Secrets to a Successful Greenhouse Business

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CO2 Enrichment

As all gardeners know, carbon dioxide is crucial for growing healthy, top-quality plants. During the fall and winter, when greenhouses stay closed with no air circulation from the outside, you can "turbo-charge" plant growth by raising the levels of available CO2 above normal. Atmosphere concentrations are normally between 250 to 350 ppm; bringing the level up between 1200 to 1500 ppm can increase plant growth by as much as 30 percent in most plants. But remember: CO2 enrichment does not replace good growing skills.

You simply cannot overestimate the importance of a controlled environment in your greenhouse.

Watering Care

Feed your plants a sufficient amount of quality water. If plants become too dry, they'll stop growing, which can eventually cause stunting. Avoid this by testing your water for contaminants regularly throughout the year. (You can put a water sample in a jar and bring it to your local county extension agent.) Early morning is the best time, and the rule of thumb is to feel a couple of inches into the pot to check for soil moisture. Water your plants so that the soil is drenched throughout the pot; and every 10 days, add a water-soluble fertilizer. Adding peat moss to the soil mixture will create a better water-holding capacity and a more constant moisture level.

Propagation

If you're planning on growing your plants from seed, be sure to transplant them once the seedlings germinate into either a soil container, the ground, or rock-wool (lava rocks formed into slabs to hold water). This initial stage of propagation has different demands and requirements for temperature and moisture. If you're growing cuttings, give them a friendly environment that encourages rooting. The preferred propagation method is to purchase or take cuttings from existing plants. Among those plants that grow well from cuttings are: cucumbers, tomatoes, pothos (a climbing plant), all vines, shrubbery, foliage plants, flowers, and herbs. I suggest rooting hormone powder on cuts and using an anti-transpirant spray to eliminate the need of a high-humidity area.

Water plants enough so that the soil is drenched throughout the pot. Every 10 days, add a water-soluble fertilizer.

Misting

The rooting of softwood leafy cuttings under spray or mist is now a widely used technique by nurserymen and some beginners. The purpose is to maintain a film of water on the leaves, which reduces transpiration and keeps the cuttings strong until actual rooting can take place. Cuttings can then be fully exposed to light and air without harm, because humidity remains high enough to prevent damage.

Misting also accelerates rooting, promotes hard-to-root varieties, and prevents disease in cuttings by washing all the fungus spores before they can attack the tissues. While the leaves in this process must be kept continuously moist, it's important to keep the amount of water to a minimum. Excessive water can leach out nutrients from the compost and cause starvation. Moreover, over watering can directly injure a cutting, so use nozzles s that are capable of producing a very fine mist.

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