Secrets of Building Your Own Efficient Greenhouse
While you may have some excellent DIY skills that allow yourself to see you building a greenhouse or glasshouse, or hothouse, the one thing that matter the most is ensuring that the greenhouse is efficient. The use of the right materials and having a good design is vital to ensuring that you have a structure that provides a healthy environment for plants to grow. Miniature greenhouses are usually just called a cold frame. In as much as any soundly made greenhouse can do the job, only a few are efficient structures.
The efficiency of the greenhouse refers to the ability of the structure to create and maintain the artificial environment that fosters the growth of plants with as little variation as possible. In short, the environment inside the greenhouse should be constant regardless of the climatic changes that may prevail outside. Such a consistency will guarantee and extend the time for growing your plants allowing you to start seedlings early and even do cuttings.
The greenhouses come in different shapes and sizes with each suited to different situations, which is one of the important factors to consider when buying or building a greenhouse. Regarding building your greenhouse, you should keep that factor in mind. This selection of size and shape will help you erect the greenhouse the right way.
Climate
Your environment influences how your plants will grow. A greenhouse design for cold climates cannot work in areas that have a hot climate. Hence, you need to be influenced by the climate in your area and its impact on plant farming. Nevertheless, a greenhouse is meant to offer the right blend of warmth and moisture to encourage plant growth, and this should be your primary objective. You will need to construct one that can generate the necessary heat if you are in a cold climatic location. Shade control will be an important feature to include in your greenhouse if you are in a warm climatic area.
Location
Though the greenhouse is meant to create an artificial environment perfect for plant growth it relies on natural resources such the sun, which is vital. As you consider the climate, you also need to consider the location. You should build your greenhouse in an area that has enough sunlight. You want to have great solar radiation.
Proper Internal Environment
In as much as your greenhouse should be able to generate the necessary conditions, it is important to ensure that the internal environment has adequate air circulation, humidity and temperature monitoring and control devices, as well as pest control options. All these constitute the perfect environment that supports plant growth in a greenhouse.
The Foundation
The foundation of the greenhouse should be stable and firmly secured in place. From concrete to wood or just the ground, the foundation can be made from any material.
Quality Covering
The most common material used to cover greenhouse is transparent or translucent PVC sheets; they are cheap and locally available. Another cheap alternative is a thick polyethylene film. Other options include glass covers made from fiberglass, but these are expensive though they are more durable and allow more humidity and warmth. Nonetheless, there are PVC sheets designed only for greenhouses and other similar uses, and the sheets can give a long service period.
So now you are ready to go about building a greenhouse
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