Under Control - 2019 - 7

These plants can be grown in
less substrate than their berry and
vine counterparts and require less
greenhouse know-how to grow
efficiently. A 10,000-square-foot lettuce
greenhouse will hold 25,000 to 35,000
heads of lettuce.
IRRIGATION METHODS
The most widely used irrigation
technique in CEA greenhouses
is drip irrigation. Drip irrigation
systems offer water efficiency,
precision flowrate control and easy
maintenance. These drip lines use
pressure compensated emitters that
irrigate plants evenly. You'll find drip
irrigation used primarily in gutter,
Dutch bucket, bench and raised bed
greenhouses.
Another method for delivering
water throughout the greenhouse are
overhead systems using sprayers or
booms to distribute water throughout
the plant canopy.
More popular with bedding plants,
overhead irrigation is easier to design,
and the same configuration can be
used for multiple plant set-ups. You'll
find spray systems for crops being
grown on the ground or benches.
Ebb and flood systems irrigate by
filling a container with water for a
sustained period, and then draining it
away. Water rises throughout the plant's
medium through capillary action
and sufficiently fills all voids. Benches
and flood floors are popular for this
technique. One perk of ebb and flood
systems is that plants can be added
and removed from a bench without
impacting the irrigation system.
Arguably the most effective form of
watering in the greenhouse nutrient
film technique, NFT, irrigated by
providing a continuous thin layer of
water to the plant's roots. These crops
benefit from high oxygen levels in the
root zone but are more susceptible if
water stops. NFT uses troughs or pipes
to hold the plants and water stream.
Deep Water Culture is an ancient
form of hydroponics with origins
in rice. Plants are placed on floating
rafts with their roots in a large pond
of fertigated water. The pond must
have oxygen added to it perpetually
constantly to prevent root suffocation.
CONSULT AN EXPERT BEFORE YOU START
How can we make our greenhouses
more efficient, sustainable and
economical? As a systems engineer,
these are the questions I face every
day. It is important to understand that
not every plant, location and grower
is the same, and each require tailored
cultivation systems to be successful.
It is critical for these engineers to
have a combination of horticulture and
environmental engineering and create
relationships with the growers to better
understand their unique concerns.
By doing this you can integrate
economic, environmental and social
sustainability into every greenhouse to
ensure its vitality for generations. v
Jacob Carson is a systems engineer
with Nexus Corp. and RBI. He can be
reached at jacobc@nexuscorp.com.
THE STRENGTH BEHIND YOUR
IPM PROGRAM
WATER SOLUBLE SYSTEMIC NEEM
BOTANICAL, INSECT, MITE, & DISEASE CONTROL
UNTREATED
Schuyler Greens started in 2015 with a 1,500-square-foot Nexus
Grand Teton gutter-connect greenhouse. The facility has since
expanded to around 20,000 square feet.
DISTRIBUTED BY
UNDER CONTROL: TIPS FOR CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT GROWING * 2019 7
TREATED WITH AZASOL®
UNTREATED
TREATED WITH ECO-1®
Under Control - 2019

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