People often tend to relate greenhouse structure to be made only from glass or aluminum. Nowadays the advancement in the field of science and technology has made it possible to build greenhouse from polycarbonate material. If the idea of building a Polycarbonate greenhouse has popped into your mind because of the positive reviews and also the idea of growing fruits, vegetables and even coffee has inspired you then surely you will be one of the beneficiary due to this effort. There are wonderful advantages that can be derived by building polycarbonate greenhouse structure rather than buying a pre-structured greenhouse. It has been revealed that building own polycarbonate greenhouse structure is 50 percent more effective than pre-structured greenhouse. There are several advantages of utilizing polycarbonate structure and various aspects which should be considered are emphasized.
Building an effective polycarbonate greenhouse :
Appropriate and adequate ventilations
Riga Greenhouse Kit
While building greenhouse structure it is important to provide proper ventilation since appropriate level of air is necessary to carry out process such as photosynthesis and also pollination is well assisted. Improper level of air may increases the risk of infestation by pest on plants. Proper ventilations should be considered such air movement is kept optimum.
Strong foundation and proper shading
The polycarbonate structure should be provided with proper shading to make sure that growth of plants is well assisted and strong foundation is required to makes sure that design of greenhouse exactly serves the purpose which is intended.
Sticking to kit instructions
Instructions provided in kit should be strictly followed since any error or misplacement will lead to breakdown of entire structure or will lead to decrement in efficiency of greenhouse. The step by step instructions that are provided in manual should be followed as it is. Special care should be taken to ensure that the design of structure is well met.
Advantages of polycarbonate greenhouse :
Uniform spread of heat
The use of polycarbonate material ensures light rays are spread more uniformly throughout the inside space of building. This process helps the plants to grow at a uniform rate and accelerates the growing process. Polycarbonate material also decreases the tendency to depend on external agents for shading purposes. When coated with UV filter, plants will be protected from harmful light rays and hence superior harvest is possible
Virtually unbreakable
Riga greenhouse kit
Polycarbonate greenhouse is almost unbreakable whereas conventional greenhouse made from glass tends to break when subjected to hard forces. The test carried out revealed that polycarbonate material resists without breaking when it is subjected to heavy forces from baseball and hailstones.
Easy assemblage and flexibility in structure
Polycarbonate greenhouses come with different sizes and shapes. Also the assemblage of this unit is much easier than that of traditional greenhouses. The only requisite is that base is even and flat such that it can facilitate strong structure.
During winter months there is a much decreased need for heating agents since polycarbonate greenhouse accomplishes better heating even during cold periods. Thus building polycarbonate greenhouse is a sensible option that is sure to provide you stunning benefits.
Melons belong to the Cucurbitaceae family. The plant grows in the form of a vine. It is basically a fruit, but some of it forms may be taken as ‘culinary vegetables’.
Many different varieties of melons are produced including Crenshaw, Juan Canary, Persian and Honeydew. Here is a look at the different factors involved in agricultural melon production.
Soils
Melons grow best in well-drained soils. Heavier soils are proffered because they can hold more water, which slows the start of the collapsing of vines, to ensure that melons grow with as little soil contact as possible, beds should left cloddy.
Irrigation
Too much saturation can be a stimulant for root rot diseases and ground spotting of fruit especially close to harvesting time. Furrow-irrigation method is usually used for melon production because sprinkling has a cooling effect on soil. Irrigations are scheduled as required to allow the replacement of moisture in the beds. The last irrigation is usually scheduled a week before the harvest.
Fertilization
Preplant P2O5 at 100 to 150 pounds/acre is used by majority of the growers. Materials that are commonly used for fertilization include liquid ammonium phosphate (10-34-0) as a band application near the lines of the seeds or ammonium phosphate (11-52-0) prior to listing the beds. A side stressing of N is used at 150 pounds/acre. It is a normal practice to use to use a liquid solution of UAN-32 (urea-ammonium nitrate.32-0-0) or AN-20 (liquid ammonium nitrate, 20-0-0) as the N source in place of dry N fertilizers.
Pollination
The recommendation is at least one colony of bees/acre; one and one-half colonies/acre is best. The distribution of bees should be such that they are present on at least two sides of a 40-acre field; it is even better if the bees are present within the fields. If the bees are present in large numbers yields are increased. Fruit-producing flowers open only for a day. A well pollinated flower will be visited by 15 bees on average during this period of time. The flower aborts if it’s poorly pollinated. Near the crown of the plant is where the best quality, largest size and earliest maturing melons are produced. For this reason, an adequate number of bees should be present in the field when the first male blossoms develop.
Integrated Pest Control
This includes weed control and insect identification and control. The herbicides that are available for weed management are not very effective, Majority of the growers use mechanical cultivation and hand hoeing for weed control.
Melons produced in the fall season are attacked by crickets, cutworms, aphids, ground battles and some other insects. Spring melons are attacked by mites, melon aphids, cutworms and a few other insects.
Furrow irrigation reduces sudden wilt, which is a serious problem that affects melons after fruit set
Post harvest Handling
Mixed melons can be injured by wrong chilling temperatures. 7 degree centigrade is the temperature that is best for honeydews, Crenshaw’s and Persians and 10 degree centigrade for casabas.
When you start to feel that cucumbers is no longer attractive to grow in your greenhouse, and your friends no longer visit you in late summer to avoid the free tomatoes, you should really consider of growing melons.
Sow the melon seeds in your greenhouse between mid April and end of May. Sow them directly into 3 inch pots using standard potting soil.
Once the seedlings bear two true leaves, plant them out in a cold glasshouse inside growing bags. Better yet, plant them directly into well-prepared soil (with lots of organic matter) in your greenhouse. Composted grass clippings and straws are good ideas if your melons are trenched in using the double digging method.
Create some support for your melons. This may be a single line of string tied to the supports in the glasshouse roof, which is then secured in the ground with a peg next to the base of the melons. Or, you can always use a fan trellis.
As the melons start to grow, tie the strongest shoots to the support and pinch out the side shoots that grow from the main stems. When the stems reach the top of the support, pinch out the leading shoots. This trick will help your melons concentrate on bearing more and larger fruits.
Next key is watering. Water your melons well. Oh, they love plenty of water. The best way is using a drip irrigation system. Another is inserting a 3 inch pipe when planting those melons so that water can directly touch the roots. Remember that it should be constantly moist, not wet. So water your melons well, but never too much.
Once the flowers grow, take a small paint brush and lightly brush each flower to aid pollination. It is recommended to be done during mid-day since it is when the humidity is high. After 2 or 3 days remove the male flowers (note: a female flower has a melon-like growing at its bottom part).
Once the fruits grow, feed them with a liquid melon fertilizer (the one usually used to fertilize tomatoes as well) once a week.
When the fruits are as big as tennis balls, support them using string nets. As the summer passes by and the fruits reach full size, remove a few leaves to allow them ripen. Keep in mind that in the peak of the summer your greenhouse must be kept humid by watering the path early in the morning. Keep a bucket of water standing still inside it is a good trick, too.
Growing melons may be challenging, but the rewards are worth the efforts. The harvest can be enjoyed in various dishes. Tasty sweet!
Squash cultivation is economical during fall, early spring and single-crop seasons. The appropriate drilling periods are September during the Fall season, the end of October, the beginning of November (in a single crop season) and the middle of December during the early spring season. Squash seedlings are grown in the same manner as that of cucumber seedlings. However, as there is a considerable risk of viruses during the fall season, seedlings need to be covered with a fine muslin or a mosquito net for protection against white flies.
Squash plants should be trellised using string in order to maximize space and pruning is not necessary. However, fruit flowers which are not inseminated on the plant and thus not able to grow should be picked up and discarded (as these are the most appropriate environments for the development of grey mould and white mould, which are serious diseases found in greenhouses). Additionally, squash does not like too much heat.
On the other hand, squash grows well in low temperatures but a light frost can cause plants to die, so they must be carefully watched. Male and female flowers, which are on the different parts of the squash plant, need to be pollinated via insects, therefore, unnecessary insecticides should be avoided.
In addition, in January and February during a single crop season (when the environment is not appropriate for insemination), it is possible to promote fruit sets by using 4 CPA hormone application with the dosage of 20 PPM to newly emerged female flowers. Squash should be harvested once every 3 three weeks (at the latest) during winters and once every two weeks during other seasons. Harvesting should be accomplished via a knife and fruit should not be harmed. In addition, during seasons with high temperatures, harvesting should be done early in the morning.
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The use of polycarbonate material ensures light rays are spread more uniformly throughout the inside space of building. This process helps the plants to grow at a uniform rate and accelerates the growing process. Polycarbonate material also decreases the tendency to depend on external agents for shading purposes. When coated with UV filter, plants will be protected from harmful light rays and hence superior harvest is possible
