Jeannine Hill - Greenhouse Maintenance

After you decide that you want to build a greenhouse, you have to decide next what type to

build. This should not be a difficult one to address, provided you know what kinds of plants you want to grow. You will need to answer questions such as:

What will my greenhouse be principally used for?

Do I want a large or small greenhouse?

Will the greenhouse be the main attraction of my garden?

Is my garden exposed to strong winds?

Are there young children or wild animals in the area?

Factors such as cost and space will determine the type of greenhouse you build. If you do live

in a windy area, it may be worth to spend the extra money for a solid and sturdy greenhouse. If you live near a large hardware store or a nursery, or even a do-it-yourself home center, go and visit some models. The customer service representative should be able to provide you with

valuable information before you make a final decision.

So as not to mislead you, while there may be different types of greenhouse designs, we're

talking about the same greenhouse. You get to decide which type you want it to be. For

example, if temperature is the main factor, because of the plant varieties you want to grow, then there are three types in terms of temperature control. There are also different types of

greenhouses based on structural design. We'll start with temperature control factors.

For temperature control purposes, three types of greenhouses exist:

a hot greenhouse

a warm greenhouse

a cool greenhouse.

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Greenhouse Maintenance

Tools And Materials For Your Greenhouse

Remember that you are not limited to a certain variety of plants to grow in a greenhouse. Bear

in mind, however, that your preference for certain fruits, vegetables and plants will determine the type of greenhouse you like to build. Know thy crop is an important factor before deciding on the greenhouse type you will install.

You will need a good soil for planting seeds. Compost, potting or gardening soil and a little sand or perlite are a good start. Read all directions in your seed packets.

Keep some of those black plastic flats that nurseries use to display their plant containers.

These are useful for starting sees and transplants.

Benches in greenhouses are essential, as they hold trays of plants that have already sprouted

from seeds.

Styrofoam cups - have several of these handy. Seeds sprout quickly and once they grow large enough to move into separate containers, they can be gently lifted and transferred into ordinary Styrofoam cups.

You can also use yogurt plastic cups, and large commercial type containers that can hold more

than one plant. In fact, any container you can think of will be suitable.

Other materials you should have on hand are broken clay pots, cracked walnuts, marbles,

charcoal or gravel. These help in proper drainage. Be sure to soak clay pots in water a few

minutes before using them. This will prevent the clay from absorbing the moisture from the

potting soil.

If you want to have trellises inside your greenhouse, you can make them out of coat hangers,

which you can bend to any shape your heart desires.

Herbs are perfect for keeping pests at bay. They are what one writer calls nature's

insecticides. Have a variety of them inside your greenhouse. You can make a natural

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Greenhouse Maintenance

insecticide by adding onions or garlic to a jar of water. Leave it for a week and spray on your plants.

Other garden tools that will help you run your greenhouse efficiently are air coolers for the hot summer. This is to maintain the temperatures at desired levels. Power vents in the roof are

also a good idea to release hot air that can build up suddenly in the summer.

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Greenhouse Maintenance

Greenhouse Tables, Shelving And Plant Holders

These are indispensable, especially when you need to work inside your greenhouse and to

maximize and organize your greenhouse space. As your plant varieties grow, you will need

shelves and tables and plant holders to facilitate your gardening. One popular type of bench

that greenhouse hobbyists like is the cedar double layer bench. They are durable and efficient

to use.

For shelves, you can opt for two and three section lengths made of aluminum

Given that watering your plants is an essential - indispensable -part of any greenhouse

gardening, a good watering system is required. You can choose either the automatic or hand

held watering system to make your watering needs more efficient.

For automatic irrigation systems, there are models that come equipped with an automatic drip

irrigation and fertilizer system. Day or night, they regularly water the plants and adjust the flow of fertilizer. Some have a tank in which the water and fertilizer are mixed and are distributed to plants via hoses, Y-connections and drip pins.

Greenhouse garden coil indoor/outdoor watering wand

This is a "self-coiling" garden hose made of rugged and durable polyurethane tubing. It produces ultra-fine mists and sprays in soft, gentle streams. Some wand models extend to as