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Do you own a greenhouse and want to make sure you are taking good care of it? If you follow these 10 principles, you can be sure of that.
1. Get to cleaning
Spring cleaning is needed in the greenhouse too, so there’s nothing left to do but get to it before the first planting.
How to carry out such cleaning so you don’t forget anything? First, start by washing the glass. Without sufficient light nothing will grow in the greenhouse. The outside of the greenhouse is usually dirtier, so use a brush with a long handle to reach the top panes of the roof. Also don’t forget to wash the frame and, if applicable, the shelves.
If needed, remove moss and other microorganisms from the base. Inside the greenhouse, pull out dead plant remains including their roots.
2. Keep the greenhouse in good condition
After cleaning you can immediately check what snow and moisture have done. You should be concerned about the stability of the whole greenhouse structure, cracked windows or damaged film.
Check iron parts for corrosion. Make small repairs to the base if necessary. To ensure your greenhouse continues to function properly, check the openers, seals of windows and doors.
3. Poor soil won’t yield a good crop
With repairs and maintenance done, you can start digging out old soil and bringing in new. This really needs to be done from time to time! Tired soil no longer contains important elements such as calcium. This deficit can show up as spots on vegetables and necroses that lead to crop loss. If you want a rich harvest, we recommend replacing the soil every 5 years.
4. Destroy all diseases and pests
If you are not planning to replace the soil this year, be sure not to forget soil disinfection against diseases and pests.
For this use smoke bombs and nitrogen lime. The application is very simple.
With nitrogen lime, also known as Perla, sprinkle the turned soil in the greenhouse, work it into the soil and water it. This process prevents fungal diseases, weed germination and the multiplication of insects and slugs. After application wait 3 to 4 weeks before planting.
To ensure destruction of all pests including those on the greenhouse walls, use a smoke bomb. Place it on a fireproof surface and light the fuse. Leave the greenhouse and seal it. Wait a few minutes until the smoke device starts to emit smoke. Then ventilate the greenhouse.
5. Give the soil enough nutrients
The soil is prepared, but before planting the first seedlings you need to fertilize it. Different plants require different fertilization. For example, tomatoes and peppers are very sensitive to over-fertilizing. You should fertilize the soil before winter and again before spring planting.
For fertilizing you can use organic and inorganic means. The most common are manure, compost and commercial fertilizers. Greenhouse plants should be regularly fed throughout the season to ensure a sufficient supply of nutrients. Keep in mind that you must not over-fertilize the soil!
6. Water, but don’t overwater
Watering seems like a simple task, but it has its rules. The science lies in not overwatering individual crops, since each needs a different amount of moisture. Water temperature is also important. The difference between the water temperature and the air temperature in the greenhouse can be as much as 40 degrees in summer.
If you want to avoid shocking heat-loving plants and their demise, we recommend having a water tank in which the water is warmed before watering. For a smaller greenhouse a 200-liter barrel will suffice. In larger greenhouses you will certainly appreciate an automatic irrigation system which will save you a lot of work and time. For watering it is ideal to use settled rainwater.
7. Get rid of weeds
Weeds are an unwelcome guest for every gardener and are hard to get rid of. The most laborious but 100% effective method is hand weeding. Various sprays and herbicides can endanger both the weeds and the cultivated vegetables.
But there are several tools to make weeding easier. These include manual rotary cultivators, weeding tools and dibblers. It’s important to pull the weed out with the whole root system!
8. Let in the heat
If you want to grow only in the season when frost is not a risk, you won’t need heating. However, out-of-season cultivation cannot do without heating. You can choose from several greenhouse heating options:
Cold greenhouse: The greenhouse temperature is kept just above freezing in winter. It allows some plant species to overwinter.
Partially heated greenhouse: It is suitable if you want to pre-grow seedlings early in the spring, when temperatures may drop below zero. Thermal protection for plants is provided by leaves, manure and compost.
Temperate greenhouse: In winter it is heated to a temperature of 10 to 14 °C.
Fully heated greenhouse: the temperature in it reaches 18 to 21 °C and it is suitable for growing tropical plants.
9. Ensure oxygen and a stable temperature
Air exchange in the greenhouse is very important. Especially in the summer months monitor temperature and humidity to avoid overheating. Every greenhouse should have a regulated air supply. When buying a greenhouse, think about how you will ensure ventilation.
The first option is a greenhouse with ventilation flaps. If you don’t want to tend the greenhouse every day, get one with automatic window openers that open by themselves when the temperature rises and close when it falls.
To ensure sufficient ventilation, you can also equip the greenhouse with side vents or leave the doors open.
10. Plant deeply enough
Some crops need to be planted deeper than others. You need to find this out before planting to prevent their rotting. For example, plant lettuces just below the soil surface and, conversely, plant kohlrabi deeper so they don’t tip over as they grow.
