# I HATE this hot weather...



## abax (Jun 14, 2022)

Anybody else with a greenhouse fighting to keep temps. down? My temp. reached over 80F today
with wet wall, fans everywhere and three humidifiers going full blast...also a running fountain and
hosing down floor. I'm thinking through-the-wall air conditioner possibly. Feed back anyone?


----------



## Hien (Jun 14, 2022)

I know that what I am saying is sidetracking , but this is what I found on the internet, so be happy that you are so blessed with high temperature in Kentucky, I wish I could live in hot area, but my whole family (aka all of my siblings) lives in New Jersey!








Cold environment makes cancer grow and spread faster


Cancer grows and spreads faster when the environment is cold, while the opposite occurs when it is warm. Should patients be treated in warmer rooms?




www.medicalnewstoday.com




Does temperature affect cancer?
The team compared cancer progression and metastasis in mice housed at 22°C (72°F) and 30°C (86°F). They found that *several types of cancers, including those of the pancreas, colon, skin and breast developed more rapidly and started spreading earlier and more aggressively in the colder environment*.


----------



## Ray (Jun 15, 2022)

Angela, as someone who grows out on my deck, my plants are subject to ambient conditions without recourse.

Yesterday, it was 83F at 7am, and only got worse from there.


----------



## NYEric (Jun 15, 2022)

No.


----------



## Cklinger (Jun 16, 2022)

At the grow, we have a hoop house where we do our re-potting and during the summer we put shade cloth over the entire thing. It’s more like black netting so there’s still adequate lighting and lowers the temp inside by several degrees. Might be worth looking into?


----------



## abax (Jun 16, 2022)

I have shade cloth, but my greenhouse is shaded by lots of trees. I suspect that a
shade cloth might just make the temp situation worse...or maybe not. I've used
the shade cloth in the past. Now trees have shaded the gh and the shade cloth
is no longer needed. Hello Portland!!


----------



## Ray (Jun 16, 2022)

Angela, shade cloth works in two ways, by reflecting light and by absorbing it, which converts it to heat.

Among pigmented cloths, heating is a significant portion, but varies with color, being the least in white and most in black cloths.

Aluminet, however, being aluminized Mylar film, reflects almost 100% of the blocked light, generating extremely little heat.


----------



## tomp (Jun 16, 2022)

'On a previous GH 'I was able to suspend my aluminet 12 inches above the roof so I got airflow between cloth and roof. Very effective.


----------



## abax (Jun 16, 2022)

I have aluminet, but no one brave enough to get it up there. My husband died May 28 and I'm not in any shape to try to do it myself. Actually, my greenhouse doesn't get very
much direct sun, but the extreme temps. and humidity are damaging.


----------



## Ray (Jun 17, 2022)

Angela, first let me say how sorry I am to hear about your husband’s passing.

Taking a sharp “right turn”, one of the advantages of the reflective nature of Aluminet is that - because there is almost no heat generation - it can be placed inside the greenhouse, which might be easier that outside.


----------



## abax (Jun 17, 2022)

Thank you Ray. Actually, inside would be harder to do for me and nobody to help.
The attachment points are all outside and waaaaay high by crawling up on one
very steep roof and trying to roll the aluminet down the gh roof. Ain't a job for
the faint hearted.


----------



## Phragper (Jun 17, 2022)

so sorry to hear of your loss. just know that you have lots of friends here


----------



## SuperPaph (Jun 18, 2022)

I grow my Paphs in outside, and during july and august, when hotter (83) they feel fantastic, but have them during these months at shadow.


----------



## Guldal (Jun 19, 2022)

My most heartfelt commiserations, Angela! So sorry to hear of your loss - and that you on top of it have to deal with such challenging practicalities at a time, where the orchids and your other plants should have provided you with solace and support. 
Ray's input about the aluminet seems sound, though I see the challenges it rises. If I remember right, you live a bit off the beaten track? Mightn't there be someone you could ask for assistance, anyway: a practical (far away) neighbour; someone trustworthy in one of the local congregations or orchid societies; a friend you could ask for help and Invite to stay over for a couple of days; or ......? 
I've often been amazed by the extent to which "the kindness of strangers" has shown, when reaching out for help!
I hope you succeed in solving the problem - or that the weather changes soon!

Most kind regards, 
Jens


----------



## abax (Jun 19, 2022)

Thank you Guldal. The weather has cooled a bit and my greenhouse seems to have
made it through well and blooming...lots of new growth and flowers. I don't understand
"congregations". Church people perhaps? We, of course, have no orchid society within 150 miles and I know no one else who has any interest in orchids. No synagogue here either. I'm totally alone to deal with everything.


----------



## Guldal (Jun 20, 2022)

abax said:


> Thank you Guldal. The weather has cooled a bit and my greenhouse seems to have
> made it through well and blooming...lots of new growth and flowers. I don't understand
> "congregations". Church people perhaps? We, of course, have no orchid society within 150 miles and I know no one else who has any interest in orchids. No synagogue here either. I'm totally alone to deal with everything.


I was trying to find a non-denominational term for church, synagogue, temple, etc...but see that I failed or maybe used a British-English word?
If I was totally off the rails, please bear with this non-native speaker - the meaning may not have been clearly expressed, but was indeed well-intended!
Glad to hear, the weather cooled down a bit, Angela - that heatwave sounded awfully and devastatingly hot!


----------



## abax (Jun 20, 2022)

Ah, I see what you mean. Your English is excellent Jens. American English is constantly
changing and adding new words and discarding old definitions. Language evolution
leaves everybody confused at times. A religious implication is the last language reference I'd think of. (notice the sloppy ending to that sentence ending with a preposition...bad)
You should have heard me murder Danish when visiting your lovely country OMG!!!!
WHAT?????


----------



## Guldal (Jun 21, 2022)

abax said:


> You should have heard me murder Danish when visiting your lovely country OMG!!!!
> WHAT?????


Thank you for your always nice words about Denmark, Angela. 
But when it comes to our language:
I've heard Danish characterized not as a language, but a throat disease!  
A Finish guy once told me, that it most of all reminded him of 'Klingon' (Star Trek).
And I can to some extent follow both viewpoints: completely idiomatic (for almost every rule, there is a host of exceptions); strange vowels (ø, æ, å); consonants, that chop off the prosodic flow (the melody of the language); a lot of guttural sounds (from the back of the throat - though not as pronounced as in Dutch); completely impossible to pronounce, if you didn't grow up with it (though, even then, younger people, born and bred on our shores, tend to make a meal of it, not articulating properly - said the Scandinavian version of Professor Higgins, anno 2022 )!

Invoking Henry Higgins I just had to check on the 'congregation', and, rightly so, Oxford Languages has it with the meaning, I made use of (and then it probably can't get more British, can it? ):


congregation meaning - Google Search


----------



## abax (Jun 21, 2022)

You are correct about the British use of the term. Particularly, Renaissance English
during the upheavals between Catholic, Protestant, extreme Protestant sects. It
seems Elizabeth won out on that one.


----------



## GuRu (Jun 21, 2022)

abax said:


> ...My husband died May 28 and I'm not in any shape to try to do it myself....


Angela, I came across this thread by coincidence and sorry to read this. My deepest condolence .... even if it's belated.


----------



## chris20 (Jun 21, 2022)

I, too, am very sorry for your loss.


----------



## abax (Jun 22, 2022)

Thank you for the condolence Rudolf. Every little bit helps no matter that it is
belated.


----------



## abax (Jun 22, 2022)

Thank you fellow Kentuckian! It's always very nice to know that there are other
orchid people in the state. None close to Corbin which is sad for me.


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Jun 22, 2022)

Angela, I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Please take care of yourself in this difficult time.


----------



## abax (Jun 22, 2022)

Thank you Tom. I'm trying to take care of four dogs and cat and 100 acres of
land plus greenhouse, nursery, home, work shop and garage. I don't have
time to take care of myself even if I knew how.


----------



## Guldal (Jun 23, 2022)

abax said:


> You are correct about the British use of the term. Particularly, Renaissance English
> during the upheavals between Catholic, Protestant, extreme Protestant sects. It
> seems Elizabeth won out on that one.


Great info, Angela!
Though, I wonder, what it makes of me? A renaissance man or just a hopeless antiquity (i know which option junior, 13 y.o., would unanimously vote for )


----------



## abax (Jun 23, 2022)

Let me see...what that makes of either of us. I'm a 75 year old baby boomer, VN war
protestor, retired professor and old fart. I don't care of anyone thinks of me.


----------



## Duck Slipper (Jun 23, 2022)

Ms. Angela,
My deepest condolences about your husband…So sorry.
This is my first summer with a GH, and I might say a trying one. I have tried a Portacool evaporative cooler 3300cfm and it wasn’t big enough. I have 60% shadecloth with 70% aluminet over the top of it. Yesterday’s temps in the GH were 101, but outside temps were about 99. Today’s GH temps peaked at about 93 with outside temps close to that. I have a 42” fan pulling a lot of air through the house and I have been keeping the temps close to outside temps. I’m in Western Kentucky, you and I are experiencing the same hot temps and summer has just started. With that said, I have seen very little visible heat stress on all the orchids. Cattleya’s, Phrags and paphs all seem to be doing ok. Perhaps I will see some effects any day but, not yet. I have been watering about every other day…sometimes more often. Caudatum’s as of yet are showing no I’ll effects. Cattleya warscewiczii are putting on new growths. I have some that are old enough to bloom this year, but no sign of buds yet.


----------



## tomp (Jun 24, 2022)

abax said:


> Anybody else with a greenhouse fighting to keep temps. down? My temp. reached over 80F today
> with wet wall, fans everywhere and three humidifiers going full blast...also a running fountain and
> hosing down floor. I'm thinking through-the-wall air conditioner possibly. Feed back anyone?


Angela do you get enough of a temp drop at night? My GH often get into the mid 80s but cools at night. Are you losing plants?
Folks in hotter drier areas (Sacramento) often use an air conditioner to help balance the temp however they can be expensive to run and can dry the air (may not be an issue if you have enough humidity).


----------



## abax (Jun 24, 2022)

I'm getting about 10F drop at night with total humidity of 90 or so. I haven't lost any
plants nor seen any damage, but I have to have something to worry about I suppose.
I do have a couple of besseae crosses that seem to be suffering the most...Barbara
LeAnn 'Foxcroft' and perhaps another one I don't have written down in my inventory
list.


----------

