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Greenhouse Irrigation

(+Hoop Houses & Cold Frames)



Greenhouses let us protect plants from extreme weather - freezing, heat waves, hail, high winds, and too much rain. They create a very different kind of growing environment though, and benefit from more specialized irrigation systems. For example, most hoop houses and many long greenhouses have a fan at one end and draw in air from the opposite side. Plants tend to dry out much more quickly and need more water the closer they are to the fan. Timer systems tend to leave one end too wet and the other too dry. Blumat, Irrometer, and Capillary Mat systems automatically compensate for this and keep plants in the same ideal moisture range even when temperatures, vapor-pressure deficit, and humidity are different in different places.

Capillary Mat Systems

The ideal irrigation for propagation

Because plants in most propagation systems have very little soil or other kind of medium in their containers, they easily dry out and die if not taken care of with very frequent watering. This takes a large amount of time and irrigation mistakes become both common and expensive. Capillary Mat Systems solve these and many other problems by watering from under the plants instead of from on top with misters, drip, or by hand. The plants draw up more moisture from Capillary Mat Systems when dry and less or none when they have enough. This also compensates for greenhouse areas with different humidity and temperatures as well as different kinds of plants in the same tray. You can efficiently water a cactus and a tropical plant in the same area with the same system. These systems shine with almost any medium - soil, potting mix, rockwool, organics, coco coir, or peat. They can supply nutrients too and save enough to pay for the system just by saving on nutrient costs because they eliminate run-off and don’t waste nutrients the plants don’t need.

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Raised Beds

More efficient use-of-space and healthier plants

When you grow through harvest inside, beds normally have many advantages over plastic and fabric pots. The plant roots integrate and support each other. You eliminate the wasted corner spots between round pots and you don’t have to worry about missing a plant during a watering cycle - moisture will migrate from a different place in the bed. Beds also help reduce costs and labor while growing more healthy and vigorous plants.

Moisture Meters

Take the guess-work out of watering

Some of the most consequential decisions we make during growing cycles revolve around how much water to supply and how often. Experienced growers make better guesses but they’re still guesses. Optimizing plant health and growth requires more accurate information. Moisture meters give you that. Small, inexpensive ones like the Blumat Moisture Meter work well in small systems. Irrometers cost more but can handle a much larger greenhouse. We also have electronic metering systems that automatically turn the water on and off based on your programmed moisture levels.

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Traditional Drip

Not as efficient but less expensive and best for certain situations

One of agriculture’s most important upgrades, drip systems often save more than 60% of the water use while preventing over-watering and the squeezing out of air pockets in the soil. When that happens, transpiration slows or stops and plant growth and health follows that harmful cycle. We call Blumat sensors "the evolution of drip irrigation." They provide the same benefits and also automation. In large greenhouses with small pots and no capillary mat system, traditional drip may have the advantages of less labor, maintenance and cost. We also recommend these if your plants require much misting.

Fertilizing

Give your plants exactly what they need

In a greenhouse you can fine tune the temperature, humidity, light, and moisture… Why not do the same with the nutrients and additives you give your plants? In a small system, you can just manually put the fertilizers in a reservoir. The larger the system, however, the more benefits in time, accuracy, and results an automated system provides.

Filtration

Preventative plant water protection

If using city-supplied water, you won’t need much filtration. If you use rainwater, however, or get water from a pond, lake, or ditch; a good filtration system will not only save on costs but will also prevent a great deal of frustration. Matching the system to the water quality can also mean huge cost and irritation savings. An over-sized system will cost more than you need to spend but even though an under-sized system can be much less expensive in the beginning it can be much more expensive long-term.

Pumps

Move water, pressurize your system

If you don’t have a city water supply, you may need a pump to get the water from a rain collection system or from a drainage ditch, spring, pond, lake, or stream. Often, greenhouses that have city water still need a pump. If you want to mix in fertilizers and nutrients by hand in a reservoir, you’ll lose the city pressure and need to repressurize your system. Sometimes people like to set up a system like this to let the chlorine in the water dissipate before it harms the plants.

Any Size

From a lean-to greenhouse on the side of your house to the largest commercial systems, we can help you size and design, and we can supply everything you’ll need for the most affordable, efficient, and beneficial irrigation.

Just fill out our quote form, email, text, or call!

You can also schedule a free consultation:
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