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DIY light deep inside a greenhouse?

petert

Member
I've got a 30 X 50 gothic style greenhouse.. 5' roll up sides and 16' at the peak.
I'm looking to build a light dep structure inside the greenhouse for year round growing. I have 90 amps out there now, looking to up that to 200 amps.
Ideas for the build out inside the greenhouse? I'm thinking of at least a 20 x 30 structure.
 

Limeygreen

Well-known member
Veteran
I would plan to have air exchange for when it is blacked out to control humidity. If you can I would also have it automated so you don't have to worry about opening and closing it.

If you look at some of the systems available they like to do on rails or poles rolling up, I would suggest to do it like a proper greenhouse system, have several runs of screen that meet together, the edges that meet you put a heavy duty strip to cover the seam where they meet on the edges (something like a 2-3 inch weather strip or door sweep). You can then have the sections controlled by wires and pulleys, you fix the wires in multiple anchor points on the edge (steel tubing) and have these wires (nylon wires) the top and bottom of the screen, this will help the screen from blowing up and down too much, try every foot or foot and half. Side walls I would have them fall straight down with a roll shaft running on a track, you can already buy something like this for the rollup sides on hoop houses or use some materials from a garage door kit, tracks, rollers and top rail could be fitted together for this purpose and then a motor to lift and drop it or hand crank to do the same.

If you want to do everything manually I would connect everything to pipe rails with something that glide on the them so pulling the screen is easy.
 

CrushnYuba

Active member
Why inside? Automated outside covering is probably the easiest and cheapest
You could put another steel hoop structure inside up to 24x46 or so. Rollers and black out. It would basically be the same thing. You would just be losing square footage. Unless wind is a big problem, i don't see the point.
Why don't you give some info on your climate zone so you can get more help. General area and elevation.
 

petert

Member
Yeah. I thought about outside. But I live in a very windy part of Oregon along with getting pretty decent dumps of snow in the winter!
General area is north central Columbia Gorge.
Warm, dry, windy summers.. cold, wet, snowy winter. 45N
 

CrushnYuba

Active member
Ok. Yea, cover on the inside. 24x46 straight wall steel structure inside works well. Automated rollers.
I would use some sort of renewable energy furnace. Propane to me is not feasible and i don't even get snow. You will have to vent and heat at the same time. Wood and pellet is cheap.

Lighting
 

self

Member
i have a 20x36x12 gothic GH. Link in signature.
I ran cables the length of the GH every 5' and draped panda film over that (actually farmtek poultry blackout ) . It was pretty easy to haul back and forth. like this...
picture.php

next year Ill hang it on pulleys or runners so it slides a little easier, but it definitely got the job done.
I get high winds here, I dont think an exterior dep tarp would survive very long. Also, winters, snow, etc.
I only need the dep tarp on 1-2 out of 4 runs a year, so this just made a lot more sense.
heat pumps, quest dehuey, CO2, drip irrigation FTW
 

ubi

Member
Humboldt light dep retro fit kit. there are pics similar to what i built. kinda pricey but TOTALLY worth compared to the price of fabric black systems on farmtek. or even a foreverflowering GH.
i have a series 500 20w x 60L x 16h , built a 2x4 and pvc frame on inside. set rollers with control box, then ran panda film. used dehu's inside b/o area to control moisture, maybe louvered b/o vents w/fans to control temp.. i just used panda film for my first light dep run, and it stretched and tore holes all over the place. no bueno.
just my 2cents, get the americover tarp strong with sewn layers, but doesnt breath like fabric but fabric holds all sorts of nastiness.
 
i have a 20x36x12 gothic GH. Link in signature.
I ran cables the length of the GH every 5' and draped panda film over that (actually farmtek poultry blackout ) . It was pretty easy to haul back and forth. like this...
View Image
next year Ill hang it on pulleys or runners so it slides a little easier, but it definitely got the job done.
I get high winds here, I dont think an exterior dep tarp would survive very long. Also, winters, snow, etc.
I only need the dep tarp on 1-2 out of 4 runs a year, so this just made a lot more sense.
heat pumps, quest dehuey, CO2, drip irrigation FTW

Best way. Run the cable through 1/2 poly tubing to help tarp slide easier.

I find it great humor watching these guys pulling wet tarp over wet greenhouse, slipping and sliding in the mud. Even with their overpriced hinge and 20 ft pole "tarp puller". :bashhead: If your going to do it that way run some pvc hoops over the GH to break the surface tension.

Damn stoners ditching science class in jr high.
 

CrushnYuba

Active member
Manually doing anything is such a hassle but cables inside are definitely the best. With cables It's easy to pull but you still have to be There twice a day every day.
I sell auto black out retro fits locally for 1000$ that can be used on inside or outside covers. I'm sure With how common It's becoming others have kits With similar pricing.
 

petert

Member
Hey crushn... my plan is to be completely auto. Right now my plant count is really limited, so I’m building a 16x25 pvc hoop 9’8” at the peak. Using Americover bold blackout tarp.
I’m interested in your kit!
 

CrushnYuba

Active member
The americover is a good tarp. There a reason you aren't going steel? I think steel is a little harder to put up but better and possibly cheaper.
Maybe do steel for your inside frame. You can do the inside frame for the auto depp out of pvc but you need support beams and it def is cheaper to do steel.
Have you seen my thread on diy bent steel ghs? Allot of the pictures are gone but still good info
 

petert

Member
Might have to go steel.

Might have to go steel.

Not sure if it’s because of my area or not. But 10’ schedule 40 pvc is 1/3 of the price of unbent top rail steel.

My hoops are very solid. I put a 4 way connectors about 3/4 up on each side and connect a 5 foot piece of pvc on both side between each hoop, that acts as my Perlins, and what I’ll hang the Gavitas from.

The issue I’ve run in to is that the schedule 40 may be too rigid. I’ve now had two 4 way connectors break on me. I’m pretty sure it because it’s been getting cold at night. But still kinda disconcerting!!
 

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doublejj

Member
Veteran
Carport frames....you can find cheap carport frames on cragslist after they have worn out the cover. They are portable & strong & you can piece them together as long as you want. It's easy to pull a tarp over a carport frame...
 

petert

Member
Basic frame is up!

Basic frame is up!

I was reading where people were having issues with the 4 way connectors splitting.. it happened to one of mine, but I think part of the problem was that it was really cold when I was putting them together.

I found two fixes.
First is I took them all apart and reassembled on a sunny day. 45 outside 80 inside. I think having the pvc warm helps and it will for better to the shape.

Second is I put two metal hose clamps side by side on the part of the connectors that have the most pressure and stress and then used gorilla tape and tape that F’er like a hockey stick.

Then I went to the base where I doubled up two 2x4 and drilled a 1 5/8 in hole to insert the pvc and wrapped metal pipe strap (tape) and that holds that nicely in place.

I’ll shore up any movement when I build the end walls.
 

petert

Member
Why can’t I figure how to load pics?? Yikes

Why can’t I figure how to load pics?? Yikes

https://www.icmag.com/ic/album.php?albumid=75925&pictureid=1821102
 

CrushnYuba

Active member
Wtf kind of dog is that in the picture!?!?

10 ft of 1" Sch 40 pvc is definitely cheaper then 10 ft top rail. Just the other stuff you will have to do to make it stable enough to use as an auto depp frame adds up to more. Also, 1/2" or 3/4" steel conduit Is way cheap.

If using top rail for inside depp structure you only have to do a hoop every 8ft or so and a single backbone perlin going down the center Is fine.

To use pvc, you Will need 4ft spacing on hoops and either need to build piers for center supports and/or use 1 1/2" pvc. I have found when building pvc hoops, 4 ways and couplers are a major weak link. Just do Solid hoops out of a single piece of pvc. For the perlins you Just bolt wood perlins to the inside of hoop. Pvc perlins are wack. The only coupling of pvc I'll ever do is with the factory bell end.
 

petert

Member
Wtf kind of dog is that in the picture!?!?

10 ft of 1" Sch 40 pvc is definitely cheaper then 10 ft top rail. Just the other stuff you will have to do to make it stable enough to use as an auto depp frame adds up to more. Also, 1/2" or 3/4" steel conduit Is way cheap.

If using top rail for inside depp structure you only have to do a hoop every 8ft or so and a single backbone perlin going down the center Is fine.

To use pvc, you Will need 4ft spacing on hoops and either need to build piers for center supports and/or use 1 1/2" pvc. I have found when building pvc hoops, 4 ways and couplers are a major weak link. Just do Solid hoops out of a single piece of pvc. For the perlins you Just bolt wood perlins to the inside of hoop. Pvc perlins are wack. The only coupling of pvc I'll ever do is with the factory bell end.

It’s a Great Pyrenees (livestock guard dog) no one goes anywhere near that greenhouse when he’s in it. If he knows you, he’s just a big 140 lb baby.

If I were to start from the beginning I’d have used steel. I already had 100 feet of 1 1/4” schedule 40. But in the end in order to make this work I’m putting in more time and almost as much money in to it.
Do you know where I can access a complete parts list... motors, timers, etc. I’d like to do this myself.. though in the end I may be going with the Humboldt system. I just know if I knew everything I need to have I could assemble it.
 

CrushnYuba

Active member
My old room mate has a pyrenees mix. Think wolf is mixed in there. Seriously the best hill dog PERIOD. He has been having heart troubles though. The hippies he got him from have had like 20 litters so there are these pyrenese mixes all around grass valley.

You can 100% make pvc work. Just put posts in the middle.

Complete parts list is:
Blackout plastic
2 motors
Controller
Wire

Enough wiggle wire to go down your structure once.
Pack of 1" pvc clips

Home depot parts:
Enough top rail top go down the structure 2 times.
Enough 2x3 to go down structure once.
2 u simpson brackets for hinges
Few washers and bolts

I looked at That website. It it's not a Complete kit. It only includes:
Kit Includes:
- 1 Controller
- 2 Motors
- Hardware
- Clips for plastic
- Downloadable PDF Instructions

I sell the same kit locally for half the price to homies. And my controllers are waaaay better. I can get you pictures of everything so you can see how it's installed
 

petert

Member
That would be cool!!

That would be cool!!

I sent you another PM answering your questions, thanks.

Beau’s my 3 Pyrenees. Great dogs..bark a lot and aren’t the best listeners.. but very smart and know who is supposed to be around and who isn’t.

Incase you don’t get the PM. Plenty of power in my greenhouse. 100amps

My thought is to run light dep end of March through end of October. Then close it up for the winter and run it as indoor.

I’m hanging at least 8 Gavitas and might use them as supplemental March/April and late Sept/Oct.

I have a weak WiFi signal in the greenhouse but can boost the signal. If you think it’s worth it.
 

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