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RE: AP greenhouse
> At 03:48 AM 9/28/98 -0400, Olga wrote:
> > Does anyone out there have
> >any experience with trying this in a climate that can go below
freezing?
> >I'm wondering how hard it is to keep the water temperature at about
72 F at
> >the lowest. We don't have *really* cold winters here but we can have
a
> >couple of weeks of snow (sometimes more) and of course it's never
> "tropical".
>
> Olga, I have been thinking about growing plants in quantity myself and
have
> concluded that a moderated maritime climate is best. McLellan grows
> orchids in Watsonville, doesn't snow there but I'll bet it can get
pretty
> chilly in the winter. They may heat tho, which adds CO2 as well as
warmth.
> If I were to pick I would go further south, to somewhere south of LA
and
> north of San Diego. That would reduce fog as well. Has anyone ever
done
> this in the US (I know Tropica does in DK)? How did it work out?
I have a small greenhouse, but I grow orchids in there, not aquatic
plants. Here in sunny Austin Texas, summer heat is a much bigger
problem than the winter cold (we only get about 20 nights/year below
freezing, and rarely below 28 F), but on sunny winter days the
greenhouse can easily get 25-30 degrees over ambient. The trick for you
is to trap as much daytime heat as you can in the water, so you won't
have to use so much heat at night. You can do this with water tanks
painted black in full sunlight, and/or daytime aeration of the water
with the warm air. I have a small (1200 watt) heater, which keeps my
greenhouse above 50 F at night. An inexpensive propane heater could
easily keep your nighttime temps over 70 F.
I don't think you'll have too much trouble.
Regards,
Mark