Winter Greenhouse heating and growing plants and vegetables during cold period
A greenhouse can give you a harvest of tasty and healthy vegetables and fruits even in the cold season. Also, greenhouse winter growing is a good idea to run a successful organic food growing business. But with the onset of cold weather, greenhouse owners need to follow some rules and tips related to growing various plants in winter.
Preparing the greenhouse for winter growing
In order for cultivation in the greenhouse to go during winter successfully, it is necessary to prepare a greenhouse for the cold period. As a part of preparation of the greenhouse for winter period it needs to be ventilated, all hoses for irrigation should be cleaned, all necessary devices for lighting and heating the greenhouse should be installed. Also the preparation process includes the following actions:
Selection of seeds to be seeded
There are not all of the plants are suitable for winter growing in greenhouses and it is better to get consultation from the seller or get skills from more experienced gardeners about what varieties of seeds should be chosen.
Warming up the greenhouse. The air temperature should be heated up to 22 ° Celsius. If the greenhouse has soil heating system then the soil should be heated up to 18 ° Celsius.
There is useful advice for those who do not have the heating of the ground. Before planting it is necessary to pour the ground with boiled hot water and cover with polyethylene for 2 hours. After this time the soil will be warmed up and you can plant the seeds.
If you plant seeds on seedlings
If the greenhouse is functioning all year round then you need to think in advance about the next season. For example those plants that are already planted before and produced fruits in the winter will cease to be useful in the spring time. So in on going winter season you need to think about future seedlings. The conveyor method of planting are perfect match for such kind of greenhouses. The racks with the pots where the seeds are already planted for the future plantation should be located closer to the glass of the greenhouse.
Tips for growing plants in winter
Fertilization of the soil is not necessary before the first sowing of seeds because the soil is necessarily fertilized in autumn season. But some time later after fertilization of the soil it is necessary to loosen the ground and add compost.
The growing processes of the plants flows in a different way in greenhouse conditions. Moisture, useful elements and oxygen are quickly absorbed by the soil that is why it is necessary to pour compost several times a week when the ground gets dry up. If the plants will not get enough of valuable microelements it will still continue to grow but if you will decide to transplant it you will get the flowers and ovary of the plants fall off process.
After the seedlings are transplanted into the soil the soil needs to be periodically loosened and also it is necessary to use not only compost but also nitrogen and potassium fertilizers.
Subtlety and tricks of plants care process
Plants need to be monitored more than at other times of the year if you grow plants in greenhouses during winter growing season. During the time of plant growth you need to take care about the bottom leaves. Some of them should be removed but pay attention to keep at least 15 leaves on each plant. Thus the stem will receive more sunlight and oxygen and it will also have less chance of getting fungal or viral diseases.
We must also ensure that the air has normal moisture and does not get dry out. Otherwise this can cause dangerous diseases and the plants can die. Humidification depends on the greenhouse system of heating and can be different.
