BALL REDBOOK greenhouses and equipment.

Ball Publishing
622 Town Road
West Chicago, Illinois 60185
www.ballpublishing.com

Copyright 2021 Ball Horticultural Company. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, photographs were taken by Chris Beytes, copyright 2021 Ball Horticultural Company. All rights reserved.

Cover designed by Christine Truesdale.
Interior designed by Jennifer Dominiak and Jennifer Ramazinski Miller.
Edited by Rick Blanchette.
Printed by Sheridan Books.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage-and-retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Disclaimer of liabilities: Reference in the publication to a trademark, proprietary product, or company name is intended for explicit description only and does not imply approval or recommendation to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and effectiveness of the information in this book, Ball Publishing makes no guarantee, express or implied, as to the procedures contained herein. Neither the authors nor the publisher will be liable for direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with or arising from the furnishing, performance, or use of this book.

ISBN: 978-1-7332541-1-3 (hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-7332541-4-4 (ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Beytes, Chris, 1960- editor.

Title: Ball redbook. Volume 1, Greenhouse structures, equipment, and technology / Chris Beytes.

Description: 19th edition. | West Chicago, Illinois : Ball Publishing, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Contents: Volume 1: Greenhouse Structures -- Greenhouse Glazing -- Curtain Systems -- Benches, Floors, And Overhead -- Irrigation Systems -- The Greenhouse Environment -- Mechanization -- Internal Transport And Logistics -- Pest Management -- Greenhouse Sustainability -- Specialized Facilities -- Putting It All Together -- Managing Your Business -- Marketing -- Controlled-Environment Agriculture -- Cannabis -- Retail Greenhouse Design. | Summary: Celebrating its continuous publication since 1932, the 19th Edition of the Ball RedBook continues to lead the way in floriculture education, with updated and expanded content on the most important greenhouse technologies, including labor efficiency, robotics, and sustainable production. Volume 1 provides the most up-to-date and useful information about greenhouse structures, equipment, technology, and management. Written by seasoned green industry professionals, leading academics, and successful growers who work with the technology every day, Greenhouse Structures, Equipment, and Technology presents the information in a clear, concise manner and includes practical tips and advice. This isnt theory-its what is being used today in real-world greenhouses. Inside, youll find chapters devoted to structures, glazing, curtain systems, bench and floor growing systems, overhead growing, irrigation, environmental controls, mechanization, automation and robotics, pest control tools, hydroponics, cannabis/hemp cultivation facilities, retail greenhouses, managing your business, marketing your products, and more-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021006206 | ISBN 9781733254113 (v. 1 ; hardcover) | ISBN 9781733254120 (v. 2 ; hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Floriculture. | Plants, Ornamental--Equipment and supplies. | Greenhouses.

Classification: LCC SB405 .B254 2021 | DDC 635.9--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006206

Printed in the United States of America

29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

DEDICATION

The nineteenth edition of the Ball RedBook is dedicated to four generations of the Ball family, starting with George J. Ball, who created the Ball RedBook in 1932; his son Vic, who carried on the tradition until his passing in 1997; Georges granddaughter, Anna, who has ensured that Ball Publishing continues Georges tradition of providing the newest and best cultural and technical information to the horticulture industry; and Annas daughter, Susannah, whom we are certain will keep the tradition alive for the foreseeable future. George once wrote, Our books and trade papers are the most powerful source of information and exchange of ideas that we have. We have expanded that to include e-newsletters, videos, webinars, and podcasts, all of which, we trust, carry on the spirit of the Ball familys desire to help all growers produce better crops.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

We have written this before in preceding editions, but it remains true, so well say it again: Most growers worldwide would agree that if they could only have one book on their greenhouse or nursery office shelf, it would be the Ball RedBook.

The first edition of the Ball RedBook, published in 1932, sold for twenty cents, and was titled Ball Red Book, Miscellaneous Flower Seed Crops. George J. Ball penned the manuscript in longhand. At that time, almost all growers produced cut flowers, and most were also florists. That first edition featured cutting-edge crop culture on cut flowers such as asters (callistephus), stock (matthiola), snapdragons (antirrhinum), larkspur (consolida), sweet peas (lathyrus), mignonette (Reseda odorata), zinnias, centaurea, gerbera, didiscus, and scabiosa. The only bedding plants were petunias, candytuft (iberis), marigolds (tagetes), and lupine.

In todays floriculture industry, most of the commodity cut flower production (roses, chrysanthemums, and carnations) has moved offshore to Colombia, Ecuador, and Africa, and most greenhouse producers focus instead on producing high-value, quick-turning bedding plants, perennials, foliage, and flowering potted plants. There are niche growers producing cut flowers, and many of the crops written about in the first Ball RedBook are profitable specialty cut flowers today. The demand for locally grown fresh vegetables and herbs is creating a new market for greenhouse growers, as is the expanding legalization of cannabis. And not everyone grows in a greenhouse, as our new section on Vertical Farming indicates.

As the industry has changed over the decades, so has the Ball RedBook. Vic Ball took over the editing duties from his father from the eight edition in 1952 to the sixteenth edition in 1998, which was published just after his passing in 1997. Vic improved and expanded the book with each subsequent edition to accommodate an ever-growing list of crops.

But to grow crops you need a greenhouse and tools, and the Ball RedBook also has always covered the technology side of the industry, with Vic sharing the contents of his notebooks filled with comments from growers all over North America and Europe on new ideas such as hydroponics, Dutch trays, roll-out bedding plants, open-roof greenhouses, automatic transplanters, and more. His passion for encouraging innovation among growers and sharing information about growers was boundless.

When we published the seventeenth edition in 2003, we expanded the book into two volumes in order to devote even more pages to the ever-expanding topics of greenhouse technology and crop culture. Each volume is complete in its own right as a stand-alone book. Together, however, the volumes include enough practical information to set anyone interested in becoming a greenhouse grower on the road to success. Experienced growers who have relied on the