February 2025 - 35

TECHNOLOGY
" Being able to fine-tune our environment based on
historical data points has helped us keep our crops on
track. Working with customer service always gets the
problem fixed quickly. The weather station has been
helpful to close vents in storms. Having the ability to
control everything from your desktop or phone helps
us keep up with our busy schedules, " said Andy McNitt,
owner of McNitt Growers in Carbondale, Illinois.
THE POWER OF SENSORS
Wadsworth Control Systems - a greenhouse
automation supplier in Arvada, Colorado - offers
comprehensive environmental controls that ensure optimal
growing conditions. Its systems integrate temperature,
humidity, lighting and irrigation management.
Its controls operate on a series of hypotheses or " if...
then " statements. " The controls respond to information
gathered from sensors inside and outside the greenhouse.
These sensors can include humidity; temperature; CO2;
light accumulation and intensity; precipitation; soil
moisture, pH, EC (electrical conductivity); and wind speed
and direction. The information allows your control to
maintain an optimal growing environment even during
dark, snowy winter months, " said Amanda Debevc, sales
representative for Wadsworth Control Systems.
This data empowers the control to make decisions
based on multiple factors. For example, on a cold winter
morning, many growers set their control to uncover their
curtains after accumulating some solar gain, rather than
uncovering at sunrise.
The idea is to let the space above the curtain heat up
and slowly open the curtain. If the temperature within
the greenhouse drops below the heating setpoint during
the uncovering period, the control pauses the curtain,
Having the
ability to control
everything from your
desktop or phone
helps us keep up with
our busy schedules.
- Andy McNitt
resulting in the slow mixing of warm and cool air, which is
kinder to the crop.
Adding a weather station gives the grower the ability
to anticipate winter weather and respond quickly. " If
snow is blowing in from the north and the temperature is
dropping rapidly, a weather station will give your control
the information it needs to close the vents and crank up
the heating system. With the addition of the cloud and an
app, you can check conditions, respond and modify your
automated program any time day or night, " Debevc said.
Circulating air to prevent stratification makes heating
more efficient. Horizontal air flow (HAF) is a circulating
fan that creates consistent air movement by pushing
air horizontally to distribute heat evenly through the
greenhouse, keeping sensor readings and the control's
responses accurate.
PRECISION IS KEY
Of course, lighting also plays a
pivotal role in plant development. Its
intensity and duration must be tailored
to the specific crop and growth stage.
For example, seedlings or plants that
thrive in the shade require lower light
levels, whereas mature, sun-loving
crops may need higher intensity.
Wadsworth utilizes data from
Photo courtesy of Argus Controls.
photosynthetically active radiation
(PAR) sensors to measure the available
sunlight and adjust supplemental
lighting or shade curtains accordingly.
If the sun provides excess light, its
system deploys shade curtains to
prevent stress and stunted growth.
GREENHOUSE PRODUCT NEWS 35
February 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2025
