Misting - Fogging

Hiya folks. I’m considering trying to do something about the humidity levels in the greenhouse (8’x6’). I see that cucumbers like around 60%. On a sunny day it doesn’t get much above 30%. I’ve tried dowsing the floor but the rise in humidity is only temporary, so is a bit of a chore, and not really effective. Is anyone else using a misting/fogging system? Is it effective? Any info would be great.

Cheers...Freddy

 

Hi,

We used to grow Orchids in one half of our 8x6 greenhouse and used an earlier version of one of these humidifiers which would quickly fill the area up with a gentle mist each morning .
Buy Challenge Ultrasonic Humidifier | Humidifiers | Argos

However as soon as the sun comes over and the vents open the mist is just lost.

You could use a deep tray of clay pellets/Hortag/Lytag under the plant/s and fill that with water each morning.
Thats what we now use in our smaller orchid enclosure, though once the vents open the humidity similarly drops to 30% or lower, though currently at 77% with the vents shut in todays wet weather.

We used to always grow ( well try!) a cucumber along with the toms, but to be honest we never had that much success, and now just settle for the supermarket ones which are grown in Yorkshire anyways !

 

I think cues grow better in shade, not dense shade but diffused light.
Years ago I had an old homemade plastic greenhouse built out of corrugated plastic sheets, they were actully a kind of milky white colour.
The cues loved it, it heats up but you dont get that burn effect you get with glass.

Equally, because there is no direct sun the ventilation doesn't open so fast and the humidity is trapped.
Even shaded glass is not quite the same.

 

I grow cue's in with my tomatoes and never have any probs.
The water pools under my greenhouse about 18" down I have a corner which get less sun than the rest, I dug down a sump about two and a half feet deep filled it with large pebbles to around ten inches from the top I sit a 35 litre pot with the cue's on these pebbles and it seems to suit them
Sandy

 

I use a piped misting in my poly tunnel on a timer

 

Thanks all.
I did actually just hose the whole greenhouse down yesterday and today, and the humidity rose very significantly (60+%), certainly more than just sploshing water over the floor, so I think I’m on the right track. I take on board the comments about using pebbles and the like, but I do feel that ‘damping down’ the greenhouse is the way to go. As it happens, I have an electronic watering timer solenoid thingy that I’ve never really utilised, so something I could use.

 

@Freddy I used a low flow irrigation line in my hobby greenhouse when I first set up and it was magic. Easy to fit, inexpensive and a fine mist spray. I've since tamen it out as there is lots of electrical going on.

I'd be surprised if you couldn't find the same gear there because it is imported here by leevalley.com from a manufacturer in Australia.

It has fittings to hook up to mains and along with the mister heads, is what I use to fill receptacles, water raised bed, and keep hanging pots hydrated.

Easy peasy!

 

No matter what I tried I couldn't get enough humidity.
So bought another green house and dropped the base to 18 inches .cement on the floor and breeze block sides . The green house was erected into the breeze blocks base.. I added a couple of blocks for steps.
I grow melons, cucs, aubergine, peppers and my tomatoes. With the dropped depth it stays humid as the water collects on the base.if I find this dries up its easy enough to top up with the hosepipe.I've regularly got 2 inch of water and each plant does very well.