Planning a 15ft x 24ft greenhouse - need help + advice!

walterego

Active Member
Hey guys,
So i am planning a greenhouse grow next year. I have experience indoors, but this will be my first time growing in a greenhouse. Have some questions and concerns, hoping some peeps can shed some light.

I'm looking to create a 15ft x 24ft greenhouse with glass or polycarbonate walls.

#1 - Construction. I see companies online such as Santa Barbara Greenhouse Co selling kits of all sizes. But they are pricey. For the 15ft x 24ft size it's $12-$16K (!!), depending on whether you want the panels pre-assembled. I think i could save a lot of money by buying the raw materials and designing it myself. And that also allows more flexibility on size etc. The kits I've seen have pretty low ceilings. But not sure what materials to use exactly, wood and glass or wood and polycarbonate ideally (no plastic film or tarps etc). But also want it to be air tight and bug / pest tight etc. Basically: I have no ideal WTF i am doing re: building a greenhouse! I am handy with tools etc., but just want to create a solid, functional, secure (as can be) structure vs a shanty. Are there plans online? I see sites that want to charge for them, but that seems like bullshit. What's the best source for polycarbonate panels? Tap Plastics? What about framing them? Or is glass better?

#2 - Growing in ground vs. pots. I have seem some people recommend growing directly in the ground vs. in pots. My soil is not good here at all though, so that would mean some digging etc. But i have a jackhammer! LOL But are the advantages definitely worth it? Obviously in containers allows more flexibility with moving plants, etc., and worst case they could be moved if there was a problem. But seems the ground allows a lot more root growth, and in happier, bigger plants in the end. I had thought about laying a concrete slab as a floor for the greenhouse, but it seems that leaving natural dirt floor would be better here?

#3 - Ventilation / odor. I plan on running big inline fans and having constant air circulation. But am concerned about odor come that time of the grow. I will be using carbon filters, and ideally the greenhouse would be relatively airtight. Is this enough for odor control? I live in a small town in a small neighborhood… but there technically are neighbors (I do live in a medical state and this is a 100% legal medical grow). I think getting ripped off is a bigger concern, but ideally i would just like no one smelling a thing if that's possible. No troubles or problems! That's what i need :)

#4 - Pests, molds etc. Are there extra precautions that have to be taking when growing in a greenhouse? Seems like bugs and mold etc would be more of a problem? Any advise here? Read about spraying neem oil every 2 weeks until thc starts to form?

#5 - Making walls opaque / privacy. I have read about this stuff you can paint on glass to make it milky and opaque (white/gray and cannot see thru). But not sure about light transmission. What's the best way to let light in while keeping privacy?

And any other advise for an aspiring greenhouse newbie? :)

MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE!!! :D
 

OGEvilgenius

Well-Known Member
I can't comment on construction, but I will say that if you opt to use pots instead, get really really big ones! Maybe you could opt to go hydro instead? Build one of those setups like Heath Robinson (google him! vertical grows!) only with a bigger container. He grew a tree indoors with his setup that yielded 76oz I do believe. If you had an airtight room you could do some CO2 as well. You'd have quite a setup. You might want to consider that if you go really big you might find you have 12 ft tall trees to take of and that definitely is more difficult than smaller plants.
 

walterego

Active Member
I can't comment on construction, but I will say that if you opt to use pots instead, get really really big ones! Maybe you could opt to go hydro instead? Build one of those setups like Heath Robinson (google him! vertical grows!) only with a bigger container. He grew a tree indoors with his setup that yielded 76oz I do believe. If you had an airtight room you could do some CO2 as well. You'd have quite a setup. You might want to consider that if you go really big you might find you have 12 ft tall trees to take of and that definitely is more difficult than smaller plants.
Yeah after reading Doublejj's carport greenhouse thread, it seems the 100gal smartpots are the way to go! Seems like using the ground would get old, always having to dig up your floor etc. But i am sure both methods have their advantages.
 

dirrtyd

Well-Known Member
All of DJJ's specs i think are in the 2010 thread take a look it can be done. keepem green dirrtyd
 

OGEvilgenius

Well-Known Member
Yeah after reading Doublejj's carport greenhouse thread, it seems the 100gal smartpots are the way to go! Seems like using the ground would get old, always having to dig up your floor etc. But i am sure both methods have their advantages.
Keep in mind that his plants got almost 18ft tall, he didn't have an enclosed environment and he badly injured himself falling off a high ladder trying to tend for those monsters. And his yields per monster were not much if any better than what Heath got indoors (from much smaller plants). Worth noting before you make your call.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/101347-critical-mass-tree-grow-x.html

Here is one of Heath's threads.
 
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