I put up a 36x16ft polytunnel in November last year, with the aim of eventually having a small mail order nursery along side my 'real job'. The tunnel was heated over the winter by a 11kw gas heater (not that it was needed much), with the aim of keeping the tunnel above 1.5c. I have a couple of thousand seedlings I've been growing on over the past couple of years, and will probably begin selling plants next spring once I've built the website (with a discount for BCSS members!). It's all looking frankly a bit of a mess in the photos below as my real job is keeping me extremely busy at the moment, and I can only manage to visit the tunnel 1/2 days a week (it's built on land at my parents farm - I'm 29 and don't have any real estate to my name, yet).
So here's the tunnel:
Various seedlings, mostly Acanthocalycium, Astros and Neochilenia in the top left. A bit of a mess as I say - when I get an opportunity they'll be arranged more logically:
More seedlings, 1 yr olds, each tray holds 112. A mix of stuff, lobivia, turbs, astros, coryphantha etc. etc.
A handful of 2ish yr old Lobivia famatimensis, coming into flower for the first time:
The above, repotted, with various Lophs in need of the same treatment!
A days work right here....
A sea of seedlings!
I'll update this thread with better pics as the year in the tunnel progresses.
Cheers,
New polytunnel
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Re: New polytunnel
Great stuff, keep up the good work. There are less and less people selling as nurserymen get older. There will always be a market for good quality, well grown and interesting plants.
Obsessive Crassulaceae lover, especially Aeoniums but also grow, Aloes, Agaves, Haworthias and a select number of Cacti.
- Keith H
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Re: New polytunnel
Hi Conrad, I agree with Liz's comments above ^^^^^ . Returning to cacti after my thirty year break I was stunned, how could all those cacti nurseries that I read about in my youth have dissapeared whilst I was not looking?
It looks like you have made a good start setting up your business, well growing some stock, I expect running the business will be very hard work and wish you all the best of luck with your venture.
It looks like you have made a good start setting up your business, well growing some stock, I expect running the business will be very hard work and wish you all the best of luck with your venture.
Regards Keith.
BCSS # 50554
BCSS # 50554
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Re: New polytunnel
Conrad, that is an amazing polytunnel.
You have a massive collection of seedlings. I wish you all the best in setting up your little mart. I'm sure I don't just speak for myself when I say -I believe you will get a lot of interest in your plants. Very excited for you.
You have a massive collection of seedlings. I wish you all the best in setting up your little mart. I'm sure I don't just speak for myself when I say -I believe you will get a lot of interest in your plants. Very excited for you.
There is always room for more cacti...
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Re: New polytunnel
Really really really amazing! I like this polytunnel a lot.
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Re: New polytunnel
Oooh wow, you're doing exactly what I'd love to do eventually. Well done, looks great.
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Re: New polytunnel
Thanks for the replies all, very encouraging! Shan't be too long now until I start selling plants, likely autumn or next spring.
A few photos from today - was about to start taking picture of all the flowering mother plants when my phone ran out of battery, so only seedlings.
Matucana ritteri first - surprisingly happy with the tunnel only being heated to 1-2C over winter. Similarly - Melocactus interpositus - sulked for a while after the winter but almost all of them seem very happy now, though a few are still in a red sulk. I never normally grow Melos, and I'll probably try to get rid of these before next winter for fear of them not making it through. The above unpotted, pretty decent roots on all of them, the few reddish ones had clearly lost a few over winter but all were showing lots of new root growth. Mediolobivia steinmanii - a good example of why I ought to sow more thinly. Good fat roots on them though, at least 1/2 the mass of these is underground. A couple of Mamm. guelzowiana, only 20 or so of these to repot. Why re-potting hook-spined cacti ends up with me effing and blinding. You pick up one and get 5 instead. Avoiding further hook-spined repotting; the reason these poor Mamm bocasana are all crammed in together still. More next week if I remember!
A few photos from today - was about to start taking picture of all the flowering mother plants when my phone ran out of battery, so only seedlings.
Matucana ritteri first - surprisingly happy with the tunnel only being heated to 1-2C over winter. Similarly - Melocactus interpositus - sulked for a while after the winter but almost all of them seem very happy now, though a few are still in a red sulk. I never normally grow Melos, and I'll probably try to get rid of these before next winter for fear of them not making it through. The above unpotted, pretty decent roots on all of them, the few reddish ones had clearly lost a few over winter but all were showing lots of new root growth. Mediolobivia steinmanii - a good example of why I ought to sow more thinly. Good fat roots on them though, at least 1/2 the mass of these is underground. A couple of Mamm. guelzowiana, only 20 or so of these to repot. Why re-potting hook-spined cacti ends up with me effing and blinding. You pick up one and get 5 instead. Avoiding further hook-spined repotting; the reason these poor Mamm bocasana are all crammed in together still. More next week if I remember!
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Re: New polytunnel
It would be great to see an update on this
Matt
Joined online Member number 49972. Bradford Branch.
Interests include South American cacti and spiny Euphorbias
Joined online Member number 49972. Bradford Branch.
Interests include South American cacti and spiny Euphorbias
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Re: New polytunnel
When you putting up your sales list on the site?!
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Re: New polytunnel
Bump!