Recommendations for greenhouse floor

[rochelle@58]

Hello All -
I have a little 12 X 12 greenhouse which I had built about a year ago. The floor now is tiles with sand in between. I like it okay but I'm really having a problem getting my humidity high enough. I was thinking of putting some kind of crushed limestone or pea gravel on top of the tiles and wonder if this is a decent fix? I've read on several grower sites and one lady hated pea gravel because it wasn't stable. Someone on the same site suggested the limestone. I don't want to do the wrong thing but I have a swamp cooler and in the hot summer even that doesn't keep the humidity up during the day. I need a big fix I guess lol. I just don't know what that is!
Thanks to everyone in advance,
Barb

[kg5]

We have decided to use a crushed granite that is very angular and is 3/8 or 10mm for stability to walk on and the best size to help humidity.
Have decided to go for a layer of 2inch or 50mm. But imagine a track will ware in on the walkways make under the benches thinker and the best place to make that humility.

[rochelle@58]

Thanks so much for your reply! And also thanks for the useful information - I was beginning to think I asked a really dumb question!
Hope your plants grow good for you!
Barb

[thakshila smith]

There are methods you can try out.
1.Growing some plants underneath of racks. Water based loved plants.
2.I have seen laying some crushed granite on the floor area. how about keeping moisturizing trays.

[nutgirl]

I currently have pea gravel and hate it. It's going out the next time I clean out the greenhouse.
I think something that is porous and stable underfoot would be good.

I also found that in my conditions (hot dry summers) the swamp cooler can't keep up so I added misters on a timer. That helps quite a bit.

Maureen

[silken]

I was going to suggest misters as well. We have an inexpensive mister line down the centre roof of the greenhouse which comes on several times a day in summer. We got it from Home Depot a few years ago. If you use a crushed rock or something for the floor, you may want to leave the tile just for walk ways.
Ours is a strange set up in that my hubby insists on trying to grow grass in the greenhouse on the floor. He is responsible for mowing it, I made that clear! I guess given that we have long winters, his logic was he wanted to be able to go out to the greenhouse and see nice plants and sit on a lawn in a lawn chair and look out at the mounds of snow in -30C weather. Our greenhouse has been very humid since we did this but the grass struggles in winter-not sure why really as there are lots of lights on for the orchids and other people grow grass year round in warmer climes. Maybe a different type. But the pathway gets worn down even tho outside our lawn can get walked on a lot and not suffer. I think eventually he will give up and we will go with something else. One thing I hate is if a pot falls or gets knocked over, all my bark or clay balls has to be lifted one by one from the lawn. I could miss a piece of bark and that would be fine, but clay balls are not kind to the lawn mower! It might be hard to recover a dumped pot in certain kinds of crushed rock or other flooring also. Just something to consider.

[nutgirl]

Originally Posted by silken

Ours is a strange set up in that my hubby insists on trying to grow grass in the greenhouse on the floor. He is responsible for mowing it, I made that clear! I guess given that we have long winters, his logic was he wanted to be able to go out to the greenhouse and see nice plants and sit on a lawn in a lawn chair and look out at the mounds of snow in -30C weather. Our greenhouse has been very humid since we did this but the grass struggles in winter-not sure why really as there are lots of lights on for the orchids and other people grow grass year round in warmer climes. Maybe a different type.

I can understand his wanting grass given the circumstances.
Maybe the time the lights are on is too short?

Maureen

[silken]

Originally Posted by nutgirl

I can understand his wanting grass given the circumstances.
Maybe the time the lights are on is too short?

Maureen

12 hours so I don't know.... In the winter snow covers the roof, so it is not extremely bright or anything. Just the lights over the orchids. So it could be the problem.

[estación seca]

Grass normally requires really high light. It's hard to grow under most artificial light setups. If it would be bright enough for perfect grass, it would be too bright for most orchids. And we all know what's more important.

[nutgirl]

I guess it would have to be artificial turf, no mowing, always green and easy to retrieve potting materials.

It isn't quite the same though, is it?

Maureen