Imagine growing plants—fruits, vegetables, and other crops – for longer than your climate would normally allow. It’s any gardener’s dream
Here in the Prairies a standard greenhouse can extend the gardening season to 7-9 months; you’ll be able to start gardening earlier in the spring and later into the fall.
We’ve developed greenhouse maintenance tips to help you get the most out of your new greenhouse, no matter how many months you use it each year. These tips make greenhouse gardening easier, more efficient, and better for your plants. Read on!
Exercise Proper Pest Control
When you want your plants to grow healthy and strong, proper pest control is essential. Pest control is a multistep process; here are some of the techniques we recommend using to keep unwanted insects away from your plants:
- Vet your plants for pests: Before bringing new plants into your greenhouse, check them thoroughly for any pests. Bringing infested plants into the isolated environment of your greenhouse is a surefire way to get a full-blown infestation.
- Practice proper horticulture: Remove dead plants, prune any weeds, and clean out any dead leaves and other plant debris. Avoid over-watering or overfertilizing your plants.
- Seal the area: Use mesh or purchase insect screens to block vents, doors, and windows and prevent insects from making their way into your greenhouse.
- Use natural predators: Ladybugs, lacewings, and predatory mites can help control pest populations without the use of chemicals. They feed on aphids, spider mites, and other pests; identify the most common pests in your greenhouse and select the appropriate predator to introduce.
These methods can all help you control pests in your greenhouse without the use of chemicals, and we encourage you to use them in tandem. If all else fails, choose the most plant-friendly and eco-friendly chemical insecticides you can find.
Clean Your Greenhouse Often
Cleaning your greenhouse can help prevent pests; there are a number of other advantages, too.
By cleaning surfaces and tools with environmentally-friendly soap, you can stop the spread of disease. Like humans, illnesses can spread from a sick plant to other plants, especially if you use the same tool on an infected plant and a healthy one. Washing your tools regularly in soapy water can help reduce the spread of disease.
Cleaning can also promote a healthier growing environment. By cleaning windows, you allow sunlight to reach your plants more easily. Cleaning out large objects in your space can also promote better air circulation.
Keeping your greenhouse neat and tidy isn’t just useful for plants; it’s great for greenhouse owners, too. A tidy space makes it easier to find your tools and plants, and there are fewer tripping hazards. You’ll have enough space to work, and plants will have the space they need to grow. The whole place will look more aesthetically pleasing, too—who doesn’t want a beautiful greenhouse?
Observe Your Greenhouse Daily
Greenhouse maintenance is a non-stop project—these are living, breathing ecosystems. You need to monitor your greenhouse every day.
Take pest control, for example. You can prevent pests by visiting your greenhouse daily—if you hear any insect sounds, you know you’ve got pests on your hand.
A daily visit will also help you grow plants more effectively. You’ll be able to check for disease, flaws with your irrigation or ventilation systems, and other problems that may affect your plants’ health. Plants thrive with daily care. They’re living beings. When you’re growing plants, check on them regularly!
Frequently Check Your Ventilation System
You should do a thorough check on your ventilation system at least once each season; coupled with your daily greenhouse checks, that should be enough to ensure you catch any problems before they become serious.
Poor ventilation can increase humidity to unacceptable levels, which can seriously harm plants. Ventilation and humidity control go hand in hand, so be sure to check the level of humidity in your greenhouse every time you visit. Temperature, C02 levels, and circulation are also controlled, in part, by your ventilation system.
Check your vents (including roof vents), windows, fans, and thermostats every season. Regular maintenance can help ensure your plants keep growing in the perfect environment!
Regularly Check Your Water Tank & Irrigation System
Your water tank and irrigation system affect water quality, the quantity of water your plants are receiving, and whether or not you’re wasting water—all essential parts of managing a greenhouse.
We recommend checking your watering system once a season; it’s a good idea to check the ventilation one day and the irrigation the next! You’ll want to check your water tank, irrigation lines, sprinklers, screens, valves, and more for leaks, breaks, and inaccuracies. If your water bill ever skyrockets, or you hear what sounds like unusual dripping or hissing, check your irrigation system!
Transform Your Gardening Game—Order Your Greenhouse From Horizon Storage Sheds Today!
With a greenhouse, you can dramatically increase the relatively short gardening season we see here in the Prairies. Most greenhouses allow you to extend the season to 7-9 months; that’s a lot of gardening! A greenhouse from Horizon will help your gardening dreams come true. Our durable greenhouses are made for Prairie weather; buy a greenhouse with Horizon today!