Hot in the greenhouse!

[gemlady]

At 2.45pm it was 33 degrees in the greenhouse I guess now is the time I should be starting to shade it, or is it really necessary? What's the paint on stuff like, is it easy to get off at the end of the season? Can anyone recommend a method of shading, I don't want my plants to get scorched?

[rustylady]

Best way to keep the greenhouse at a reasonable temperature (no more than 22 or 23 degrees) is to ventilate - open the door and window(s) early in the day if the forecast is good. The airflow will also help prevent diseases such as botrytis. Shading can help, Coolglass (white paint on stuff) is a bit like the oldfashioned Windowlene. Wipes off with a dry cloth at the end of the season, but is rainproof.

[lottie dolly]

my greenhouse said it was 45 and a bit this was about 2 pm,the door had been open all night,the side loovers were fully open,and i had the window open as well,so tomorrow i am going to paint it white on the side it gets the blistering sun from the most,done it before and was good,as was a green netting as shade,have never known it so hot in there,the thermometer is the little square one from wilko's.

[crichmond]

mine reached 40.9 today according to the max min themometer

[barrie tough]

mine was at 42.bubble wrap is good as well but coolglass is the easiest thing to put on

[seasprout]

I have spent the day applying Horti Shade on commercial glasshouse's on an industrial scale, hence needing a good scrub when i got home.

Its good stuff. Down side is it tends to leave scum in your rain barrel if you have one fixed to your bit of glass, so I would not recommend it if you are really hot on collecting rain water.

At the end of the season a small drop of fairy liquid and a cheap kitchen brush, you basically wet rub it off and give it a hose down.

However my little 8x6 at home now has a nice 'curtain' of fleece attached to the outside on the 'facing sun side'. This has made all the difference in very hot, sunny weather.

Remember to 'damp'* down in your greenhouse from time to time.

*= Damping down is watering the path and or beds in hot weather, it raises humidity and helps prevent your plants getting heat stroke.

[barrie tough]

good tip seasprout ,thats why your the mom

[quark1]

My west-facing sunlounge was over 40c today.

[seasprout]

My west-facing sun lounge was over 40c today.

I suggest you Don't water your carpet, perhaps sit in a bath of ice cubes with a beverage of your choice

[Madasafish]

As it's going to rain tomorrow, I leave the door open. Painting is toooooo early here... we could yet have a late frost.. It was 25C outside the greenhouse tho!

Edit:
As I worry about my health , a large gin tonic, lime and ice cubes was required at 4.30pm. (It's needed for the quinine to keep malaria at bay).

It was a reward for a great trading day:-))

[janeyo]

Can you paint the white stuff on polycarbs too? Or just proper glazing? Does it go on the inside or the outside?

janeyo

[kentvegplot]

I'm using fleece as shade curtains - but I forgot today when I left the house early, and boy did the plants tell me all about it when I got home. It was up to 38 under the staging!

[Snadger]

No idea what it got up to in my greenhouse..........it went off the scale on my max/min thermometer!
Opened three windows now so should cause a bit of a through draft........probably get a frost now!
Surprisingly my tomato and pepper seedlings have recovered but I must make a concerted effort to plant them in there final position this weekend!

[Cutecumber]

I mentioned last year about how high the temperatures get in greenhouses even when fully open.

The coolest I can keep mine at, without shading, in summer - and I'm talking fully open here - is 38 degrees. From what people have reported it appears that smaller greenhouses suffer more from excessive heat retention more than the larger ones, persumably because of airflow.

Remember that although some kind of shade curtain inside the greenhouse will diffuse the sun's rays, it will not prevent the heat coming in. You need to put something on the outside - I use green windbreak netting - if possible.

I use Coolglass on the panes I can reach - on the long, south-facing side of the house - it doesn't make a massive difference but every little helps.

[bramble]

I use the ratten mats which can be bought cheaply in most shops. they do the job well and are heavy enough to stay when there is a bit of a breeze.