A question from an indoor grower

I'm looking into buying a hobby greenhouse and switching to growing outdoors because it just seems like a good idea. I'm just wondering if the plants can take the arizona heat without having to A/C the greenhouse, which would make it a very cost inefficient way to grow. Anyone replies are welcome!

Depends on the strain man. Get some straight sativas and you should be fine as long as you provide adequate water.

Well, I've been hearing that a good home-made way to lower temperature is to put frozen water bottles around in the grow-area. Unless you have a decent system of fans.

A very good way to do it is to place dry ice all around the plants. Not only do the plants love to breathe it in, but it keeps temps low.

Kaendar said:

Depends on the strain man. Get some straight sativas and you should be fine as long as you provide adequate water.

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Do you think even with 115F temps they'd survive? Unfortunately, outdoors the fans are not going to be possible and ice all year long is just a hassle. I'm hoping to switch to outdoor growing so I can grow bigger plants with less problems ( such as lighting, fans, temps, ) I just want to put em under the sun, feed and water them, and hope for the best

Sativa strains are from the equator. Hottest areas of the earth. If they are in a greenhouse and have enough water they should be fine.

I suppose a greenhouse with a filtered sunlight can't get get too hot. I think I'm going to give outdoor growing a try. I've been able to handle 90F temps in my indoor grow room so this cant be a whole lot worse

okcomputer said:

I suppose a greenhouse with a filtered sunlight can't get get too hot. I think I'm going to give outdoor growing a try. I've been able to handle 90F temps in my indoor grow room so this cant be a whole lot worse

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You should man. Its so much easier and you can get way bigger yields.

Gonna need adequate ventilation in that greenhouse, or they'll literally cook. Think of a dog left in the car on a hot day with the windows rolled up....no chance. A couple window or cheap box fans should do the trick.

Just read the earlier post where you said fans are not an option...How you gonna prevent the "greenhouse effect"? 115 ambient temps, with the sun beating down and heating the stagnant air inside the greenhouse? How you planning on dealing with that?

I'm looking at greenhouses with adequate ventilation on the sides and roof. It'll have to go in the far corner of my backyard and there won't be access to electricity from there so I'm planning on using natural cooling methods like shade cloths, etc. I will have access to water so I could install a misting system inside for cooling if need be

Outdoor extension cord? So you're just hoping that the natural breezes and possibly the idea that hot air rises will vent the hot air out of the windows of your greenhouse? I dunno how those smaller greenhouses work, but I would think if there is no breeze you would still need some way to remove the hot air.

Dry ice!! Its perfect for greenhouses!

Kaendar said:

Dry ice!! Its perfect for greenhouses!

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First of all, you're gonna be hauling a lot of dry ice....Secondly, it doesn't cool the ambient temperature as much as you would think. Also, if there is no air movement in the greenhouse, the cool air AND CO2 is just gonna pool towards the bottom of the greenhouse. Would you suggest he builds some way to hang the dry ice so the CO2 falls on the plants as it sublimates?? I don't really think this is very good advice.

I see your point but having the electrical cord running 50 ft across the yard around the pool isnt practical for me. I am considering having an electrician mounting an extension to the wall the greenhouse would be near so that I could run a fan or an A/C if needed

First of all, how large of a greenhouse are we talking about? Have a link, or pictures, or something in mind?

Heres a link for the greenhouse: http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/nature-silver-greenhouse/ Its nothing too big, but should allow me to have a nice garden.

The Nature Silver Greenhouse can get you up and growing in no time! Save money by starting your plants early from seed and extend your season by protecting plants from fall frosts. The clear, polycarbonate twin-wall panels on the Nature greenhouse have twice the heat retention of single layer panels so it's great for overwintering those pampered patio pots.

Heat retention, man. Plus, it only has the one roof vent, and no side vents...I can't tell if it has doors on both sides, but you're gonna have to keep them open all the time if it does. I still think you'll need some sort of ventilation in 115 degree weather, man. Why do you need a greenhouse? Some reason you can't just grow outdoors?

I don't really know... I was thinking I would just be using something along the lines of 20gallon smart pots to grow in. I figured the greenhouse would help protect the plants from the cold in the winter, and other things like bugs and wind, etc

Well you usually harvest in the fall, outdoors. Bugs, maybe? But if you get an infestation inside your greenhouse, it's more likely to blow up fast. Wind is good for the plants, helps to strengthen the stems as long as it's not gale force winds. If you wanna grow outdoors in 115 degree heat, I wouldn't try it inside a greenhouse. Maybe just get a shade cloth for when it's really hot, work on that misting system.