Tips for Growing Plants in a Greenhouse

Gardenerdy Staff Nov 1, 2018
For people who love plants, the thought of greenhouse gardening must have surely crossed your mind. Growing your favorite plants in a greenhouse setting involves a great deal of nurturing and caring. We provide you tips for growing plants in a greenhouse.
A greenhouse is a shelter with plastic or glass roof and walls. The warmth of the sun provides solar radiation for the plants.
Multi wall sheets are used in plastic greenhouses. The aspects of heating, lighting and cooling in a glass version can be controlled with a computer.

Proper Ventilation

The essence of any greenhouse, is to ensure that there's proper ventilation for plants. A greenhouse can become excessively warm or cold with improper airflow. An astonishing fact is that a large number of plants die due to excessive heat. It is important to keep regulating the temperature in order to protect them from extreme surroundings.
You can choose from a variety of exhaust fans that are available in the market. You can position the exhaust fans towards the roof or in a direction opposite to the door. The growth of some plants may be restricted due to lack of proper airflow, especially in case of tomatoes.
A small fan placed at a distance will help immensely. Moreover, opening the vents of the roofs regularly according to the climatic changes ensures proper growth of plants.

Planting Seeds

The first step would be to buy the seeds of the required plant from a retail garden center. Make sure the seeds are fresh. Typically, some seeds take a few weeks to mature, while there are others that take months. If the seeds are old, they generally take long time to germinate.
Depending on your requirement, choose a pot and make sure that the base of pots contain holes for extra water to flow through them. It is always advisable to buy soil rather than use the soil from your garden or backyard. Take a fair amount of soil in a tray and make a small impression in the soil, and bury or scatter the seeds.
The seeds need to be covered with moist soil. Once that's done, cover the tray with a huge plastic bag, sealing the ends of the plastic. Once you notice that the seedlings have emerged, keep the plants under lights or a location where adequate sunlight is available.
A slight breeze of a fan will help a great deal. When the leaves of a plant emerge, add fertilizer, and within a few weeks transfer the plant to a pot.

Watering

To maintain a healthy growing environment for plants, utmost care needs to be taken while watering.
Avoid splashing water in a greenhouse, for it leads to the growth of fungi. Use appropriate amount of water for different types of plants, with the help of a hose.
Plants need to be watered at intervals. Water them gently the first time, to help them absorb the water and add more later. It all depends on the type of plants that need watering. Orchids or herbs will require an interval of a few days before watering, whereas cacti need a small amount of water when they dry completely.

Grow Lights

The requirements of lights in greenhouses is essential for plants. If you stay in an area where cloudy weather persists, or the winters do not provide adequate sunlight, there are different types of 'grow lights' that can supplement the plants in different stages.
Fluorescent lights, which emit low heat, can be placed a few inches from the plant. You can also use sodium lights which provide a red and orange spectrum, which are generally used in springtime. These lights enhance the growth in plants and help them mature well.
You can grow a wide variety of plants, flowers, vegetables, fruits or herbs, in your greenhouse. Take care to sanitize the place regularly, which will also contribute towards its appearance. Looking at a beautiful greenhouse is a sense of pride and joy which you will cherish forever.