenhouse and plumbing manifold and controls to go with it!
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Ellen: don't get too complex. Put it on a thermostat. If you want to skip a day, put a timer in the circuit for that purpose only but control on/off with the thermostat. On cloudy days, temp stays down and no water,
regardless of timer function.
Ellen,Smithtown,NewYork
You can use the automatic system manually when you want to but I never use it while I'm away. Lost plants last time.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Or you can attach it to a humidity gauge (humidistat??) instead of a timer. The humidity falls and the misters come on. Many will have them come on only for a few seconds/minutes at a time so there's no overkill. I don't know exactly HOW its done, just know the theory.
marylois (Northwest LA)
Re evap cooler availability in Calif - don't need one - install a 'cool wall' - all you need is the pads and a fountain pump...a few more items, but that's about it. Ed can explain better than I.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Ellen, if I lived in the east where clouds are a problem at any time of the year, I would add a photocell to determine light levels and help control the systems. Out here in CA, we don't have that problem.
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Rick...I get scared of overhead watering with my phals. Too much chance of rot. The catts would do fine, but my water is very hard. I plan to putin a water softener using KCL for my softening agent!
[Dan, you are right, that can be a problem. I had that problem when I watered in the afternoon and I lost a couple. Today, I water at 10:30 AM for several reasons. First, that is the time when the greenhouse is getting warm and I want to cool thing off. Secondly, if I am home, I get to work in the greenhouse early in the morning and don't want to get wet. Thirdly, there is plenty of time for everything to dry before the sun goes down. And now I don't have the crown rot problem. The problem that I getting now is space problems because the phals are growning leaves that are about 14 - 16 in long...RKS]
Ellen,Smithtown,NewYork
I have the mister attached to the system connected to a humidistat which I still use.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Dan, there is a problem with heating in the pipe in your area. Where you can, bury the pipe in sand or gravel. If it must be exposed, wrap it with some of that very bright metallic tape (not duct, the real shine stainless one).
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Another pic of a cool grower.
]
Ellen,Smithtown,NewYork
Rick, is that Elizabeth Ann?
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Ellen, that is Cirrhopetalum rothchildianum 'Red Chimney'.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Dan, I hope you're wrong. We've had to put tons of water on the little Phals to keep them growing at a high rate. I don't know why they're not eaten alive with rot but they're doing fine - a whole lot better than the water bill!!!!
marylois (Northwest LA)
Rick, having RO is at the crux of your system, I believe. Without it, I can't even run a mister - would crud up in 48 hours.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Lois, I have considered the 'wet wall' notion, it seems so easy and cheap (you know I squeak when I walk) but I thought they didn't work well in smaller GHs because the smaller volume heats up/cools off so quickly as compared to a commercial GH. I've only seen wet walls in commercial GHs here in Calif.
Hobbyists seem to prefer the swampcooler. Anyone have any input?
marylois (Northwest LA)
Kathy - working well for me even with my high humidity - it's about 5 foot tall and as wide as the GH 14 feet...short northwest end.
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Ed, what about using the foam insulation we use for expose outside lines in the winter. I also see the split foam on expose airconditioning lines. Wouldn't they work Ed?
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Dan - the foam won't do the job. KB, I'd vote for a swamp cooler in a small greenhouse. It's all in one and affordable. Remember, even in a high humidity location, a swamp cooler still absorbs heat from the air. Not so efficient, but still useable. That's a good reason to get one of good size. The other point is to let the hot air out as high as you can - not thru the sidewall at plant level.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
This grows on the top shelf in a pot. Den. rigidum.
marylois (Northwest LA)
Very nice, Rick...having problem with my rigidum. Hints, please.
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL)
Are the leaves on that rigidum 'fleshy'? Reminds me of a jade plant. [Exactly...mlg]
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Lois, light is about 2700 fc, water is twice weekly as mentioned before, temp is up to 95F, medium is bark, perlite, charcoal, lava mix.
marylois (Northwest LA)
I have it too bright for one thing - rest same...will move it back into the recesses of the gh.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Lois: most ridigum problems respond well to a quarter of a Viagra tablet twice a week.
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
Lois I killed one with too much light--now it's under cover.
Ellen,Smithtown,NewYork
Jane, can my Lycaste Pale Beauty have a flower starting at this time of year?
Jane5536 (Huntington L.I. N.Y.)
?-whats the parentage?
Aromaticum blooms now so who knows?
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Ed...I always worry about water in the crown. If I water early no problem, but if my Wife waters them too late in the day...I've had problems. Since I occasionally use Heritage..things seem better.
marylois (Northwest LA)
Dan 'Heritage'???
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Lois, exhaust Fan?
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL)
Hilarious, Ed!
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
Ed, would you like to pick me up off the floor whence I fell off me chair, sir???
Fleur
Giving them some of yours Ed? *grin*
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL))
Good one, Fleur!!!
marylois (Northwest LA)
Gee, Ed - send me a sample *G*. Kathy, yes, two large vents high in 'east' end -]one goes on at 82 degrees, the other at 95 degrees...even with these 100 plus days, I've yet to find the second one on...something is working...or not working (like the thermostat?)...no, I'm out there regularly and it's quite nice in there.
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Rick, what does the bark do for the plants in the mix. Seems if you water often, with your system, you would lean towards a very coarse mix that would be durable.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Dan, you are right. The bark is just another constituent that I've been thinking about dropping. The perlite holds some moisture as does the lava but, I think that the bark holds more moisture, in addition to breaking down and providing some food for the plant. I've got some Dendrobes in lava and they don't do as well as some that have a little bit of bark too.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Anyone, how much does a wet wall cost - say per square foot. Originally I wanted to research one for my GH but couldn't find anyone who would sell me one.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Ed I was thinking of an attic-type fan up in the peak of the roof. operating on a thermostat.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Rick, the wet wall cost goes up because of the pump required to operate the system. The lift demands a big pump even on a small system.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Let's see if this works. ____?___
L. purpurata
L. purpurata var. carnea
Milt. Firewater
Fleur
So the wet wall is not practical for me as even in summer it is often very cold and windy.
Maybe that is Wundergrow's secret ingredient!!?? <P>
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)<BR>
Ed, so the idea of a pond pump in a bucket of water with a couple of gutters on top and bottom of a pad wouldn't work, eh? See, told you I squeaked!! <P>
marylois (Northwest LA)<BR>
Us too, KB - that describes my kool wall! But we did invest in some good Kool Cell material. <P>
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)<BR>
Ed....thanks. I'll go with the aluminized tape!! I've already got the drains, weed barriers and sand in the greenhouse, so.......I have to go above ground. Poor planning. We're using treated outdoor deck stair
stringers for the shelves, and placing them low due to my low head space. I figure it should help keep
them cooler being closer to the ground. I have only 8' head room, but the top shelf will be only about 3 1/2' from the ground. I'm afraid any taller and they would be too hot! <P>
Fleur<BR>
What happens in cold weather though, wouldn't the wind just blow through it and freeze the green house? <P>
nodosa (Ed in SAT)<BR>
KB - the attic fan sounds great. Put it as high as you possibly can. The best arrangement is to open the vent (attic fan first, then turn on the swamp cooler fan, then turn on the swamp cooler pump. Shutdown is in reverse and leaves the swamp cooler pads dry so they last longer. If you use softened water in your swamp cooler, the pads will last practically forever this way. The soft water also is great for mist systems. Use a standard water softener, but use Potassium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride to operate it. Ion exchange is the same. <P>
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)<BR>
Sharon, the idea of light sensors works for running any supplemental lighting you may require in Washington, too. <P>
Fleur <BR>
I could do with supplimental lighting as well in winter. <P>
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)<BR>
That is true, Kathy. We plan to put in two greenhouses, one small one for orchids and one larger one for starting plants for gardens. Short season there. Joe is obsessed with growing corn there.<P>
marylois (Northwest LA)<BR>
Robert has a panel he screws in place when season ends...nearly. That's the one big drawback with us...those hot winter days when I want my cool cell running...out of luck! Once he has it on, that's it til the next year. <P>
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)<BR>
Ed, it just so happens I have a Culligan water softener unused in my garage! And I was going to put it on the sidewalk with a note saying 'free to a good home'. <P>
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)<BR>
Lois, remind me and I will order you some 'zeus fasteners', you give them a quarter turn into their slot and they are closed. Quarter turn back and they come off. Will do. <P>
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Here are some more pics <a href=){kind=link}
marylois (Northwest LA)
Thanks, Sharon! Then I can 'sneak' it open! *G*
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Fleur, our wet wall is built in to enclose a ducted fan which blows 9,000 cfm thru a power louver. The louver closes tight in winter and we do not cover the wet pads outside. If you buy a swamp cooler, order a canvas cover with it. That protects the cooler and seals the greenhouse in the winter. Greenhouse grade swamp coolers offer covers as an option.
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL) WOW, Rick!! What's that last one? The red with the white striping in the center?
Fleur
Ed, Swamp coolers are not available here, it would have to be something home made, at the moment I have a mobile evaporative cooler, works some but not great.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Nice Miltoniopsis Rick, You get that from Paolo?
Clareinla
Rick, surely these can't be your flowers!!! That carnea blew my socks off.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS
Lisa, that Milt. Firewater 'Red Butterfly', a warm growing miltonia.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
KB, save that old softener. Fill the brine tank with plain water and recycle the thing half a dozen times. Then empty the brine tank and charge it with KCl. Operation is the same. You can get KCl at most places that sell water softeners. We buy ours from a salt distributor and it is about half again more than NaCl.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Thanks Ed! It'll be worth it just to see if the dang thing works!
paulav (Paula in Boca Raton, Florida)
Rick, are you SURE Miltonia Firewater 'Red Butterfly' is a warm grower? If so, I'll give you the deed to my house for that plant!
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Fleur, I'd bet a roo or two that swamp coolers are available in your area. I'll bet they are popular in Western Aus and even with the cobbers on the ridge.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS
Yes, these pics are of flowers from my own GH. Kathy, I got the Milt's from Stewarts early last year. Lois, the pics are scanned from prints or negs (35MM slides or negs).:^)
Paula/Lisa, I may have an extra of it and yes, it is a warm grower because I've got it on the middle shelf of my greenhouse where temps are warm.
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Thanks, Lois. The big problems have been with my Father, Wife and Son. Too many times going to the hospital. I hope things get better next year.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Six more pics
Onc. Deep Cerise
Phal. Hilo Lip
Paph. Linleigh Koopowitz (malipoense x delenatii
Paph. Magic Lantern (micranthum x delenatii
Phrag. longifolium
Phrag. roseum
marylois
Arrrrghhhh! You've bloomed micranthum!! I dub thee master grower!
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
KB, you could pick up a little extra sun if you would run your ridge east and west, then offcenter the ridge a foot or two to the north. Give you a better south exposure.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Thanks, Lois, for the award but, I must give it to the greenhouse. The auto system did it. I just come home on the weekends and take pics of the blooms.
marylois
Sheesh! That's about what I got - strictly by luck though, Ed. But then, there's the shed along the south side of the lath house - but that's not all bad...imagine it helps keeping gh temps down.
Tex1 Dan (Dan from Wharton, Texas)
Rick...I went back and was looking at some of your pictures. What is the name of the milt. Is it a warm one! It s red in the picture. I have got to get one!!
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Lc. Roebelingiana
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Ed, unfortunately the ridge will run N-S. If I want to dig out the sandstone rock face I can get it to run slightly off center on E-W, with a southern exposure. I opted not to dig out the rock. Its closer to the electrical, gas and access to the house on the flat part of the yard. A compromise of gigantic
proportions, but that rock was really daunting.
lisav-bigred (Lisa in Fort Myers, FL)
Rick, you're killing me with these pictures!! I'm having heart palpitations!
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Ok, this is the Miltonia that everyone likes... I think that I have an extra but Lisa already asked me for it. It is Milt. Firewater 'Red Butterfly' and comes from Stewart Orchids. They may have more.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
OK, KB, you can still increase light a bit with a corrugated roof.
Ruckster1 (Sharon from Tejas)
What a way to go!!!
sparkysteve (of Boca Raton Florida)
Rick--I believe a woman in Boca flowered the Miltonia.
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Ed, you'll probably kick my a** but I was thinking of a triwall polycarbonate. 8mm Twinwall on the sides. Clear.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Here's Slc. Jewel Box for you red lovers.
nodosa (Ed in SAT)
Not me, KB, but do you really have such extreme weather you need tri-wall? Lots of pesos for very little insulation.
marylois
Very nice, Rick.
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
Nite Dan, I'm glad that you liked the show. Kathy, you shouldn't need triwall where you are. Twinwall should be plenty.
marylois
Thanks ever so much, Rick. Good presentation with great graphics! Kathy and I will get the transcript to you for edit asap. Thank you!
runnerRick (Rick in Concord, CA. Diablo View OS, AOS)
I'm going to duck out of here too, thank you all for being such a good audience and not being bored. Wed. all. *poof*
KB Barrett (Kathy in N Calif)
Night Rick!! GREAT presentation!
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