GREENHOUSE LOCATION

[jcaballero]

Originally Posted by Discus

I'd always go for full sun and then shade/cool as required; where are you located? If you're somewhere hot, you might like to cool things down by taking advantage of shade.
Also, what do you want to grow in there?

Mainly orchids, but I'll also throw in a few plumerias and a dessert rose. Summer gets pretty hot here. Above 90 and sometimes reaching 100. The GH has a vent at the top and I plan on leaving the door open during summer to help maintain the GH at a lower temp.

Because it will get too hot in the full sun location, I would rather place it in 1 of the other 2 locations.

[Discus]

Originally Posted by jcaballero

Because it will get too hot in the full sun location, I would rather place it in 1 of the other 2 locations.

Wow, with temps like that you're going to want something beyond passive cooling like that - probably misters if not a full on wet wall. Incidentally, if you suspend aluminised shadecloth above the outside of the GH, you effectively reflect a lot of the heat away from the GH - meaning you tame the summer, but can keep the light through the lean winter months, and for orchids that like conditions a bit shadier than full sun, avoid scorching the leaves.

It would help to know what kind of orchids - intermediate? warm? cool? What genera?

Orchids are not a one size fits all group; vandas might be happy in lots of light and heat, but masdevallias would hate it, for example!

---------- Post added at 11:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 PM ----------

Between the other two locations, I'd say maybe morning sun- because adding heat and light to an already hot condition (afternoon sun) is not a good idea, but some nice early morning warmth can help kick things off, particularly in cooler months.