BCSS - Forum

Hi,
Last year I kept my plants on the garden table, much dismay to my parents. This year I want to give them a proper location. Will this cold frame/ greenhouse be ok? I will treat it and such to preserve its longevity.

I don't think I have enough plants to fill it up yet!.

Here is the link, its an aldi product with fairly good reviews.
https://www.aldi.co.uk/small-natural-wo ... 2443757600

The lower shelves look like they will be shaded by the top she.

The main answer would be yes, absolutely.

But, having used similar things in the past as overflow to rear hardy herbaceous plant seedlings and cuttings, there are two things I would watch out for.

1. See where water / condensation drips from the upper layer and if water can get in where the doors meet - for C&S this could lead to something getting a soaking when you don't want it to!

2. Site it carefully. Being small, the temperature inside can swing wildly. Get a decent maximum/minimum thermometer (there are digital ones that have remote sensors so you can monitor it from inside) and make sure it's well ventilated in on hot days and closed up on cold nights.

Those are in the stores tomorrow.

I was considering getting one to replace my little Sphagnum house

edds wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:48 pm 2. Site it carefully. Being small, the temperature inside can swing wildly. Get a decent maximum/minimum thermometer (there are digital ones that have remote sensors so you can monitor it from inside) and make sure it's well ventilated in on hot days and closed up on cold nights.

Thanks guys.

I was thinking of getting a little doodad that can open and close it automatically to keep it at sensible temperatures.

I'd stick with manually opening and closing as otherwise the wax cylinder types are too slow to react to a sunny spell and things in such a small space will boil before the cylinder can expand sufficiently.

They're great little spaces though and I was looking at a glass and aluminium one to be able to put some of my cacti in a sunnier spot than they are currently in in spring and early summer to encourage more flowering.

Bringing this back up, I finally assembled it and put it in the garden, the risk of frost seems to be over so is it safe for the cacti to go in the garden yet?

NaZzAtAzEr wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:52 pm the risk of frost seems to be over so is it safe for the cacti to go in the garden yet?

It depends what you have. Hardy cacti, yes. Ones that like a tiny bit of warmth over winter, quite likely. Ones that need a lot of warmth year round, no. Healthy plants in good growth can often cope with brief overnight cold quite well, especially if daytime temps are high. Overnight lows of (say) 5 degrees aren't going to be a problem for most cacti. Unexpected frost is a greater risk, I'd say.

Beware of adjustment to sun levels - plants are very susceptible to burning at this time of year, especially if they have been overwintered in a lower light situation and are being introduced to longer or more intense exposure to sun.

With something that small, I'd remove the doors for most of the summer.

NaZzAtAzEr wrote: ↑Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:52 pm Bringing this back up, I finally assembled it and put it in the garden, the risk of frost seems to be over so is it safe for the cacti to go in the garden yet?

In this part of Surrey, between Leatherhead and Guildford, we've had a frost every night for the last 4 - 5 nights, with another forecast for tonight, so I wouldn't say that the risk of frost is over