A professional tunnel, like any tool, can be used even more efficiently. In addition to investments for crop support systems, there are many conventional methods that do not require significant financial expenditures. Improving growth of vegetables and fruits in the greenhouse is a great benefit to the entrepreneur. A multi-span facility allow plants to grow much faster than in open fields, offering a longer growing season and facilitating the use of appropriate farming techniques.
Increased productivity can be achieved in many ways. The first step is to choose a functional structure, organize the workspace and apply appropriate cultural techniques. In search of new solutions and improvements while controlling the factors mentioned, the producer can adapt to the ever-changing market.
In this article Krosagro, we will discuss the principles that you will have to consider for commercial production under shelter.
Contents
Areas in a professional greenhouse
Sometimes overlooked, it is an important subject influencing proper development in the greenhouse. The separation in zones according to their function facilitates care and control of the plants. As soon as you enter the greenhouse, all tools must be at hand, easily accessible, cleaned after previous activity. Dispersed and stored in a disorderly manner, they deteriorate faster and lead to each task taking longer. Non sterilized, they become carriers of pathogens that can infect plants when they come into contact with them.
Untidy hoses are another example of a neglected site. Although it may sound funny, this can be a source of danger. Many accidents are the result of a simple fall and turn into a small disaster.
Inadequate storage of substances and fertilizers causes significant losses. When exposed to sunlight and with constant flow of oxygen, they lose their properties and may not fulfill their role.
The ideal solution is to plan where and what to store in a professional tunnel. All tools that are occasionally used can be transferred to a storage tent, where they are safely kept for later use.
Cultivation table system
Tables to grow potted plants, seedlings and flowers are an indispensable tool. This is not their only application. Sometimes they can be integrated to grow vegetables, as well as fruits at later stages of maturation. When deciding on a particular model, it should be adapted to the size of the tunnel. It is also important to plan a water flow system in advance. Such an installation will have to work without any problem on all the tables, to be waterproof and to evacuate the water outside the installation.
During each watering duty, the humidity level increases inside the professional greenhouse. A standard rate, adapted to the needs of plants is beneficial, but it must not exceed the recommended limits. The most harmful effects will occur when a high humidity concentration lasts too long. To determine the conditions prevailing inside the greenhouse, it is useful to use sensors that will check humidity and temperature.
Optimal use of space
Each structure has a limit – its area. The available space must be used to the maximum: more plants, more yield for more profit. Of course, you must take into account the requirements of vegetables and fruits. Each variety and species requires favorable parameters to grow properly. These specifications must be taken into account, as well as the possibility of using methods that optimize the space. However, in the case of suspending crops, it is advisable, when ordering, to choose a construction guaranteed by the manufacturer. The structure can then be modified with accessories reinforcing the frame in various sensitive points in order to support the hanging pots.
Ventilation under cover
This is a priority issue for any producer, in relation to the effectiveness of this structure. With professional tunnels, particular conditions are systematically adjusted to the stage of growth and plants variety. With a ventilation system, even the most basic, the grower is able to control the micro climate. Aeration in a tunnel eliminates excessive heat and humidity. There are many automated and manual systems on the market, so finding a solution should not be a problem.
Labeling crops
On each site, table or pots where plants mature, it is advisable to label or list them. By recording the treatments, the development process and the amount of yield for a given section, it will be much easier to obtain an abundant harvest year after year. Check the data later, process the information, repeat care duties, and if you see similar effects, implement these practices regularly.
Optimal and profitable cultivation
The constant search for practises that give better results only brings advantages. After all, cultivating in a greenhouse is designed to optimize crop production, so it is worth making improvements wherever you can.