Alpine house question

[Alex]

I wonder if anyone can help with the following...


I am about to erect a new alpine/bulb house, and I am considering one that is offered with internal shading. Obviously this will shade fine - but will it have any effect on heating by the sun? I have previously only used external shading, which I know is better for this, but is the internal stuff any use at all?

Thanks!

Alex

[tonyg]

Hi Alex
I have rigged my shade netting both inside and outside over the years (nothing sophisticated - just shade netting pegged on with clothes pegs.)  It does help inside but its much better outside where it reduces the heating effect more as well as giving shade/preventing scorch.

[Brian Ellis]

pegged on with clothes pegs

The gardeners friend, Tony, where would we be without them?  We use far more in the garden than anywhere else!

[annew]

Good for holding grafts together too!

[Lesley Cox]

Definitely in the garden but also in the kitchen. I use them to hold in place the wrapped top of a cereal packet and others. Jolly efficient and keeps things absolutely airtight if they're folded over 2 or 3 times.

[maggiepie]

They are also excellent keeping frozen peas in place after opening packet.
I have to say I am really pleased I don't seem to be the only person that keeps pegs in my gadget kitchen drawer.
We make our own bread and after it cools down and gets bagged, a peg is just right for keeping the bag sealed.

[tonyg]

Schhhh thats enough about pegs.  If we don't watch out they'll get a thread of their own
AND we have not really answered the original question either

[Maggi Young]

Well, in Aberdeen we never USE greenhouse shading.
Alex is in Oxford, so he might well find I it useful... you're nearer Alex, Tony..... what is the suggestion YOU are going to hang on the peg? ?

[Alex]

And I was so excited when I logged on to see fully 8 replies in my thread...(!) Thanks to Tony for thoughts on shading anyway. Any more?

Alex

[David Shaw]

Our only shading is an ash tree to the south east of the greenhouse .
Acually it works quite well. The ash is one of the last trees to come into leaf so the greenhouse gets full sun in the early spring when the plants need it then dappled shade in the heat? of the summer.

[shelagh]

Alex being a bit more posh than Tony we use old net curtains on the outside, fixed with 'shhh you know whats' they are great for shade and reduce the temperature somewhat. They are handy for stretching across frames as well.

[Peter Maguire]

Just thought I'd add a "no pegs" reply. I rigged up system of outside shading (proper garden centre green plastic shading) which is held away from the glass by about 10cms on wires stretched the length of the greenhouse on the sunny, west side (my greenhouse runs north-south, and the house is to the east). The original reason for outside shading was that all my reading indicated that this would be cooler. I think that raising it well away from the glass helps with the coolling also.
Having had the greenhouse for about ten years, I can't imagine how I could cope with full inside shading anyway, too much potential for damage to the plants when taking it down for the winter. I have, however, draped extra shading last summer over an internal frame over a plunge containing japanese hepaticas. For a small area it's fine, but I wouldn't use it for my main shading.

Peter

[Onion]

I hope I can describe as foreigner what I want to describe.
Internal shading has not the same effect on heating than the external shading. The ultraviolet light go through the glass an heat the air in the house. With the external shading you broke the light before it went to the glass.
Will you erect a bulb house or an alpine house? Many bulbs from arid areas need a summer dormancy. So the "positiv" effect of the internal shading is positiv for you.
When you cultivate alpines in the house it is import because of the cooler conditions, that you have enough glass-surface to ventilate in summer. Danger in this moment is that the temperature inside get higher than outside. In Germany described with the word "Glashouseffect".
My English dictionary is my best fried 

[Alex]

Thank you Uli, that is helpful and the English is good and easy to understand.

As advised by you and others, and also based on my previous experience, I have gone for outside shading.

Cheers,

Alex

[Ross Graham]

Thanks Alex for asking this question as Iv learned something new which doesnt happen every day! Im now going to redo my shading so that its outside. I had to buy more pegs recently as Id used too many on my glasshouse and there were not enough left for nappies. Funny how my priorities have changed.