Greenhouses are useful at keeping plants, fruit, and vegetables safe from pests and allow a controlled environment for your plant life.
In the winter, you’ll often need to use a greenhouse heater to keep it warm. On the other hand, there comes a time when your greenhouse will be too warm, which can be bad for your plants and potential foods. This can be extremely frustrating and you’ll need to act as soon as you can to avoid losing your crops.
Follow my guide to why greenhouses get hot and how you can prevent your plants from getting caught in the crossfire.
What Is A Greenhouse?
Greenhouses are structures, usually situated in a backyard or garden, that act as a home to a range of different plants, fruit, and vegetables. For example, you can find tomatoes growing in a greenhouse, as well as cucumbers, peppers, melons, and more.
The structure itself is made out of glass, plastic, metal, or wood depending on what type of greenhouse you’re looking at. A greenhouse may also have electricity, depending on the size and quality of the structure.
The Benefits Of A Greenhouse
There are many benefits of having a greenhouse, including keeping your crops safe.
We all know how hard it is to keep vegetables and fruit safe from insects and other pests. Don’t get me wrong, greenhouses aren’t exactly an impenetrable safe for these creatures to avoid, but they certainly do help.
Another benefit of having a greenhouse is to protect your crops against harmful weather types like strong winds and heavy rain. The consequences of these weather types can result in the overwatering of your plants, or even damaging them with high winds.
Another weather type that could damage your plants is snow.
Snow can cause your plants to freeze, and this can lead to the death of your crop if not taken care of properly. The drop in temperature is the main cause of this, with the snow eventually melting and overwatering your plant.
That’s why greenhouses are most useful in the winter.
A greenhouse can also help you save money by helping you grow food without spending a lot of money. You don’t need to buy seeds, fertilizer, or pesticides to grow your food. All you need is some sunlight, water, and a little bit of space.
Cons Of Having A Greenhouse
However, there are drawbacks to having a greenhouse. One of the biggest problems is that most people who live in colder climates don’t want to spend their winters inside their houses.
They would rather stay outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. If you live in a cold climate, then you might not want to go through the trouble of building a greenhouse.
However, as the title suggests, greenhouses can also get too hot. This can have bad consequences for your plants like scorching the leaves and causing them to wilt.
As mentioned before, the heat can come from several sources, such as direct sunlight, the wind blowing over the roof, or even heating elements.
Heat can also cause your plants to dry up, which can lead to the death or stunting of your plants. If you notice your plants drying up, it’s best to take action immediately.
If you notice that your greenhouse is getting too hot then it’s always best to do something about it sooner, rather than later. I’ve made a list of ideas that you could do to cool down your greenhouse and avoid your plants becoming too warm and dying.
How To Cool Your Greenhouse Down
Below we have some tips that can help you keep your greenhouse cool! Let’s take a look at them now.
Maximizing Air Flow
My first suggestion for making your greenhouse cool is to maximize the airflow through the greenhouse.
By increasing the airflow, you’re not only cooling down the greenhouse, but you’re also helping with the process of photosynthesis. Without at least some airflow, stagnant pockets of air can form that lack the carbon dioxide that plants need to thrive.
However, I recommend not keeping the windows open all of the time. You could even install some sort of roof vent or exhaust fan to make your greenhouse cool.
Reflective Panels
The next thing that you could do is place reflective panels on the walls of your greenhouse.
Reflective panels work well at reflecting sunlight away from your plants, whilst letting enough through for them to perform photosynthesis. It also has enough light requirements to help with this process.
Adding Insulation to the Greenhouse Surface
Another step toward having a cool greenhouse is to add insulation to the sides of your greenhouse. Insulation helps keep heat out of the greenhouse, so it doesn’t get too hot.
There are many different types of insulation available, but fiberglass is one of my favorites. Fiberglass has been around for many years and has been used in many structures, so why not here?
Air Circulation
Air circulation is another great way of keeping a greenhouse cool, by installing fans. However, this may be less cost-effective unless these fans are powered by solar power.
On top of this, a greenhouse without electricity will be hard to power. If you do have a greenhouse without electricity, then you could try my previous idea of installing active ventilation to enhance plant growth.
Evaporative Cooling
Finally, my last idea for keeping a greenhouse cool is to install an evaporative cooler. An evaporative cooling system works by using water to absorb heat from the air.
The water evaporates into steam, which then dissipates into the atmosphere. This means that you’ll need to provide water to the evaporative cooler, however, if you live in a region where there isn’t much rainfall, then this might not be a problem.
A Helpful Video on Cooling a Greenhouse
Final Thoughts
There are many different ways to keep a greenhouse cool, it’s all about finding the way that suits you and your plants the most. Although the benefits of owning a greenhouse can outweigh the cons, you may want to do some research, such as my guide, to ensure that you’re making the right decision.
If you’re looking for a new hobby, then gardening is a fantastic option. Not only does it give you the chance to grow your food, but it allows you to learn more about nature. Growing your fruit and vegetables is relaxing and will have you spending more time in your garden than in your own home!