MI Hoophouse. Any input?

[MIgrower]

Hello all,

This will be my first post to ICmag and my first time growing in a hoop house. I have been in the indoor game for 3 years now and have 1 outdoor grow under my belt.

I plan on building a PVC hoop house about 18x30 with 3 ft roll up sides.

As of now I plan on putting my own 12 plants in the greenhouse.

I am using a modified Subcool super soil recipe:

6 bails of pro mix
100lbs of ewc
50lbs mushroom compost
pearlite
15lbs blood meal, Fish bone meal, Bloom guano
9lbs rock phosphate
5lbs green sand
3 cups epsom salt
3 cups lime
3 cups azomite

also be adding mycorrhizae and humics as well, possibly some insect fras and bio char too.

This mix should make about 300-350 gallons
The soil will be mixed on April 1st giving it plenty of time to "cook"

I will be digging holes and filling it with my amended mix then transplanting my girls into the holes once I am sure of sex. hopefully in the ground by mid May.

Seeds will be started asap. Probably not until mid April.

TGA- 10 pennywise, 5 quantum kush, 5 space candy

TGA clones- jillybean, agent orange, 9lb hammer, ripped bubba.

I also have 5 Michigan Bud seeds from a traverse city company New World of Seeds.

I would love to hear any input you may have. questions, comments, concerns,and advice all welcome.

 

[Mr Blah]

Sounds Awesome!
I'm watching this one.
I plan on building a hoop house also with Electrical conduit 1" stuff.
Roll up sides and 20x40.
What type of poly are you going with? The opaque stuff or clear? Polyethylene or something else?

 

[MIgrower]

I am still looking at my options. For $260 Home depot has husky brand poly 6 mil 40x100 it says clear but i know it is more opaque than clear. That is probly what I will end up using unless someone sends me a link to something better/more economical.

 

[deadkndys]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Year-6-Mi...503?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cde34171f


Real GH film is the way to go. That shitty constitution plastic is designed to break down in landfills so using it for film is good for a short term solution but in the long run you will save more money by using the film.


Also these work wonders.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281274793232?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

 

[Mr Blah]

This place is pretty good on prices;
http://www.agriculturesolutions.com...iffused-ir-ad-greenhouse-film-4yr-6mil-detail

 

[MIgrower]

Thanks! Those are both better than the painters plastic I planned on using.

 

[GET MO]

^ jus ordered some, thanks mr blah.

 

[merkaba]

Where can one find 9lb Hammer seeds???????

 

[MIgrower]

I got them from Galactic gardens in flint MI. They only went to a select few retailers. I think it is a limited run.

 

[MIgrower]

Here is my soil mix so far.

 

[Primalraindrop]

Im excited for the season.

 

[maryjaneismyfre]

Words of advice, use 40mm or eq. high pressure pvc pipe. It is used for drain piping down the outsides of buildings like blocks of apartments and is UV stabilized. It is more than up to the task of surviving high winds and storms..The electrical conduit as I found out is not ..

Also use professional greenhouse plastic, more expensive but much cheaper in the long run. The cheapest spec of that, should be fine, just DO NOT get the "insect repelling' 'uv plastic' which blocks UV light. You want UV light and all the professional Israeli made plastic is UV stabilized so don't worry.

Also check the ph of your end mix, with all those amendments I would add a whole lot more lime.. I use slow release dolomite agricultural lime, and I'm not familiar with your bail volumes but on 300-350 of total mixture, and based on mass of your amendments I'd normally add 1/2 - 2/3's the mass of dolomite lime or much more if using oyster shells etc.. so not 3 cups or 750ml but 10 to 15 l for that mix. Also add 10 litres of fine alfalfa meal (crushed and dried stuff sold at co-ops for cattle feed) and add the same of crushed kelp meal. You can also add slow release 3-1-5 and 3-2-1 if you are not completely organic but would still then have to up the lime as well again.

Good luck for the season!

 

[MIway]

how u gonna deal w the humidity out here? iv never experienced a climate like this... 86rh w its 95f outside... to 86rh w its 6f outside. its like always 80rh+ out here... crazy climate.

 

[Mr Blah]

Words of advice, use 40mm or eq. high pressure pvc pipe. .....

Is that regular sch40 pipe?
Is so doesn't that crack under dry sunny weather?

 

[maryjaneismyfre]

It is the white plumbing pipe, but not the normal thickness.. It is thick walled to handle the drop down buildings and the resulting water pressure at the bottom and also the UV treating is so it can sit there for years without having to be replaced. Just checked, no shedule marked on the pipe at all, just local standards stamp and size..It is 40mm outside and 32mm inside diameter.

Also regarding humidity 30ft is about your maximum length you can make it with passive ventilation. And have a fair amount of this, the roll up sides being a good idea. Shade cloth on the ends will keep out bugs and let fresh air in as well. You might have to think about power and ventilation/fans at some point.

 

[gallo_naso]

Buy the best cover you can, I know from experience. A windstorm late in season can ruin your day. These guy sre good
http://www.growerssolution.com/PROD/4-year-6-mil-clear-greenhouse-film/G4Y6MGF

 

[Ichabod Crane]

If you need some dolomitic lime get a hold of me I have some I can give you.

Check Menards for the green house plastic I have seen it there. They may have it in stock. The plastic is back between the flooring and the paint section.

McGoughs in TC has a crap ton of organic supplies that if bought in bulk are way cheaper than your garden stores or box stores. You can get the alfalfa meal and kelp meal there.

If you want some compost last I checked it was $12 a yard at Zimmermans land scaping. That is the unamended compost so you will have to check the PH. It is tyhe leaves they collect down town and compost on keystone.

 

[Ichabod Crane]

A little help for you.

If you go to the top of your thread or any thread you will se a spot labeled "Thread Tools". Click on that and a drop down menu will show up. The bootm button on this drop down menu is "Subscribe to this thread". click that button and you will get another display. Click on the "Add Subscription" part. Once you have done this you will now get a notification when you log in and hit the button at the top of the page marked "My IC".

This can be used on any thread you want to. This will help you keep track of threads you commented on or are intrested in.

 

[bottomland]

MIgrower, I don't want to pop your bubble, but to be with in the law u need to cage (sides n top) your outdoor grow in mich. I know cuz the chopper stop by every year, at my place. Been using chain link fence for the last 5 years. Had mooncrickets in my cage last year got off a doz. shot with my supped up paint ball gun before calling the law. Didn't catch the rippers, but this year I'm building my cage out of 1/2 inch rebar (all most a mile of it) it will have 9 1/2" spaces between rebar n a finer wirer in those spaces. I cover my cage if bad weather is coming or in the fall when the dew is around. aaa I talk to much. good luck n have a good grow

 

[MIgrower]

I will be adding lime, alfalfa and kelp meal, as well as some green sand just waiting on some extra money. Thanks Ichabod Crane I will definitely be checking out McGoughs and Menards.

Plans have changed since I just had to put too much money into my car to keep it running. I will now be building a cage lean to style as seen in this video it will be cheaper but also fully enclosed like bottomland said it needs to be. I'm in the middle of nowhere (both a blessing and a curse) so hopefully rippers wont be a problem, I have a German Shepard boxer mix for my security, cameras too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLbEhLkk7KI

Thanks for all the help and input everyone, more to come.