Greenhouse Crops

What Type of Plants Can One Grow in a Greenhouse?

• Trees?• Shrubs?• Bulbs• Herbacious?• Perenials?• Annuals• Grass?• Food?• Cut flowers?

What are the Limiting Factors in a Greenhouse?

• Cost?

• Space?

• Seasons?

Types of Greenhouses

• Free Standing

Lean to

Types of Greenhouses Cont…

• Quanset/Temporary/hoophouse

Ridge and Furrow

Greenhouse Videos

• https://www.ted.com/talks/britta_riley_a_garden_in_my_apartment

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IryIOyPfTE

Cold Frame

Types of Covering

• Glass

• Polyethelene (plastic rolls)

• Fiberglass (not used much anymore)

• Polycarbonate– What we have– Double layer for good insulation

Irrigation (watering)

• Overhead

• Ebb and flow

• Drip System

• Capillary mat

Ebb and flood

Overhead

Ebb and Flow

Drip Irrigation

Capillary Mats

Hydroponics (No Soil)

• Plants get all of their nutrients from the water.

Growing Media (Soilless growing medium)

• Well drained

• Good Moisture holding capacity

• pH of 5.5-6.5 (slightly acidic)

• Good support

• Common ingredients include perlite, sand, vermiculite, bark, and peat moss.

Fertilizers

Organic Fertilizer: Natural derived from living things such as manure, blood and bone material.

Inorganic: Synthetic nutrient compounds made by humans. These are most often used on greenhouse crops

Application methods: Injection (through the irrigation lines, solids (top dressed or mixed with the soil.)

Controlling Plant Growth

• Pinching: Pinching off the unwanted material to create desired growth.

Hormones

• Can be done with hormones

Heat

• Radiant: Like a radiator, could be in the concrete.

• Forced air: Similar to a garage heater. Fans can also circulate the air.

Types of Plants

• Photoperiodic: Flower due to day length– Short day: Flower due to short day

• Poinsettia, mums

– Long day: Flower due to long day• carnation, henbane, oat, pea, barley, lettuce

• Thermoperiodic: Flower due to temperature• Mums, poinsettias, easter lillies, bulbs, Christmas

cactus

Potted Flowering Crops

• Plants that are grown in a pot and flower. These plants are usually thrown out after the season or holiday is grown for.– Poinsettias– Mums– Easter lilies– Azaleas

Azalea

Easter Lily

Poinsettia

Crysanthemum

Bulb Crops

• Bulb crops are bulbs that we force.– Forcing is when we make a plant grow and or

flower at a unnatural time• We put them in a cold temperature for a

designated period of time and then put them in the warmth to flower.

Stages of Growth

• Vegetative: Regular growth period

• Flowering: The plant makes it’s flower.Reproductive stage

• We can manipulate these stages using light and temperature.