My Basement Greenhouse

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Thank you both.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

Let me know if you have any other questions

Have you been running this unit long enough to know the life of the fogger? I have seen information that suggests the fogger disc doesn't last very long.
Thanks.

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

Have you been running this unit long enough to know the life of the fogger? I have seen information that suggests the fogger disc doesn't last very long.
Thanks.

I have run it since Oct 2020 and have not changed the disc, although they came with extras. They get very little use Nov thru Feb due to high ambient basement humidity, on about 50% of the time Mar-Sept.

Mental note: Change the discs before March

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

Have you been running this unit long enough to know the life of the fogger? I have seen information that suggests the fogger disc doesn't last very long.
Thanks.

I've been using the same one for three years, never replaced the disc. It's AGPTEK brand, which usually makes a pretty good product (I used to sell foggers in store before retirement). And they're maybe $10, so not a big-ticket item anyway. With a BIG container, it avoids the pain of constant refilling. Well worth it.

Using RO or distilled water also makes a big difference in the lifespan of a disc.

---------- Post added at 08:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 AM ----------

I've never replaced a disc on one. Can't ever find the extras when one gives out. Longest lasting one I had was about five years old.

[Clawhammer]

Its a great time of the year in the basement, probably 60 varieties in bloom. My furnace heat pump / fan sucks air from right outside the growroom door and distributes a lovely mix of catasetum and cattleya fragrance throughout the whole house.

But this is what I wanted to show. I get a lot of volunteers in this environment, 3 different volunteer orchids so far, at least 10 different types of ferns, but this may be the most surprising and interesting:
Its a begonia of some type, rooting in my drainage tray. I have rex begonias in the room, but this is not a rex. I get my tuberous begonia corms started in the basement, but I take them outside before they flower. It is in bud so will know more soon.

[IMG]Untitled by Eric, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by Eric, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]Untitled by Eric, on Flickr[/IMG]

---------- Post added at 08:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:35 AM ----------

The other odd/puzzling volunteer that I got that is a fig tree (ficus carica) in my yard. I have about 20 different fig trees, but they are all common types (not fertile) and we do not have the fig wasp in Portland. The volunteer does not appear to have rooted from a pieces of discard stem but from a seed.

[Rwhb12]

I am very impressed with these setups. As I live in the UK we do have winter cold nights, so I was considering something similar.

Do you lower the temperature at night to make a night day cycle? I under Some orchids need this?

Russ

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Rwhb12

I am very impressed with these setups. As I live in the UK we do have winter cold nights, so I was considering something similar.

Do you lower the temperature at night to make a night day cycle? I under Some orchids need this?

Russ

Hi Russ, thank you.

The heat from the lights raise the temp during the photoperiod 15-20 degrees. I also get a nice seasonal effect as the ground cools, making my underground growroom about 5-7 degrees F cooler in the winter.

[Dorchid]

Super cool!

[Paphman910]

Really amazing culture and setup!

[piping plover]

Wow. You really thought of everything and did this right! Inspiring. I just began thinking about how practical it would be to use basement space that is already frost free and implement these high output lights and other improvements available to home growers. Then I came upon your post 😁