AusBonsai

Hi everyone,

I have recently got my hands on a few small figs to tinker with, however living in Canberra I have been keeping them inside over night so they don't get too chilly.
Recently I have been toying with the idea of building a small glass-house or 'glass-stand' out of recycled windows. Being located in Canberra it gets pretty dry over summer. Should i keep my figs in a glass house year round so the stay more moist and humid or will it be too hot during summer? I should mention it will be portable so I could potentially move locations between shadier and sunnier depending on seasons.

If anyone has built anything like a glass house from recycled materials or has any tips, suggestions or features to include post some pics or suggestions.

cheers,

Coolsy

i dont imagine it could get "too hot" for the figs as long as there is reasonable moisture inside, also seeing as though itll be portable you can always move it to a more sheltered position like you said or even drop a shade cloth over the structure.

I keep my figs outside in Canberra throughout the year, but cover them with builder's foil in the evenings when there's frost. They are also on a heat-sink concrete patio. They don't like Canberra - growth is sluggish at best. Other growers keep theirs inside next to a large window over winter.

Gavin

To be effective a glass house needs enough space and/or thermal mass to hold the daytime heat overnight. I think anything small enough to shift around will not be effective at holding heat.
You can leave figs in the glasshouse all year a slong as you manage it. I used to shift mine in and out with the seasons but noticed that after each shift they stopped growing to adjust to the changed environment. I thought that 4 interruptions to growth each year was not good so now they stay in the poly tunnel all year round. In winter the door is closed, in spring door is open during the day and closed at night and in summer door and windows are open most of the time.

Another important thing for glasshouses is air movement. A small glasshouse can heat up to very high temperatures very quickly in warm weather which could be fatal to plants. Also during cooler months without air movement, pest and disease can go rampant. A glass house can be effective if, as shibui said, you have thermal mass to keep heat overnight and have high humidity with very good air movement.