browndrake

if you give a mouse a cookie... if you give a guy a banana....

if you give a guy a banana.... he will want another to go with it.

if you give him another banana.... he will want a greenhouse to better care for them.

if you give him a greenhouse to better care for them.... his wife and kids will try to take control of the greenhouse.....
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I made the enormous mistake of buying a banana or two (really 8) about a month ago. There have always been plans for a greenhouse, but they were set for a year or two out. Bananas and other similar addictions have brought about a change of plans. Plans are now to start building a 'starter greenhouse.'

I hope to get it done next month, if I can scrape together what it will take to do it. I plan on this one being 15'x25' and probably 12'-14'tall ... likely 10'-12' tall with 2'-4' underground..making total 14'. Will probably put in a subterranean heating cooling system. If all works out like I want I will build larger when when I build my new house.. still 3-5 years out.
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I like to grow edibles...my wife likes to grow pretties. I fully understood from the get go that I would be able to grow my veggies and bananas, and my wife would grow all of her flowers. Heck, without that I wouldn't have been able to talk her into the greenhouse.

What I didn't count on was my oldest daughter... When she heard me talking about planting a vanilla orchid to grow some vanilla beans, she started thinking. She went to work with my Wednesday and while there told me that she wants to start growing some tropicals....and that there should be no problem, as we were going to build a greenhouse. She started listing different plants she wanted. She even told me that we could dig a really deep greenhouse so that she could plant a coconut tree.....

Most of all, she told me, she wanted to start growing orchids.

I figured that orchids couldn't be too dangerous and talked to my local nursery about them. He chuckled....(I think I have been his most frequent visitor this summer and I am already in the middle of projects with pitted fruits and bananas,that people think can't/shouldn't be done here). He wasn't making fun of what I am doing, just what I keep getting myself into.

He told me that there was an expert orchid man, Dean Stock, that lived near by and that I should give him a call. I called Dean up and made arrangements for my wife, daughter, and me to go visit.
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Dean Stock is human geneticist that worked with orchids to escape, ie. personal therapy. He is well known for his breading of tetraploid orchids.
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We had a wonderful time. His 'small' 1500' greenhouse was packed as tight as you could get it with thousands or beautiful orchids. He spent a couple hours talking about them, explaining some of the breeding history, and how he bred for different colors, size, etc.

My wife and daughter fell even more in love with the beautiful flowers. When Dean offered to help them start growing orchids and supply all the orchids they needed, as they learned...they were hooked completely, and I realized that I need to hurry and make a lot of money....my starter greenhouse wont be near big enough. Nor really set up for what they now want.

He explained to them that the best way to learn to grow orchids is to kill a few... He also explained that no matter what size greenhouse you have...it is never big enough.

After the greenhouse he invited us to his lab. I really liked the greenhouse, but the lab was NICE. He showed us many orchids in various stages of development, and how he got them there, from pollinating them (in the greenhouse) to growing the seeds on sterile medium, to growing them in flasks. We talked of tissue culturing, mutations, all kinds of neat things. (I asked him if he were the place to go when I want to play with tissue culturing bananas...he told me that he would be glad to help and that tc is quite simple.) My daughter was thrilled when he let us all look at human chromosomes through his microscope. (I have used one or two...and his is pretty nice)..... He then took us upstairs, into his home, to meet his wife and visit a while.

We had a wonderful experience. You don't meet nicer people than is he. His hospitality was as beautiful as his orchids. Not only did he offer my wife and daughter orchids and to help with them, but also volunteered to come help build my greenhouse, stating that he has built several and learned from many mistakes along the way.
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So everybody be careful...you never know what you are getting into....if you give a guy a banana.

aaron

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Bob

Well done Aaron, it seems the bug caught you like a lot of us here. I'm hoping to move out of here and be able to put together a greenhouse much as you've described some day soon. Don't forget to post as your construction goes along.

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LilRaverBoi

Great story! Yeah, bananas are an addiction that starts inexpensive, but can soon explode into larger investments (growlights, greenhouses, etc etc). But ya know what? If it makes us happy, who really cares! I'm just glad I'm not the only passionate banana nerd in the world who has way more plants than he should! LOL.

PS...1500' greenhouse??? WOW. I want one....just not the bills that come with it!

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BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

lorax

Ahahahaha, Aaron, don't let your daughter anywhere near Ecuagenera - We are where beauty resides in life: in the simplicity of an orchid. - she'll be racking up your credit card bills in no time flat. I know this from personal experience, as I am a certified orchid addict.....

On the other hand, if she wants cultivation tips on any of the South American species, let me know.

LilRaverBoi

I read at the Botanical Gardens here in St. Louis yesterday that 10% of all species identified in the world are orchids! I couldn't believe it! I know there are a ton of types, but didn't think there were quite THAT many!

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

lorax

You want another neat fact? Ecuador has something like 25% of all of the world's plant species, biodiversity-wise, and nearly 25% of those are orchids. There are more than 4,000 distinct species here.

Ohio'sBest

It would seem that.......If you give a guy a plant..............

When asked by people..............................What do you do? I answer them


with.....I watch plants grow.

saltydad

Lorax- damn it, you had to post that orchid site link. Drool, drool....

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lorax

Yeah, I basically sign my paycheque over to them each month. I still don't have all of the species I'd like to, either!

browndrake

Thanks for the feedback.

We did have a wonderful time, and I am anxious to get the materials all purchased so that I can get my greenhouse started. I figure a 375' greenhouse will give me enough space to make me want more. My goal is to use it to make most of my mistakes so that my larger one will go more smoothly.

I will post pics as I build it, it is still at least a month out. Possibly two. I have been starting a new practice this spring, we are buying a home, etc. etc. The greenhouse comes from small flash work (web page components) I do and other side jobs.

My daughter loved the link to the orchids. I told her, though, that she was going to have to start with Dean's as he is our resource for now..and he has offered to supply them... Here is an article he wrote about some of his work:
Big Leaf Orchids - BREEDING FOR TETRAPLOID RED PHALAENOPSIS
We have been in the city for so long, that my children have know little of the country. Now that we are 'home' and putting down roots, they all have little projects they want to start..orchids, strawberries, bluebells.... etc, each has their own little thing they want to do.

aaron

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alexizhere19

Uh-oh Browndrake, Your in deep now, loin the crowd of people who love plants to the extreme. I myself have often wondered where my next orchid/ african violet/ banana fix is coming. I have grown orchids for 6 years and i'll tell you, they can be the most rewarding plants to grow or the most stubborn, for your sake of entering the hobby, i hope rewarding. But word of advice get a greenhouse, because even though the plants can be expensive, you'll collect them fast.

alex

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woo woo woo in the county jail

just a good ole boy never meanin no harm

Bananaman88

Bryan- have you ever been to see their orchid show each winter? I used to help set it up when I worked there and it is amazing. What's even more amazing is the number of orchids that are back in the orchid ranges (greenhouses). They have them by the thousands! The lady who cares for them does a great job. She switches them out every few days so there is always something new blooming in the show. You could go see the show at the beginning, come back a week or two later and see something completely different blooming.

LilRaverBoi

No I haven't seen their show...guess I'll have to look into it! Thanks for the info!

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

Eric

Give a guy a plant & you'd better give him a planet to grow it on... before it's over!! I suffer the same, Expanding addiction. Good luck with your project !!

Send me a Greenhouse... Send me a Greenhouse... Right now!... Right now........!