TerraForums - Carnivorous Plant Community
Welcome to TerraForums — a long-running carnivorous plant community established in 2001. Register for free to join the conversation, ask questions, and connect with growers from around the world.
NASC Auction will open in...
Read the rules first :)
NASC auction is OPEN!!
Brokken's Greenhouse
- Thread starter Brokken
- Start date
Share this page
In the summer, I put an evaporative cooler in there. Try to keep the temperatures from getting above 90. At night it generally cools off to the 60s or lower.
In winter I have a small portable heater that keeps the temperature from dropping below 50 usually. All of my lowlanders are moved into a glass terrarium with heaters which maintain the temperature a little more elevated but still sub-optimal.
Either way, the lowlanders suffer in the winter and the highlanders suffer in the summer.
It gets a lot of sunlight. Too much really. Temperatures can soar above 100s which is deadly to the helis and neps. The best place to put one intended to grow one or the other or both here in Cali would be a place that gets dappled or bright shade... This is my observation here in California though, your own conditions will dictate what is best for you.
so what do you do to keep it cool enough in there for neps, especially lowlanders? Thats my problem, it is already 108 degrees outside, nearly 130 degrees inside the greenhouse!
Well, to call it a greenhouse is not completely accurate: In the winter it does function beautifully as a greenhouse - maintaining the temperatures in the 70's during the day and with the help of a heater at 50 during the night.
In summer, during the day I have the exact same problem that you do: Temperatures in the 90s and even hotter temperatures inside the greenhouse. I had to resort to shadecloth (75% opacity) and a swamp cooler to maintain the temperature in check effectively turning it into a shade house. During the dog days of summer, I am lucky if temperatures in the GH stay below 90. Nights are never a problem in the Bay Area. Sometimes they will go down to the low 60's and 50's and I think that this coupled with my temperature reduction measures during the day make it tolerable for the highland species - though they show obvious stress during this time - which manifests in slower, curled growth. Shadecloth will definitely help cut down on temperatures, it's also important to spray the neps with water during these times and also turn on the swamp cooler.
I hope this helps!
In summer, during the day I have the exact same problem that you do: Temperatures in the 90s and even hotter temperatures inside the greenhouse. I had to resort to shadecloth (75% opacity) and a swamp cooler to maintain the temperature in check effectively turning it into a shade house. During the dog days of summer, I am lucky if temperatures in the GH stay below 90. Nights are never a problem in the Bay Area. Sometimes they will go down to the low 60's and 50's and I think that this coupled with my temperature reduction measures during the day make it tolerable for the highland species - though they show obvious stress during this time - which manifests in slower, curled growth. Shadecloth will definitely help cut down on temperatures, it's also important to spray the neps with water during these times and also turn on the swamp cooler.
I hope this helps!
Last edited:
That's some seriously awesome stuff 
