A little more progress on the new palm greenhouse

[happypalms]

Starting to put the shade cloth on the new greenhouse. 70 percent cloth will be used the standard percentage for palms. Industrial white horticultural plastic will be used for the walls followed by a 70 percent cloth put up on the outside to reduce the brightness of the plastic. It’s all about creating that microclimate in one mega grow structure. It’s been a fun project and it’s not over yet. Getting the materials. Starting from the ground up to welding the structure together, now that’s done it’s on with the shade cloth, walls, flooring, irrigation, bench’s and palms. I have worked in the horticultural industry for 35 years and over that time have learned a lot about growing! 

[Harry’s Palms]

Coming along nicely . This will add a lot of growing space to your operation there. What type of flooring do you use ? When I built my little greenhouse I used a lot of pea gravel ( several inches deep) .  It helps with drainage and humidity . I would wet the floor down in the morning and by early afternoon the humidity would rise with the temp. Mine was amateur but worked . I would go in with my plastic chair and have my tea in my “ tropical “ environment. I only had 40% ( I think ) shade cloth and never had burn on the palms even in summer. Harry

[SeanK]

Is that your Satakentia in the last photo?

[happypalms]

19 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Coming along nicely . This will add a lot of growing space to your operation there. What type of flooring do you use ? When I built my little greenhouse I used a lot of pea gravel ( several inches deep) .  It helps with drainage and humidity . I would wet the floor down in the morning and by early afternoon the humidity would rise with the temp. Mine was amateur but worked . I would go in with my plastic chair and have my tea in my “ tropical “ environment. I only had 40% ( I think ) shade cloth and never had burn on the palms even in summer. Harry

It certainly will add to a lot more space for more palms. Not sure on the floor yet still deciding, but if I go bench’s I will most likely get gravel for the reasons you mentioned, but not a fan of walking on it. Weed mat is a good alternative and cheaper, I will still build bench’s with the weed mat, and it has an advantage of no weeds. Gravel will get weeds, but I don’t have weeds in my nursery. Iam very strict on weeding my palms by not letting them in, one years seed is seven years of weeds, and after working in the industry for a long time I know what weeds do, they bring disease and insects, fungal problems, eat nutrients and moisture. I take great pride in my nursery on no weeds. That said the weed mat is a lot better at keeping the weeds out on the floor. So Iam leaning towards weed mat. Humidity in my climate never really drops below 65, it may drop a little lower but a consistent level of humidity in my climate remains stable, on hot days in my greenhouse and just sit in there or walk around and spot for weeds. 
Richard 

[happypalms]

18 hours ago, SeanK said:

Is that your Satakentia in the last photo?

No it’s an archontophoenix. . 

[gyuseppe]

22 hours ago, happypalms said:

Starting to put the shade cloth on the new greenhouse. 70 percent cloth will be used the standard percentage for palms. Industrial white horticultural plastic will be used for the walls followed by a 70 percent cloth put up on the outside to reduce the brightness of the plastic. It’s all about creating that microclimate in one mega grow structure. It’s been a fun project and it’s not over yet. Getting the materials. Starting from the ground up to welding the structure together, now that’s done it’s on with the shade cloth, walls, flooring, irrigation, bench’s and palms. I have worked in the horticultural industry for 35 years and over that time have learned a lot about growing! 

Great job Richard  👌, I wish I had your energy

[happypalms]

2 minutes ago, gyuseppe said:

Great job Richard  👌, I wish I had your energy

Iam actually learning to slow down believe it or not, putting my energy on the the reserve tank for those wonder years! With 4 hernia operations later iam learning oh iam learning don’t worry about that!

[5am]

@happypalms It looks great and I wish I had the space to build  my own. But when I see glimpses of the palms you have growing outside I think you must already live in paradise. What does the greenhouse add? (I feel like I’ve asked this before but I think it’s just because I wonder it every time.) 

[JohnAndSancho]

Are you going to add the TV and the good Wi-Fi and the recliner for me and Sancho to this one? 

Looks great man, maybe I'll build something here when I either win the lottery or my dad dies and I get some insurance money. (Yes that sounds insensitive but my dad is a horrible person and hasn't been part of my life in 30 years)

[happypalms]

10 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Are you going to add the TV and the good Wi-Fi and the recliner for me and Sancho to this one? 

Looks great man, maybe I'll build something here when I either win the lottery or my dad dies and I get some insurance money. (Yes that sounds insensitive but my dad is a horrible person and hasn't been part of my life in 30 years)

Actually iam going to live stream it 24/7. This way you will not have to leave home with sancho, just sit back and have a virtual palm garden living in your lounge room on the big screen. It’s the new gardening thing online. A bit like putting a fish tank in an old television 📺 only this is the 21st century and it’s the way of world with the internet you will never have to leave the house again to do some gardening! Hey and why not take  the old man’s money I would! What was that old  Dr hook song, everybody’s making it big but me! 

[Mazat]

On 8/28/2025 at 12:57 PM, happypalms said:

Starting to put the shade cloth on the new greenhouse. 70 percent cloth will be used the standard percentage for palms. Industrial white horticultural plastic will be used for the walls followed by a 70 percent cloth put up on the outside to reduce the brightness of the plastic. It’s all about creating that microclimate in one mega grow structure. It’s been a fun project and it’s not over yet. Getting the materials. Starting from the ground up to welding the structure together, now that’s done it’s on with the shade cloth, walls, flooring, irrigation, bench’s and palms. I have worked in the horticultural industry for 35 years and over that time have learned a lot about growing! 

The road builders here could take a leaf out of their book. Here, they sometimes have almost a year to carry out certain (no disrespect intended) work...

[happypalms]

1 minute ago, Mazat said:

The road builders here could take a leaf out of their book. Here, they sometimes have almost a year to carry out certain (no disrespect intended) work...

And iam only a man show, heaven forbid how many of them are sitting around!

[gyuseppe]

On 8/29/2025 at 11:46 AM, happypalms said:

Iam actually learning to slow down believe it or not, putting my energy on the the reserve tank for those wonder years! With 4 hernia operations later iam learning oh iam learning don’t worry about that!

and you're right Richard, health first and then work

Unfortunately, I can only work three hours in the morning at my brothers' shops.
But in the afternoon I dedicate myself to my garden. Here, in the summer, it has to be watered every day.

[Scott W]

Nicely done sir.  

Roofing mine with corrugated UV panels is on my list for this winter, as I need to control the amount of water being applied to seedlings.  With my current setup of just shade cloth the deluge of Florida rains tends to make losses much higher.

[happypalms]

On 8/30/2025 at 7:24 AM, 5am said:

@happypalms It looks great and I wish I had the space to build  my own. But when I see glimpses of the palms you have growing outside I think you must already live in paradise. What does the greenhouse add? (I feel like I’ve asked this before but I think it’s just because I wonder it every time.) 

Thanks it a jungle paradise out in the garden. The greenhouse adds a microclimate both inside it and around it cooling the soil adding a climate perfect for small understory plants next to and  around the greenhouse. Plus it adds more space for me to grow more palms

[happypalms]

11 hours ago, gyuseppe said:

and you're right Richard, health first and then work

Unfortunately, I can only work three hours in the morning at my brothers' shops.
But in the afternoon I dedicate myself to my garden. Here, in the summer, it has to be watered every day.

Your health is your wealth, I just ignore the pain and get on with my life. So I can do more gardening therefore reducing the pain it’s a win win situation, more garden to plant out means less pain!

[happypalms]

8 hours ago, Scott W said:

Nicely done sir.  

Roofing mine with corrugated UV panels is on my list for this winter, as I need to control the amount of water being applied to seedlings.  With my current setup of just shade cloth the deluge of Florida rains tends to make losses much higher.

Yes I was thinking about that UV roofing, but iam building a microclimate for cold prevention, the roof would definitely add more warmth. I tried hothouse growing it’s to difficult to gro wi there in summer and can lack humidity burning the leaf edges. Iam to busy to constantly monitor that a hothouse requires.