For the more experienced gardeners, greenhouse gardening has become a necessity and has been a staple in their gardens. However, some people still make mistakes and we are here to help you avoid them.
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Common Mistakes in Greenhouse Gardening and How to Avoid Them
Greenhouse Gardening
Greenhouse gardening is tricky and is not just a simple house where you put your plants in and let it grow. Though the concept of a greenhouse is simple: to absorb the heat from the sun and retain it for the plants inside, it requires more than just caring for the plants since plants are complex living things too.
Here we list some common mistakes in greenhouse gardening and some tips on how to avoid them.
1. Forgetting About the Temperature
The ideal temperature of a greenhouse during the summer is around 75-85° Fahrenheit during daytime and 60-76° Fahrenheit at night time. During winter, it's 65-70° Fahrenheit during daytime and 45° Fahrenheit at nighttime.
Having a digital thermometer inside the greenhouse can help a lot to monitor the temperature inside. Having proper ventilation can help as well.
2. Not Providing Shade
A common mistake is by not providing ample shade in a controlled manner when greenhouse gardening. You may have followed the first tip but sometimes a plant gets heat stressed when in direct sunlight for too long.
A thing you can do to solve this is by adding a shade at a certain time of the day or use a shade cloth to control the solar radiation directed to your greenhouse.
Though you may consider building a greenhouse near a tree for a natural shade, it can be tricky since there are uncontrollable circumstances that may happen. A tree could let leaves fall on your greenhouse, its branches might break and fall on it or the roots can invade the soil underneath.
It's avoidable and should be considered whenever you're building a greenhouse.
3. Poor Ventilation
Obviously, proper ventilation is very crucial for greenhouse gardening. But some people still overlook this part.
It is not just about opening a window but giving your plants the proper flow. Using a small fan to keep the air moving can help a lot.
Air circulation is crucial for a greenhouse especially space is confined. Checking the temperature and humidity level is important to avoid dealing with problems regarding excessive soil and leaf moisture.
Moisture is difficult to deal with since it is the cause of mildew and harmful fungi.
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4. Improper Watering
Watering too much and giving your plants too little water can be a problem and has been a common greenhouse gardening mistake. Drip irrigation is the best for greenhouses.
A trick you can do to know how much water your plants need is to water your plants in the morning then see how many dry plants there are at the end of the day. This will allow the plants to transpire before it gets warmer.
Of course in the warmer season, always keep an eye on the plants and constantly water them when needed.
5. Planning Your Fertilizer
Yes, you need to plan and learn about fertilizing as well. Most beginners would use an all-purpose greenhouse fertilizer, like a 20-20-20.
However, what's best to use for fertilizers are those formulated for greenhouse plants.
6. Location
This is one common mistake and happens even before anyone would start to build a greenhouse. Picking a location of a greenhouse is very important since it basically covers almost everything discussed above.
First of all, picking a place to put the greenhouse should be a place where there will be no obstruction from the sun. The position of trees and buildings should be carefully looked at to avoid creating shades for the plants.
Another is if the spot is chosen for the greenhouse to be constructed, it will be beneficial for the house to be positioned from east to west to maximize the entire time the sun will be out.
Watch this video from Broken Ground for tips and tricks on greenhouse gardening:
Greenhouse gardening is tricky at first but once you learn everything it will be easy. Remember, building a good habit of caring for your plants is a good thing.
If you're starting, it will be helpful to know these common mistakes so you'll know what to avoid when starting. If you're already into greenhouse gardening and have been doing these common mistakes, just follow the tips and improve what you have.
Do you have any tips you can share? Share it with us by leaving a comment in the section provided below!
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Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for quality and relevancy.
