Greenhouses: The Ideal Place for your Plants
Greenhouses are the ideal place for your plants. Greenhouses are known for being hot, humid places, which will protect your plants from fluctuations in weather conditions. These glass structures allow you to grow plants all year round and are the perfect place to grow tropical species.
How to make your greenhouse the ideal place for your plants
As well as providing optimal conditions for your plants, greenhouses have many additional uses.
Making the impossible possible
In winter, these structures will help keep more delicate plants safe from cold and frost. Greenhouses are also great for plants that don’t do well in the dry conditions of centrally-heated homes. In summer, they can also be used for plants that struggle in direct sunlight or those that require stable humidity levels.
Nurseries
The perfect conditions inside greenhouses allow you to revive weak or sickly plants. Similarly, cuttings and seedlings can be placed here to help them grow more quickly. In fact, this environment can significantly speed up development and is the perfect place to germinate seeds.
A stable environment
Greenhouses need to be kept warm at all times. As they usually lose heat in winter, you may need to heat them. However, it’s important to remember that excess heat can reduce humidity levels.
To maintain the deal environment, the temperature inside your greenhouse should never drop below 59°F, while the humidity should never be more than 70%.
Maintaining greenhouse conditions
If the ambient humidity starts to drop, you can increase them by watering the floor and placing trays of water around your greenhouse. Good ventilation is also essential, lowering the temperature and allowing the air to circulate. Air vents should only be shut in adverse or unpredictable weather conditions.
Types of greenhouse
Greenhouses come in many shapes and size. The materials used to create the structure and the transparent panels can vary from one model to another.
Wooden structures
If you’re thinking of buying a wooden greenhouse, we recommend cedar, teak or sequioa. These beautiful greenhouses will look great in any garden. They don’t get easily worn out over time, and are resistant to most climates, as long as you maintain the wood properly.
Aluminum structures
These are the most popular greenhouses. The lightweight material is easy to maintain, and resistant to almost any adverse weather conditions. Plus, it doesn’t rust or rot. However, aluminum can react to extreme changes in temperature, so you need to be careful.
Plastic greenhouses
Although they aren’t very strong, these prefabricated structures are lightweight and easy to maintain.
Greenhouses: glass panels
Glass walls allow more light to pass through into the greenhouse and help to retain heat. While they are beautiful, they’re also very heavy and require a strong structure to support their weight.
Plastic panels
The most popular panels are made of PVC and polycarbonate. Although they do let in less light than glass panels, they can last up to 10 years. You can also find polyethylene panels. However, these let in even less light, and only last around 2 years.
Regular maintenance
How long your greenhouse will last doesn’t just depend on the materials that have been used, but also on how well you maintain it. Here are some basic things you can do to extend your greenhouse’s working life:
- It’s essential to keep the panels clean. Regardless of the material, you can wash the panels with a hose, and use a brush to get rid of any dirt. If the dirt is too difficult to get off, we would recommend using a specially designed cleaning product.
- Replace any broken panels.
- Keep the drainpipes in good condition, making sure to remove any leaves or dirt so it doesn’t build up.
- If you have a wooden greenhouse, it’s important to check it regularly. If any of the wood starts to rot, you need to replace it immediately.
Greenhouses: things to keep in mind
It’s important to keep your greenhouse clean, as dirt is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Take care of your greenhouse inside and out, and make sure your plants stay clean too.
To keep all your plants in great condition, you’ll need to remove any dead and damaged leaves. This will help prevent infestations and disease. We also recommend giving your greenhouse a deep-clean once a month.
As well as being accessible, your greenhouse should have water and electricity. As a final touch, we also advise that you install a thermometer to set a minimum and maximum temperature, and a hygrometer to control the humidity. So, what do you think? Do you want a greenhouse for your garden?