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  #1  
Old 10-10-2008, 01:37 AM
jmforan jmforan is offline
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Greenhouse flooring options
Default Greenhouse flooring options

What are the pros and cons of a dirt floor vs a gravel floor? I am building a free-standing 9 x15' greenhouse mainly for orchid culture and live in a warm climate in Pasadena California. I'm not a fan of mud but I read that dirt will be just fine.
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  #2  
Old 10-10-2008, 02:45 AM
amyqofu amyqofu is offline
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But when you water, the dirt floor will turn to mud, right? I have a poured concrete floor which would be perfect if it had a drain or a slight slope to let the excess run off. The gravel will be more pleasant to deal with, and maybe help with humidity.
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  #3  
Old 10-10-2008, 08:03 AM
Sandy4453 Sandy4453 is offline
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I don't have a GH and don't know the pro's and con's but take a look at bikerdoc's that he posted a pic of, the nicest looking floor I've seen in a GH. http://www.orchidboard.com/community...me-winter.html

I agree that gravel could potentially help with humidity which you'd want in southern calif. I know someone who places sphag. moss all around the floors to keep humidity high, as well.
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  #4  
Old 10-10-2008, 08:40 AM
BikerDoc5968 BikerDoc5968 is offline
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Thanks, Sandy for your comments about the GH. Jim, understand, it isn't that I'm some kind of clean freak but for me clean in the GH is one of the most important first steps to having a GH whether you're growing chids, succulents or just using it to start plants in the spring, like a cold frame. Pea stone is ok and would provide a 'muddless' floor and lots of humidity. I just don't like walking on a surface that "moves" as I step on it and makes stone noise and is somewhat hard to keep free and clear of dead stuff that may fall onto it. The treated wood I used in my 8 x 15 allows the water to drain through to the sand fill below and the surface dries quickly after watering and I get lots of humidity from the wet sand and everything is easy to clean; no problems with algae growing. The wood is probably more costly. I don't drag dirt into the home on my feet and it is easy to spray the floor from time to time with RD20 just to be sure... OK, Dorothy so I'm a clean freak.

Last edited by BikerDoc5968; 10-10-2008 at 08:42 AM..
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  #5  
Old 10-10-2008, 08:43 AM
Mr.Green61 Mr.Green61 is offline
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on dirt floor just place red clay bricks, you will have good humidity as well as clean floor
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  #6  
Old 10-10-2008, 09:01 AM
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cb977 cb977 is offline
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The floor in my orchid room is made of egg-sized river rock.

I just LOVE the look of Bikerdoc's GH, it's gorgeous but the river rock works well for me...except when walking barefoot Ouch!!!

I wouldn't want a dirt floor, too messy. You could put down some pavers or bricks which would make the area neater in addition to holding some moisture and creating a little bit of humidity.
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Old 10-10-2008, 09:11 AM
Jkelee Jkelee is offline
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Hey jm, I have river rocks in my GH.
Under that, we put the weed barrier stuff you put down to stop weeds from coming through. The better one, thicker one. Just so those rocks don't sink deeper and deeper each yr from walking on them.

Good luck with your GH!
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  #8  
Old 10-10-2008, 09:21 AM
BikerDoc5968 BikerDoc5968 is offline
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There is another benefit to stone or pavers and the like, they tend to hold heat longer than my wood floor. So depending on your location and the desire for some "free" heat in the colder months, stone, etc, might be the better choice.
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  #9  
Old 10-10-2008, 01:35 PM
EdinAZ EdinAZ is offline
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Default My Floor

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmforan View Post
:scratchhead: What are the pros and cons of a dirt floor vs a gravel floor? I am building a free-standing 9 x15' greenhouse mainly for orchid culture and live in a warm climate in Pasadena California. I'm not a fan of mud but I read that dirt will be just fine.
I used landscaping rock . . . something called "lava rock" for the floor under the benches. It was the cheapest thing at home depot, and is light, some sort of pumice or something, used for yard cover ("Arizona grass") here in the southwest.

For the floor between the benches, I found some pre-fab "decking panels" (I don't remember where though). They are made of recycled rubber and plastic. I think they have something like it at Lowe's or Home Depot.

This works pretty well, I think. The floor is "open" with only the rock mulch on most of the area, and those panels are great for walking on. I think it conserves humidity well too. My feet NEVER get muddy or even dirty.

I do like the idea of blocks or pavers too, as heat sinks (in a small way), but I would recommend "rock mulch" in any area you don't walk on. Also probably a good, heavy weed barrier cloth under the rock.

Ed
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  #10  
Old 10-10-2008, 02:10 PM
Ross Ross is offline
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Ed, I like yours a lot! When I had a greenhouse out in Oregon in the late 1960s, it had a gravel "floor" over soil. The biggest problem I had was weeds growing up under the benches and, like Doc mentioned, the detritous from orchids shedding leaves and flowers was miserable to clean up. Soon the gravel walkway turned to "soil" with all the "stuff" that dropped there. Greenhouses tend to be pretty wet, by nature, so this is why I really like Ed's setup. Best of just about all worlds, in my opinion.
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