Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Hi, I have a background in science and engineering; specifically computing and electronics, but I dabble with just about everything (unfortunately an active mind can be as much of a curse as a blessing). Having had a gardening interest since childhood, I suppose the most relevant information here is that I am designing and building a solar powered greenhouse for growing tropicals all year round, taking inspiration from those greenhouse builds in Canada (bananas in the snow kind of thing). Insulation will be key. I have grown some bananas from seed, some from macro propogation and others I have had delivered from Thailand. There is a nice chap called Surachart at https://thailandplant.com/ who arranges all the phytosanitary certificates. Have had 5 varieties delivered to the UK (I don't think we have any native musa), although delivery to US is not currently possible. I am designing, will manufacture and build my own greenhouse (no kits). Looking forward to my tropical paradise being completed. :woohoonaner:

Kind Regards - Chris

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Welcome to the Jungle!!:woohoonaner:

Have fun here.

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Hi Chris,
What musa have you got so far? and id love to know more about your solar powered greenhouse ideas!!

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Banana species and cultivars grown?:
###Edibles###
Blue Namwa (ice cream)
Dwarf Red Dacca
Dwarf Namwa
Dwarf Gros Michel
Boran
Daijao (hardiest edible?)
Dwarf Cavendish

###Ornamentals###
Basjoo
Sikkimensis
Helens Hybrid
Velutina

###Seeds (not germ')###
Orphan Ensete
Bukensis
Acuminata
Dwarf Manii
Dwarf Hirta

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

The very first ones I bought were dwarf cavendish, but now I am questioning that. I bought 2, then later 4 plug sized ones from the same online nursery.

The first 2 are now between 2&3' tall, but definitely not dwarf cavendish. Wide spacing between leaves (not dwarf looking), no raid staining on leaves, no red midrib. They are green, darker green on sunny side and lighter on other side, with no frosting/powder on other side.

The other 4 are now about 1' tall, they look like dwarf cavendish in form, dark green leaves, closely spaced, frosting on underside of leaves, but again, no maroon staining or midrib. Any ideas?

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Solar powered greenhouse - 8 x 3m, south facing, backed by tall trees, not overhanging. Plan to have concrete base, then...

Insulation Rear - wood frame, galvanised roof panels will form outer wall, insulted, then sealed with plastic and space blankets. These are a very cheap way to cover a large area with thermal reflecting material.

Insulation top and front - Nothing fancy, a mix of glass and polycarb panels with and extra 2 or 3 layers of bubble wrap. Internally an extra sheet of plastic will be hung during winter to provide and extra layer.

Ventilation - very very important, often overlooked. 2 doors - side to side, east and west. through ventilation, big fan for summer (one in, one out), small fan/led lamps all year round - cheap things from ali express.

Thermal Mass - raised beds inside, stepped, increasing in height south to north (as much thermal mass as possible - stabilise internal temps)

Solar panels 8 of - to top & north of greenhouse roof as not to shade plants inside. Will charge Li-ion battery pack (still to build from a few hundred old laptop cells).

Lighting - all led, mix of red, blue, strip and e22 grow lamps, and some regular lighting. These are intended to extend the morning and evening light in winter. We get about an hour less each way at solstice (I used to live in Kent, so I know how much the nights are loooooong here)

Heating - minimal required to maintain temp, thermal mass and good insulation will do the heavy lifting.

Hope thats of interest. :2738:

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Thats a great collection, I purchased some siam ruby as really tiny tissue cultures from an ebay seller, they are now a decent size with not a fleck of colour where as two weeks ago B and M were selling muli stem siam ruby for £12 that are beautiful! Sadly its the same all over you are never sure what you are buying,

So Im way down south UK and Basjoo are fruiting but Scotland I m very impressed.

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Green house sounds great, Im also Kent born, post up some pictures as you build your musa house.

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

FYI - current state of bananas

###Edibles###
Blue Namwa (ice cream) \
Dwarf Red Dacca \
Dwarf Namwa > All corms, have 7, 2 have thus far sprouted.
Dwarf Gros Michel / I have done macropropogation of the corms
Boran / i.e cut sections off corm outer to hedge bets on
pups

Daijao (hardiest edible?)
Dwarf Cavendish - 6 with pups, 2 are not DC, 4 might be. see post above

###Ornamentals###
Basjoo - 3 (though to be basjoos, but not known for sure) - 2 macropropogated pups and 1 main corm left after cutting. 3 further plants just bought, less than a foot.
Sikkimensis - sickly plug with one broken leaf received, has just grown another
Helens Hybrid - barely germinated, first leaf died, second stem has appeared
Velutina - bough as plant - about 1.5'

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Ive only had Basjoo, Velutina and Lasiocarpa flower, basjoo/Sikkimensis are planted out but all my other move to the house or in a wrapped/heated greenhouse, what is the height of your green house going to be?

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Greenhouse - Here are some pictures of my regular sized greenhouse (packed to the gunnels), it has the insulation, stepped raised beds heater, light etc. Bit like this but 8 x larger!

The more exotic bananas are inside the house, underheated on south facing window.

Yes, its pitch black outside here.

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

How do you post photos? Ive uploaded to gallery. Stuck.

3m high, but for the like of the blue namwa (the real ice cream banana) it is 4 m, so I will dig a hole in the greenhouse to plant that further down

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Photos have to be 2mb or under

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

yes its under 1mb, in my gallery

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

2nd try...

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Nice, mine is still empty apart from some coffee and mandevilla cuttings, its still above 10 at night some nights so probably this or next weekend I'll be squishing everything in, once my greenhouse lights are on I think you can spot it from space lol

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Dwarf Cavendish


and [not] Dwarf Cavendish

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

Ha ha ha - Hope you can afford the electric bill ;)

Well I think I have like 200+ pots crammed into my greenhouse, there is staging as well. The tiered heights allows you squeeze every ray of sun onto the plants.

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

That's exactly what a plant room is supposed to look like...:)

I am just beginning to prepare mine to bring indoors.

Re: Innovator With Too Many Hobbies
 

check out "citrus in the snow" and other poor mans geothermal set ups
earth insulated greenhouse, walapini, rocket mass heated greenhouse,
pushing air from the peak of the greenhouse in the summer down 12 feet to store the heat underground, same principle but less deep during spring and fall for high daytime cool nighttime temps
roll up motors for insulation to roll down at nighttime (would need to be inside greenhouse with other supports for it to roll up and down on)

I would like to build a greenhouse as well but it is at least a couple years before I could think about following through
Id like to make one with all the techniques above and more.. another design for even colder... and some cold frames etc