Watering Your Greenhouse Properly
Poor watering habits can quickly cause havoc in a garden, and in a greenhouse, think of that havoc as being amplified. If it's hot outside and plants have no water, it's even hotter inside that greenhouse. One of the quickest ways to stunt growth or kill production is to forget to water. Often, once we forget, we then over-water . . . causing even more damage!
If one were to choose two consistent factors of as successful greenhouse, they would be consistent temperature control and consistent watering.
There are many ways to implement a watering schedule in a greenhouse. One of the best, of course, is an automatic watering system. Whether your greenhouse is large or small, there's an option for automatic watering that can take out the frustration created by too much or too little water.
Options for Automatic Greenhouse Watering
It would be great if we could all be available on a weekly routine to be sure the greenhouse plants get watered. And, for most of us, that is possible --most of the time. But what about when life is too hectic or we have a crazy week where we have to squeeze in that watering schedule? Once a watering process is automated, the options to maintain water make watering nearly effortless.
Automatic Drip Watering Systems are versatile, easy to install yourself, and relatively foolproof. Of course, you'll still need a source for water and the ability to install a timer to turn the water on or off.
Automatic Sprinklers would work nicely in a greenhouse --providing you have proper air circulation and don't mind watering the greenhouse itself along with your plants.
Watering trays are a great greenhouse watering solution for those of us who are available most of the time but might struggle with watering on a consistent schedule. The idea is that reservoirs exist near the plants and water is able to seep out slowly or be "wicked" up from beneath. Watering pots are often setup to do this with small reserves in the bottom.
Tips for Successful Watering
Watering in a greenhouse should be done in the morning --when temperature are rising. It's sometimes too easy to create a damp, humid environment in a greenhouse --not bad in itself, but humidity can lead to problems. Plants need water, but unless they are tropical plants, too much humidity is actually detrimental.
Water soil, not leaves of the plants. Too much water on the leaves can create damp conditions or encourage a variety of diseases.
Containers of water in a greenhouse can encourage humidity --which is only a bad thing if there is too much humidity or not enough ventilation, and a few benefits are easy access to wash your hands, give a small plant an extra necessary drink on a dry day, or rinse off your hand tools (if you prefer them nice and shiny).
Use of a dry table in a greenhouse can help keep water from things that should not be wet. Designating one corner as a "dry corner" creates a place for placing things out of the way and allowing you to water elsewhere freely (getting as little as possible on leaves of course).
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