January 2022 - 28

STRUCTURES & EQUIPMENT
but a more sophisticated
controller gives growers total
influence over their greenhouse's
environment.
Advanced models can include
up to eight or nine outputs,
meaning they can monitor up to
nine different automated systems.
Additionally, they can react to the
environment and make changes
on their own, using the help of
sensors and a weather station
to maintain the ideal climate
for a grower's crops. The right
greenhouse controller will assist
an operation in reducing their
energy costs and their overall
carbon footprint.
IMPROVED YIELDS
Profits are largely affected by
the size and quality of a harvest,
and fine tuning a greenhouse's
environment is key to producing
more robust yields. This means
keeping temperatures within a
specific range, automatically turning
systems off or on and keeping
more sensitive factors in check, like
humidity. By monitoring specific
metrics in the environment, a
controller allows growers to gear
their climate toward a crop's specific
needs, creating higher-quality
product that requires less personal
attention during production.
After each harvest, the best
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controllers will also provide growers
with data collection that can help
them improve future production
strategies. " Data is one of the most
important aspects about efficiency
in a greenhouse operation, " explains
Valois. " Growers should always be
comparing their output with the
environmental data they collected.
This will help them understand what
was happening inside the greenhouse
when they had a great harvest, so
that they can replicate it or change
things if their output wasn't optimal. "
It's also important to note how
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Patrick Mahoney works for GrowSpan
Greenhouse Structures. For over 40
years, GrowSpan has been providing the
horticulture industry with high-quality
growing structures. For more information
visit www.growspan.com.
controllers can help protect a grower's
crops. When growing more finicky
plants, it's easy for humidity and
excess moisture within a greenhouse
to get out of control. By allowing
growers to determine the temperature
and humidity level they need, a
controller mitigates the worry of mold
and disease proliferating on plants.
These factors equate to sustained,
high-quality yields and increased
profits over time. When properly used,
a greenhouse controller can pay
for itself in no time at all, and help
growers put out a superior product to
their competitors.
By employing data collection,
sustainable growing practices and
complete environmental control,
growers can boost their production
without inflating operating costs or
labor requirements. A greenhouse
controller helps tie everything
together, producing an automated
operation that is set up for years of
profitability.
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January 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2022
