browndrake

My daughter has determined that when I am rich and famous, I will build a greenhouse large enough (deep enough) for her to grow coconuts.

As I have mulled over the idea, different gh designs have come and gone. It is something that I would be willing to do...if I had sufficient funds. (so maybe one day...)

So, I am asking you all to help with this daydream. I am thinking of a gh with a terraced floor, so that nanas and other light lovers could be at the shallow end and taller plants, and those shorter that have less light requirements, could be on the deeper terraces.

At the deep end, the gh would probably be around 25' deep, with the wall and roof above that. Likely would have a series of waterfalls on the tall wall, going to a pond below.
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1. What are some tropical or subtropical plants that do well in lower light conditions?
2. The girls are interested in anything pretty.
3. I am more interested in fruiting plants.
4. What are other 'things' that you would add to make a mini tropical world?
5. Any other thoughts/input?
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Like I said, it is a daydream..but one that one day may become a reality. Perhaps when I am old enough for a midlife crises, I will make this it.... BTW, as what age am I supposed to have a mid life crises?
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Thanks for any input. I thought that it might be fun to share the dream my daughter is pawning off on me. Perhaps with our imagination and your experience (and imagination too) we will one day realize this daydream.

If so, I will invite all here for a southwest usa banana get together.

Thanks,

aaron

contributions from everybody are being added to my 2nd post of the thread.
help with a daydream?

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Lagniappe

Papaya! Well, for the high light area.
I'm thinking 36-38 is a good age to go bonkers.

CookieCows

I have it pictured in my head!! Yup... I'm there and it's given me something to think about. You do that and I bet all of us will be taking a vacation out your way to see that! As far as the mid-life crisis... definitly different ages. My husband and I think he had his in his late 30's when he bought his cherry red, T-top camaro and we both started smoking again after quitting for 8 years, partying and going wild for afew years. Well maybe we went through that together. (Not smoking or going wild anymore.)

Good luck with that!
DEb

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browndrake

this might have been better in the tiki hut....but when I started writing the thread, it was just going to be asking about part to full shade plants..

As you can see, it evolved into something more... It evolved into a discussion of the reason behind the lower light plants.
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as for the mid life crises, perhaps it will be too late.. I will be 40 by years end, and if such a dream comes to fruition, it will still be 5-10 years from now.
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plants that we have thought of so far...with varying needs, both light and temp:

coconut palm
banana
mango
vanilla orchids
orchids
pineapple
black pepper

I saw somebody post about some kind of fruiting vine...but can't remember what it was. We would definitely need some vines.. we don't just want a blank wall at the back but something that looks, feels, is tropical.

thanks for the input....keep it coming.

here are more that you are all coming up with:

plant.................contributor.............notes

papaya..............Lagniappe...............
passion vines......Mason...................Plant in some sort of container in gh so it does not take over
Cherimoya..........Bencelest.............. requires warm climate but also requires period of cool temps
Star apple..........Bencelest..............Gets tall..up to 100', Fruit must be fully ripe. Skin + rind inedible
sugar apple.........Bencelest. ............Leaves reportedly smell bad.

It isn't every day, you know, that you get to design a dream.

aaron

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gadget

Plant the coconut tree close to one side of the greenhouse and when it gets to tall, knock it over.

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bencelest

Cherimoya, star apple, sugar apple, are what comes to mind. If you can grow anyone of those you won't be sorry. Because they are my dreams too. But only in my dream. Coconut is for practical purposes is out of the question if your purpose is to harvest fruit. Because I have not seen one grown out of their natural habitat.

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Banana Nut

Bob

Browndrake, there was a post a while back about a guy (I believe from Texas) who was going to do much the same as you would like by excavating a pit and covering with a clear geodesic gome. If you have a friend with a backhoe you could ask him to dig a layered pit and cover with the dome. I've seen geo dome frames in ebay fairly inexpensive that are meant to be covered in shrink wrap(used here a lot for boats in winter. I don't know enopugh about you climate to know how practical this would be but this could be a fairly inexpensive and do-able option. If it were me I'd provide extra heat and humididty with a built in hot tub..........now my mind is starting to wander.

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Kim

Browndrake;
Make your dream come true. Ask your daughter to participate and share the dream.

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Catch ya on the rebondKim

Velutina

Be sure to add LOTS of water to the design. If you do a pond, make it extra deep (10'+) and consider adding a solar water heating system.

I have a similar plan, but will be adding a large salt water reef pond that will be viewable from the basement of the house.

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Adam

browndrake

the reef sounds very neat...but even more expensive than what I am planning.

Do you have any good links to the pros/cons and howtos of ponds? I am planning on putting one in, but not sure on size. I am planning on circulating it all year...in the wintertime, through solar heating system, in the summer as a waterfall.

My thinking may be flawed, but the idea is have the water fall help cool the gh in summer.

Although I have been doing a lot of research, I have not really dug into the ponds yet, and and worlds to learn. I very well may add a small one to the first gh I am making....to get some of the mistakes out of the way, before I build the larger one.

aaron

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Bob

Actually a very large pond would if heated in winter would moderate the temperatures pretty well I bet. Help keep the humidity high and maybe temps down a bit in summer. It could be done fairly cheap with a pond liner, (maybe even heavy plastic sheeting) avavilable from good aquarium stores and maybe a pool heater. Drums filled with water are used as passive solar heaters in greenhouses so in theory a pond would work as well or better.

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