Shade house in Miami needs help
 

As my title says .. We ( the shade house and me need help ). My idea basically started 2 months ago when i visited RF orchids in Miami. I was bitten by the bug and lets just say its changed my life. I do not have alot of money so i searched craigs list for a used gazebo frame. Well 3 weeks of searching and i found a nice one for 50 dollars.


My idea was basically ti buy the frame and add 40 or 50% shade cloth- above and on all sides. Well this idea quickly disapeared after i was informed that i would need some protection for the orchids at night. (Specially in miami where it rains at night alot )

With this in mind :( i began looking and found plastic roof panels . I figured i would drill the panels to the frame with the shade cloth in the middle of this. The concept seems like it can work but 2 things are happenning .

1) air circulation. Since the shade cloth is 40 or 50 pecent above and all around this ill make a shaded box with limited air.


2) I have a feeling that alot off heat will be inside which is a bad thing .


please help

Can you put some sort of spacers between the frame and panels? Leave a gap at the top of walls?

Its hard to come up with ideas without seeing what the frame looks like.

You really only need a roof in South Florida for phals.. Other orchids like cattleyas, encyclias, laelias and vandas can all stay out in the weather down here, as long as they're protected from full sun. Many growers use shade houses with slats for a roof. But be careful, building a shade house is usually a step that growers take when they've decided to put a lot of money into their hobby. I've been growing orchids for ten years on my patio in Ft. Lauderdale. Many people grow under trees or at the edge of an awning. I would keep it simple and inexpensive until you get a little more experience. That's just my opinion.

Tucker the thing is where i live the catts are very shaded. I sometimes have to be running around the front and back of the house to water or fertalize. A few i have on trees and are doing great. But i wanted to keep it simple ( in my opinion ) to have all located in one place. I mainly collect vandas and catts. I figure i can add shade cloth to the frame on top and prtect them from the sun while getting the bennefits. All i have is a covered porche area which is great for phals but the rest are looking sad. I belive its lack of light..

I posted a pic of the frame on Florida Orchid growers
and they helped alot . Maybe i can post it here as well. I spent 50 dollars on a used gazebo frame and when i heard i would have to put a roof on due to rain... well lets just say : (

---------- Post added at 11:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

how do i upload a picture

TRANCEBOY:
Boy - the bug bit you hard!!!! A $50.00 frame is a great deal - and you sound like you are on the right track. Can you place a vent in one side and put a fan in front of it? If so, you have the fresh air you need, then just put a few fans around to keep the air moving and you should be okay, but again, pics would help.
Any enclosure is going to need a vent of some kind, so think about the possibility of such.
Best of luck - awaiting pics!
Steve:waving

well i thought the cloth allows air to circulate. ? Just want to add panels on the roof with cloth below the panels .. the rest will be shade cloth on the sides

I am sorry TRANCEBOY - I thought you were covering it all with plastic panels. My bad - misread the post or something. You are right - if you have just shadecloth you will have plenty of fresh air.
Steve:waving

frame
 

here is a pic of the frame :(( i cannot get it to work

---------- Post added at 10:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:48 PM ----------

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES
THE FRAME STILL NEEDS PAINTING :blushing:
The triangle roof part is missing but im starting to think i might not need it.

I was going to drill the panels onto the triangle frame
and add 40% shade cloth in between

2 things

1) the disign no doubt will fix the problem but will be expensive to hire someone to do this.


2) i can leave the roof frame off and just build as is. I will add planstic panels that are 7% and a 40% shade cloth. However i will need to add cloth on the sides . This might cause less
air to go thru - or i belive. I just need something nice and not to expensive.

Please help:(


http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb0683222.png



http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2677c363.png

If you don't go all the way down on the sides with the shade cloth you should get enough air for your orchids, I like your frame how big is it ?

From my bad measuring i believe its 10x10ft

must be over 6 feet high i just need to figure out if i should put the clear roof plastics drilleved onto the frame but that would make it flat. If i do this then the problem would be the weight of rain. as it might cave in- or so i think.. my friend suggested to dig the frame deeper on one side to have the water slide but then the frame would look ugly

You don't have to do any digging, just add a 2 inch spacer on one end to give it just enough slope so the rain water will run off.

no suggestions ?

Hi I was going to suggets what Ferns Daddy just said, you need to give a littler slope, I had to do it to mine. Love the frame........norma

what do you guys think of this

Stock Clear Greenhouse Film, 6mil - Plastic Greenhouse Film | Greenhouse Megastore

its green house film .. I think if i use this and shade cloth on the roof of the gazebo i should be good ?

this is much cheaper then the panels plus i guess it protects from rain getting inside.

what do you all think ...


By the way thanks norma... Hope you made it to the fort lauderdale show

That's what I have , but you need to pull and stretch the plastic and the shade cloth, you still will have to give it an incline, small one, I was thinking they sell in HD some solid blocks that will be ok, they are not high about 2" you raise the front and let it drop to the back and what do you have in the center from one side to the other?......norma

Just a thought
 

I noticed you have fruit trees. Why not just use hangars and hang the orchids from the trees. They grow that way all the time and requires no special care if they are potted in rock or cleaned shells.......especially cats. I uses the trees exclusively in the summer time and they always love the summer change of scenery. I do this for dens, cats, vandas, and even phals.

Hope this helps.