A Guide To Greenhouse Management

Greenhouse is a plastic or glass building that has a glass or plastic roof, and is used to grow plants. The incoming solar radiations heat up the soils, plants and other things inside the greenhouse, and the heated up air is retained inside by the walls and roof. The size of greenhouse can vary drastically, and it can be as small as a shed, or as big as a large building. The productivity and efficiency of the greenhouse is mainly dependent on the type of structure used, and each structure has advantages and disadvantages of its own.

Greenhouse management involves taking care of greenhouse heating requirement, growing pH and media, diagnosing nutritional deficiencies, fertilizing crops, monitoring the quality of irrigation water, irrigating the crops, managing soluble salts, treating irrigation water and treating and recycling irrigation runoff. The cost involved in purchasing the heating equipment and operating it is high, and badly designed system can be disastrous to the plants. Coal, oil and gas, are the main sources of alternative energy used in the greenhouse, and the choice is largely dependent on availability and economics. For commercial greenhouse production, many different types of thermostats and environmental controllers can be used.

One of the most critical aspects of producing the greenhouse crops is to provide the adequate nutrition. The plant growth is based on the frequency of fertilizer applications. In some cases, the nutrients are added at the peak perlids of growth, but regular feed of soluble fertilizer at each irrigation is also good for optimum plant growth. Diagnosing the nutritional deficiencies is critical to maintain the optimum plant growth, and the symptoms are usually dependent on the stage of growth, species of the plant and many other controlling factors.

The production of nursery and greenhouse crops is also dependent on the quality of water being used for irrigation. Presence of soluble salts in irrigation water is a big limiting factor in the production of greenhouse crops, and some situations may require drastic action. In order to optimize fertility and reduce the adverse effects of high pH/alkalinity in the water, it can be treated by injecting acid. In the greenhouse industry, there is always a threat of potential contamination of surface and groundwater, and greenhouse managers rely heavily on the use of pesticides and fertilizers to get good quality crops.

The production of crops in the greenhouse gets affected by presence of excessive soluble salts that result from bad quality of irrigation water, however, these salts can be managed so that their effect on the crops can be minimized. To develop an effective irrigation plan, the irrigation manager needs to carefully create a balance between the growing medium and needs of the plant. There is always a pressure to conserve water which is forcing the growers to use mixes capable of holding large volumes of water, but, the potential hazards of overwatering are very acute.

By: Dennis C Onputtha

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Dennis C. Onputtha is an article marketer in association with PLRPro the world’s #1 content provider. Providing informative articles on hobby ideas and product review for hobbies lover. Visit www.hobbiesideas.com for more detail about the hobbies you love.