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all glass sided greenhouse

Discussion in 'Growing Areas' started by cathy, Jan 22, 2015.

  1. Jan 22, 2015 #1
    cathy

    cathy Member

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    Location:
    San Antonio, Texas
    I have the windows installed, the roof is double walled polycarbonate and I am just wondering if I am going to be getting enough reflected light inside? Most other greenhouses have translucent sides and therefor bounce the light around. Any ideas on this?
    Thanks, Cathy
     
  2. Jan 22, 2015 #2
    KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Location:
    Redding, California, USA
    Do you have a photo? I would really like to see how things are looking.

    Being in San Antonio you will have ample light. Probably a bigger problem will be deciding how much shade cloth to put up. As for non-glass glazing, the double wall, corrugation or frosting makes a softer light by scattering the rays and helps prevent hot spots but it also reduces the amount of light compared to clear glass.
     
  3. Jan 30, 2015 #3
    Daethen

    Daethen Orchid Mom

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    Location:
    USA Zone 4
    I am in Wisconsin. I put up a cheap double walled poly kit. It was not enough to handle our winter so I took 4x8 sheets of clear glass and "sheathed" the outside in it. I get plenty of light. I have catts that are blooming for the first time since I have owned them. I didn't shade it this winter but did last winter. I think you will have to shade rather than worry about enough light.
     
  4. Feb 2, 2015 #4
    Natureman

    Natureman Active Member

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    Hi,
    (Still in Madison, WI from orchid show last night, didn't want to drive last night in the blizzard)
    One of the discussions I had at the show was about how the mist in the cloud forest diffuses light and gives the plants more access to light than one would expect. So get an ultrasonic mister like Marni has?
    White walls, floors, and everything else?
     
  5. Feb 2, 2015 #5
    Marni

    Marni Well-Known Member Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Location:
    Santa Rosa, CA
    The twin wall polycarbonate will spread the light around much better than the glass. I just put 50% aluminet on a brand new twin wall roof as well as the south and west wells on December 24th. In the next month or two I will have to add more shade to all of these and add it to the east wall. Aluminet shade cloth really distributes the light well.
     
  6. Feb 3, 2015 #6
    Ray

    Ray Orchid Iconoclast Supporting Member

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    Location:
    Oak Island NC
    An interesting concept, but I wonder how much impact that actually has.

    Yes, light might get reflected into otherwise shaded areas, but that light, in such a scenario, will bounce from droplet to droplet, over and over, greatly increasing the distance it must travel, decreasing its intensity not only by the inverse-square of the distance, but by being literally scattered in all directions by the spherical droplets.