Let the greenhouse look
after itself

Click the diagram to enlarge

A greenhouse is designed to alter the environment so that your plants are protected from the vagaries of the weather. The basic greenhouse will keep the plants dry in the rain, warmer in winter and make more use of the sunshine all the year round but you then need to supply your plants with the things they do need. You need to manage the environment inside the greenhouse to the benefit of your plants. All this is part of the skill of bring a gardener but there are items of equipment that will help you. Some are simple and in expensive others will only be needed by the most dedicated amateur. With the right selection of additional items for your greenhouse it can be set up to look after itself for short periods such as when you are on holiday.
What do you need to control? The diagram above shows some of the possible items of equipment that you could use to control the environment in your greenhouse.
Your plants are depending on you for their water, the temperature and the air flow. The supply of all these can be automated. Watering may be you using the watering can or an automated system. We have found that our Capillary Watering is very reliable but automatic watering does not suit all plants. The movement of air though the greenhouse is necessary to help plants take up water and to keep the temperature under control. The Bayliss Autovent Units are the units we use as they are the most reliable. To further control the heat input into the greenhouse the roof needs to be shaded. Shading on the outside of the greenhouse block the heat before it gets into the greenhouse. It is very difficult to cool the air once it is hot. Efficient watering also helps the plants to cope with higher temperatures. With water to the plants and in the air plants can transpire and help to keep themselves cool. In the colder months it is useful to be able to put heat into the greenhouse. We can advise on the best system for your plants.

Victorian Greenhouse technology
The Head Gardener in the Victorian garden was a skilled manager and technician. He had a large staff who spent their time tending to the needs of the plants. They devoted time, effort and a great deal of skill to the management of the environment for the plants. The most successful of these grew the most difficult of plants. (The Giant Waterlilly still challenges the best gardeners today).
We can adapt some of this Victorian technology to your greenhouse. To improve ventilation hot air needs to leave at the ridge and be drawn in at a low level. Box ventilators built into the brickwork give you control of air entry low in the walls. They can also be used in the back wall where the wall is free standing. Improving humidity by water in channels under the floor or inside box ventilators helps keep the air cool. Chain Lath Blinds on the outside of the roof block the heat from entering the greenhouse. Hot Beds use the heat of fermenting manure to warm the soil in Forcing Pits.
Today the big collections are watched over by sophisticated computer systems linked to weather stations.

Automatic ventilation control
Automation reduces the risk in running the greenhouse. The most important single piece of equipment to protect your plants is an Autovent and the best of these is from Bayliss of Ashbourne. A simple autovent will open the roof ventilator when the greenhouse gets hot. This can be early on a summers morning or and a bright sunny winters afternoon. These are often times when plants are at risk but the gardener is unaware of the change in the environment in the greenhouse. This applies to each system available to help look after your plants but with ventilation failure to act can damage your plants.
The Bayliss Autovent has a wax filled piston that responds to heat by lifting the ventilator and letting out the excess heat. A strong spring will close the unit as the day cools.
These are system that have been in common use in industrial horticulture and are well proven.