Greenhouses are designed to protect your plants and veggies from the elements, and that includes excessive heat. Gardening is a popular pastime, with one study showing that approximately 49% or nearly half of all Americans maintain some kind of garden.
When the summer months approach, it's crucial to know how to cool a greenhouse to protect your harvest.
Whether you're a professional farmer or a casual gardener, read on for some greenhouse cooling tips. These tips will help keep your greenhouse at a comfortable temperature all summer long.
Ensure Proper Ventilation
As you think about how to keep a greenhouse cool, it should start with ventilation. This allows warm or hot air to escape, creating a more temperate environment.
Use roof and side vents in your greenhouse to increase the cooling rate. Make sure that there are vents located on both sides.
Open the doors of your greenhouse as often as possible to encourage better airflow. Natural ventilation is better than using fans. It will keep the indoor air temperature closer to the outside air temperature.
Try a greenhouse with interior shade screens that have an open weave and breathable material. The open weave helps the hot air escape and allows fresh, cooler air to come inside.
You can also add a skirt that rolls up to the sidewalls of your greenhouse. Raise the skirt around 12 to 24 inches to let more air come in and cool things down.
How to Cool a Greenhouse with Fans
If you're using fans to regulate the temperature of your greenhouse, make sure you maintain them. Clean the blades to increase airflow, and check the motors weekly.
Stagger your fans and redirect the circulation so that it moves air at a faster rate. As you think about how to cool a greenhouse, remember that better circulation results in cooler temperatures.
Use a timer to turn your fans on and off at staged intervals. Staging fans will not only help you save energy, but it will ensure that the air circulation is moving at variable rates and intensities throughout the day.
Keep Your Screens Clean
Keeping a greenhouse cool includes making sure that your screens are clean and well-maintained. If the screens are clogged with dust, dirt, or insects, then the air won't be able to flow throughout the greenhouse. This could result in hot, stagnant air that could damage or even kill your plants.
To clean your screens, simply spray them with water from the inside. You may also use a shop vac to vacuum the screens and remove leaves, dirt, and debris.
Always make sure that you're using the correct type of screen material in y our greenhouse. If your screens are too dense, then it could cause the inside to become overheated, even if they're completely clean.
Cooling Down a Greenhouse with Evaporative Cooling
A process called evaporative cooling can lower your greenhouse temperature by several degrees. You can find portable evaporative coolers that are easy to set up, and their portability means that they work well for use in smaller greenhouses.
Look for a system that uses the fan and pad cooling method. Make sure that your fans and pads are free of dirt and debris. Keep any dogs or pets away from fans.
Always be sure to remember to flush your system regularly to remove mold, mildew, and algae. An algaecide can also be used, but check to confirm that it's safe and environmentally friendly.
These unique cooling systems use heat in the air to evaporate water from plants and other wet surfaces. While they do use a variety of mechanical parts, an evaporative cooling system can lower temperatures significantly and effectively. They're especially useful in arid regions with low humidity to not only cool your greenhouse but to maintain moisture levels in the air.
If you use an evaporative cooling system, make sure that the size of your fan and pad system is the proper size to ensure the best results. Approximately one square foot of pad will cool 20 square feet of your greenhouse. Some systems allow you to expand the size as your needs grow.
Try Horizontal Air Flow
You can also cool a greenhouse by making sure that the air is moving in a horizontal direction. Look for Horizontal Air Flow (or HAF) fans. These fans will ensure that the temperature inside your greenhouse is dispersed evenly while improving the flow and circulation of air, too.
If you have different plant species in your greenhouse, it will create mini microclimates and pockets of warm air in various sections. Horizontal fans will prevent stagnant air from forming while promoting cooler airflow throughout each zone.
It's also important to make sure that your fans aren't located too high above your plants. Fans that are too close can make it difficult to regulate the moisture level in the greenhouse. Overall, it's all about finding the right balance for your specific setup to ensure that your plants stay cool and comfortable.
Keep Your Plants Cool as a Cucumber
Remember these tips if you want to learn how to cool a greenhouse in the best possible way. Through trial and error, proper ventilation, and some patience, you can keep your greenhouse cool all summer long.
If you're ready to start building your greenhouse or you need more supplies, be sure to explore our online web store and contact us today. We're happy to help you get started with all of your farming and gardening needs.