What to consider when constructing a wooden greenhouse, or more precisely, a cedar greenhouse.
Wood has been the building material of choice for ages, whether building furniture, boats, houses and any number of things. It is still used today, though not without the support of other materials such as metals and the occasional plastic. When building a greenhouse of wood, however, the high moisture can cause premature rotting and decay.
Wood rot and decay is hardly popular with people, who obviously would prefer not to have to rebuild the outer walls of a greenhouse within a few years of building it, it is important to take care in the woods used to build the greenhouse to begin with. Woods such as black locust, red cedar, cypress and redwood will all last over seven years because they are all more resistant to decay.
Wood that is prone to rotting should be treated with some type of preservative, though certain preservatives can be detrimental to plant growth and should be chosen with great care. Some kinds of preservatives can also damage soil and should not be used on any wood making contact with the ground.
Applying preservatives can happen in a number of ways, such as pressure treating, cold soaking, and brushing. Pressure treating has the best results and gives wood the longest life span, but it is also the most complex version. Cold soaking is next, though the wood's life is half that of pressure treatment. Brushing the preservative on is almost as bad as not treating it at all, and the average life of wood treated this way is just over three years.
Greenhouses made of wood are a good addition to any house, but will not last for long without proper care and attention. With the right attention given up front, the better that wood will do and the longer it will be around in the end. If all this seems to daunting then maybe you should stick to the mini greenhouses.
Garry contributes to cedar greenhouses and mini greenhouses.
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