One of the most important aspects of having a greenhouse is creating good conditions within it so that your plants can grow. And the most important part of plant growth is the temperature in the greenhouse.
So, how to regulate the temperature in a greenhouse? You can start by having good insulation and vents to start with. During summer, it should be easy to open the doors or vents and bring the temperature down. During winter, you may need to heat the space up a bit, but with good insulation, it could be minimal.
If you want to know more about maintaining your greenhouse and making the conditions optimal for growth, read on.
Which Conditions Affect Growth in a Greenhouse?
As mentioned, there are several aspects that affect the results your greenhouse produces. To ensure a great yield, you need to make sure that all of them suit your crops. Here they are:
- Temperature. There are two things that affect the temperature in your greenhouse the most — ventilation and sunshine. Your greenhouse needs to trap as much sun as possible so that it can trap heat. But, you can’t always allow the greenhouse to get too hot, so ventilation helps balance that out. Opening the window, the door, roof vents, or even turning on air conditioning can be effective in making the temperature optimal.
- Humidity. Another important factor is humidity. In general, greenhouses are very humid because of the plants — leaves produce damp air into the space, and it makes the greenhouse very humid. However, humidity is not simple to control. You’ll need a dehumidifier, or you can try by opening the doors and vents.
- Seasons. Having a greenhouse means basically convincing plants that it’s the season of growth. This tends to be harder during winter, or in the season opposite to the season of growth of that plant. But it can be done by using more light to replace the sun, regulating the temperature and the humidity.
- Ground. This might be one of the hardest things to adjust, and it will require more work. You need to monitor the moisture in the ground and pH levels as well, to make sure that the soil is in the best possible condition for growth.
Tips for Regulating Temperature in a Greenhouse
Temperature is one of the most important parts of creating a good environment for plants. You need to keep it bearable during summer and then make it warm enough during winter. It’s much easier during autumn and spring when the temperature is moderate, and there’s enough sunshine.
One good way to regulate the temperature in a greenhouse is to buy a greenhouse with vents in the roof that you can either open or close when needed. These types of greenhouses work really well during summer when you can easily open the vent and allow the temperatures inside to cool down.
There are manual vent panels that you can open yourself or automated vents that open on their own. The doors of a greenhouse are also an excellent solution to introducing some cooler air into the greenhouse when needed. Especially during summer, opening the doors will allow your greenhouse to be easier to work in.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 23, 2020.
The greenhouse needs to have features that prevent the heat from leaving and trapping heat in during winter. For one, you can look for colder spaces in your greenhouse, where you can feel a breeze. This means that the heat is dissipating and that you need to insulate the greenhouse. Everything that keeps the heat in makes a big difference, even if it’s not professional materials, but a simple rug or a towel.
Invest in something that will hide your plants from the sun if your area gets really hot during summer — heatwaves, for example. While the goal is to get as much sun as possible, too much sun will dry them out. This is especially important for those plants that only need a bit of sun and more shade.
Once the really bad heat goes away, remember to remove the shade and give plenty of sun to your plants.
If you want to, you can also automate most of these elements, although it will be an investment. However, if your greenhouse is big, you might be able to do this without feeling a huge dent in your budget.
Insulation Options for the Winter
The previous section mostly covered summer temperature options, which are easy enough — crack a vent here, open a door there, and you’ll get it right. Of course, there are more sophisticated solutions, but these work just as well.
However, it’s a whole other story when it comes to keeping the greenhouse warm during the freezing winter. Snow is everywhere, icy winds blow, and yet your plants have to grow despite the below optimal temperatures.
One of the best things you can do for your plants, in that case, is to insulate your greenhouse well.
Your greenhouse should already be strong enough with double glazed panels. You can also get ones with bubbled plastic. Both are exceptional at keeping the heat inside. Plus, it’s also helpful during the summer.
If you want to ensure that you have protection even during the coldest days — if you notice that it’s really cold inside — you can have a roll of bubble wrap handy and put it where necessary. Bubble wrap is especially useful because it lets the light in, but it keeps the heat in too.
Heating a greenhouse may not be ideal, but it’s also an option. Some areas of your greenhouse will inevitably need more warmth because they will be colder. Insulation can help you keep the heating to a minimum. A thermostat could control the heater and when it gets turned on.
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You can also plan ahead and plant only those plants that can survive and won’t be affected if it gets colder.
Other Tools in Temperature Control
Aside from insulation and vents, there are other tools that can help you control the temperature in your greenhouse. With them, you could be even more efficient and make your crops even more plentiful. Here are some of them:
- A thermometer. A reliable thermometer will let you monitor the conditions in your greenhouse and alert you when you need to change something. Of course, you can choose from a wide variety of thermometers — ones for humidity, ones with memory space, standard ones, etc.
- A fan. This will allow you to achieve good airflow. They will reduce the temperature inside your greenhouse. A bit of fresh air will help your plants grow at optimal rates, and you’ll be able to reduce humidity as well. Fans also prevent diseases from spreading around your greenhouse.
- Barrels. Barrels are a great choice for your greenhouse if you want to control the temperature and keep your greenhouse warm. You can also grow greenery in them and create enough humidity to allow the plants to grow.
Final Thoughts
A greenhouse is a little ecosystem of its own, and you have to treat it as such. Regulating the temperature is far easier than regulating the humidity or soil pH, but it’s not without its issues. But, vents and proper insulation can help you a lot.
To make sure that you have good conditions inside, you should plan ahead and create a greenhouse that has everything it needs to thrive. For instance, you would purchase panels for your greenhouse that already have vents, or you would insulate before winter comes.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 23, 2020.