1st AWARD: S. J. Fosdick
One of the big problems I found in operating my 13 x 16-foot greenhouse was the matter of watering.
During the winter I would usually have to water in the dark of the meeting or at night, both of which were not particularly happy times to water.
Watering System For Greenhouse Benches
Last summer, I installed an automatic watering system on each bench. This was not difficult to do. The benches were cleaned, permitted to dry thoroughly, and leveled, and cracks were covered with tin or aluminum strips.
Then, hot agricultural asphalt I secured from Lord & Burnham was mopped in the benches to make them watertight.
The four-inch tile was cut in half and laid down in the center of the benches to permit the free water flow. One end of the tile line in each bench terminated in an open box where I installed a float valve.
I found that the type of float valve used for toilet tanks is more satisfactory than the less expensive float valve used for chicken troughs.
Pea gravel was then put on the bench to the height of the tile, and 4″ inches of sand was then placed on top of the gravel.
Moisture Retention in Potted Plants
All the plants in the greenhouse are potted. Instead of using broken pots for drainage in the bottom of the pots, I use sphagnum moss. The pots are firmly implanted in the sand, so contact will be established.
I have had no difficulty in maintaining a moist soil condition in pots up to 6 inches in size. Some of the larger pots occasionally need additional watering.
The greenhouse is heated by a space heater, which, of course, gives very dry heat. Last winter, I noted that the plants seemed to be much healthier because of the greater humidity produced by tile evaporation of water from the top of the sand.
The only plants that require any special attention are those on the shelves. It has been my observation, however, that these do not dry out as rapidly as they formerly did because of the generally more humid conditions in the greenhouse.
2nd AWARD: Mrs. Ono Cardwell
I have a small greenhouse 15 x 10 feet. To have the bench space free for seed flats, I had 101/2-inch wide shelves built along the sides and across the ends for my potted plants. This worked out fine except for watering. I spent about two hours each morning watering these pots.
First, I’d adjust the hose nozzle to a slow stream; then, I’d climb up on a box and poke the hose nozzle under the foliage into each pot as far as I could reach, climb down, move the box, and start on another section until I’d gone over all of them. Since I couldn’t see the soil in the pots, I’d sometimes miss watering some plants.
Once, I bent over to stick my fingers into the soil of a pot to see if it was wet and lost my balance. The box on which I was standing began to slide. Feeling my support sliding from under me, I grabbed the shelf to brace myself, and it started down with me clinging to it.
The hose caught between me and the shelf and watered me on the way down. I didn’t mind the soaking, bruises, and mud.
What hurt was the breaking of about fifty pots of geraniums, mixing their labels, and dumping them and myself for good measure into seed flats of petunias on the bench below.
Introduction of Metal Trays
That was a sad day. But it started me thinking. Why not replace the wooden shelves with metal trays and water the pots like I do African violets—from the bottom?
I happened to have some long pieces of galvanized tin in the basement, which had been used for air ducts on the coal furnace before we converted to gas.
My husband and I decided to make the trays out of these pieces of tin. We borrowed a soldering iron, bought some solder, and as we had a pair of tin snips, we went to work.
We cut, bent, and soldered and finally finished the four trays. One for each side and the ends of the greenhouse.
We made the trays 10 ½” inches wide and 6″ inches deep. However, they could be made wider, narrower, or deeper to suit the purpose of the grower. Ten and ½” inches suits me fine because a shelf of this width doesn’t block too much light from the benches below.
In building trays like these, they have to be built out of some lightweight, rustproof metal, and they have to be perfectly level, or the potted plants won’t be watered evenly.
Another thing to remember is to keep pots of one size together. If you place large and small pots together in the same tray, the small pots will be overwatered when the larger ones are watered adequately.
Since we replaced the shelves with trays, I spent about ten minutes each morning watering. I stand on the ground, poke the hose nozzle into the tray, and fill it up.
Remove the nozzle and go to the next tray. This way, you don’t water the foliage, making healthier plants. I also find this method much safer because I can keep both feet on the ground.
3rd AWARD: Dr. E. H. Preston
If you have ever purchased or received a beautiful plant only to find it infested with insects, you know what a disappointing feeling it is. You may have closed your eyes and given the plant the old heave-ho.
Don’t do it again. You can fumigate that plant by placing it in a tight-closing carton, taking it outdoors, and adding a little ant powder (cyanide) to the bottom of the carton. Close the carton tightly and leave the plant in the fumes.
The tight carton protects the plain in winter except on extremely cold days. About a teaspoon to a tablespoon of dry powder and from fifteen to thirty minutes are usually sufficient to kill the insects, depending on the size of the plant and carton.
This method saves your greenhouse from infestation and is especially helpful if yours is attached to the house, making fumigation of the entire greenhouse with poisonous cyanide inadvisable.
This same method could be used to prevent contamination of plants in the home and might also eliminate some fumigations otherwise necessary in an unattached greenhouse.
Last but not least, this single plant fumigation allows you to obtain from any source the plants you want, whether they are insect-infested or not.
44659 by Na