GREENHOUSES

Definition of Terms
• Greenhouse – It is a structure that provide a reliable
enclosure within which an environment favorable to
plant growth can be attained.
• Cooling –It is the removal of heat from the interior of
the greenhouse.
• Heating – It is the addition of heat to the interior of
the greenhouse from any energy source including the
sun.
• Ventilation – It is the process of exchanging
inside the greenhouse with outside air to control
air
temperature, humidity, oxygen or dioxide
carbon levels.
Pictorials of Greenhouses
Methods of Ventilation
• Mechanical Ventilation – This is a method of
ventilation of greenhouse using fans.
• Natural Ventilation – This is a method
of
ventilation of greenhouse which occurs
through controlled openings due natural
pressure to variations inside
outside the
greenhouse. and
Natural Ventilation

Mechanical Ventilation
Classifications
• Based on enclosure
• Glasshouse
• Plastic house
• Screen house
• Combination
• Based on roof shape
• Lean-to
• Gable
• Flat
• Monitor
• Quonset
• Saw tooth
• Arch
• Uneven
arch
• Arch saw
Roof Shape
a) Lean-to A B

b) Gable
c) Flat
C D

d) Monitor
e) Quonset
E F

f) Saw tooth
g) Arch
G H

h) Uneven arch
i) Arch saw
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PIPE FRAME GREEN HOUSE

Free Standing-Type Greenhouses
Attached-Type Greenhouses
General Requirement for Site
Selection
• It should should be located where it gets
adequate sunlight.
• It should be placed with the ridge in a north to
south to iinntteerriioorr
oorriieennttaattiioonn sshhaaddiinngg ffrroomm
structure itself on
connected
the together should be the constructed
plants. north
to south to provide even Greenhouse that within
light coverage are the
rreedduuthroughout
houses ccee the day.
• The site should be well drained.
• There should be ample supply of irrigation water.
• The site should be sheltered from excessive winds.
Careful Selection of Locating Greenhouses
Utility Lines
Windbreaks

Paved Access Road

Truck Access
Caretaker's and Dock
House
Parking Optional
Separate
Head Storage
House
&/or
Processing as
120' tp 150' Required
Maximum Future Expansion

Optional

Example Layout of a Greenhouse

Bench Area
• Requirement
Benches may be up to 1.8 m wide if they are to
be access from both sides, and should not exceed
0.90 m if they are accessible only from one side.
• An air circulation space of approximately
160mm should be allowed between the
sidewalls and the benches.
• For fixed benches the usable space should be 66-
75
% of the floor area while 90% for rolling
benches.
Sample of Benches Inside a Greenhouse
Bench Inside a Greenhouse
Walkway
• s be used only as a place to stand
If the walkway will
while servicing the benches a minimum of 0.30
m aisle should be used for determinate crops and
a minimum of 0.80 m aisle for indeterminate crops.
• The width of the walks should be adjusted if
machinery will be used. Larger greenhouses often
have 0.60 to 0.90 m secondary aisle and 1.2 to 1.8 m
primary aisle. If a worker is in a wheelchair, 1.2
m wide aisle should be used and ramps
should be provided for easy access.
Floor Length and Width
• The length of the structure will be determined by
number
the of the plants to be grown and the actua
dimension should take into l
commerciall available consideration of the
ymeasurement should
sizes be rounded off the so that no glass
The
will need to be cut to fill odd materials.
sash bar spacing. When
figuring the length of a plastic structure, an extra 0.60 m
should be allowed to fasten the plastic properly, for
glass, allow for the width of the projecting part of
each sash bar plus a fraction of an inch clearance.
• The length of the greenhouse should not exceed 50
m. For gutter connected greenhouses the total width
should not exceed 50 m for well distribution of air.
Building Height
• The eave height for a gable roof
greenhouse should be at least 1.70 m with
a minimum gable height of 2.4 m.
• The eave height and the roof pitch
will determine the height of the structure at
the center. The height of the structure
should be equal to the eave height plus
one-fourth the width.
1m
4.25m
4.00m
3.75m
12.8m
2m 9.00m
8.00m
7.50m
A

1m
1m
4.25m
4.00m
3.75m
9.00m
2m 8.00m
7.50m

1.5m
4.25m

2m 8.00m

C
4.25m
4.00m 3.75m
3.75m 4.25m

1.6m

2m
2m

2m
m
7.50

8.00m
m

9.00m
8.00m

6.40

1.5m

1m
F
E
D
4m
2 8.00
m m
G

1m
1m

1m
4.25m
4.00m
8.00m
2
m 9.00m

3.75m

2m 12m

I
Working Height
• The height of a greenhouse should be sufficient
for theoperation of machinery and the comfort of
the
workers. Gutter heights of 2.8 to 3.0m
recommended multi are span
for
machines to move freely. houses
• The height of the house in the walkto areasallow
should not
be less than 2.0 m.
• For tall crops 2.0 m should be the minimum height at
the eaves and 2.10m as minimum desirable height.
Functional Requirements
FFoouunnddaattiioonn
• The foundation and footings should be able to
resist uplift, overturning and downward acting
loads. For permanent greenhouses, all foundations
should be of durable material and should extend
to a minimum depth of 45 cm.
• Permanent foundations should be provided for
glass and heavy plastic materials.
• Greenhouses to be covered in polyethylene usually
do not require an extensive foundation, but the
support posts should be set in concrete footings.
Wall
s
• Side posts and columns are
vertical supports that determine the
height of the production area ranging in
height from 0.30 to 3 m.
• For greenhouses with wooden
structural members, a 0.4 m high
reinforced concrete wall at the bottom
should be provided for support. Sidewalls
should be provided with vents for cooling.
Roof Frame
• Framing must adequately support the
covering and any equipment and/or
hanging baskets suspended from the
framing. It should be able to carry trellising
loads up to 25 kg/m2.
• Framing should be able to withstand
maximum wind gusts of 250 km/hr.
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Framing Materials and
•Covering
Framing materials includes: galvanized steel, wood,
and aluminum
• The covering should be able to absorb the
small amount of ultraviolet radiation in the
spectrum and cause some of it to fluoresce into
visible light useful to plants.
• Covering should be able to reflect or absorb infrared
radiation, which plants cannot use and which cause
greenhouse interiors to overheat.
• Covering should be available locally and in
unlimited sizes.
• It should be durable as well as economical
and could withstand heavy loads like wind
gusts of 150kph.
• It should be easy to install and covering should fit
snugly.
• Combustibility, durability, insulation, life span,
maintenance and guarantee should be check
in choosing covering materials.
• The type of frame used must be compatible with
the covering desired.
• Covering materials includes:polyethylene, fiber
glass corrugated plastic sheet, and screen
Different Structural Frames for Greenhouses
Roof Pitch, Fastener, and
• RoofGutters
pitch for a glass greenhouse should be 27o
to prevent inside condensation from dripping on
plants.
• Plastic covered greenhouses require a steeper
pitch of 30 to 35 o to prevent drip.
• Bolted fasteners, galvanized iron and
weatherproof wood fasteners should be used
• For gutter connected greenhouses a 2% slope
should be provided for drainage.
Greenhouse Gutter
Walkways
• Floor should be able to resist heavy loads such as weight of
heavy equipment used.
• Permanent flooring should not be recommended because
it may stay wet and slippery from soil mix media.
• A concrete, gravel or stone walkway 60 to 90 cm wide
should be built for easy access to the plants. The rest of the
floor should be covered by several inches of gravel for
drainage of excess water.
• The used of regular concrete should be avoided for aisles in
growing areas between since it will not drain properly.
• If the floor will be used as benches, the cement should
be laid exactly level in order to achieve an even
distribution of water when flooding floors.
Artificial Lighting

• High pressure sodium lamps are usually used

to artificially light greenhouses. Incandescent
lamps should not be used because the red light
emitted from these lamps causes the plants to
stretch. Fluorescent lamps should be used
in growth chambers, these lamp are rich in blue
light. Light intensity should be maintained at
about 150 to 250
/m2 s of photosynthetically active radiation.
Irrigation and Drainage
• Irrigation systems should meet specific crop
requirements and be suited to soil or soil less media.
• Irrigation systems should operate accurately at
low pressures and capacities.
• Water may be applied by means of a
overhead sprinkler, a drip or trickle irrigation
system, by hand using a hose or similar device, or
some combination of these delivery system.
• Drip or tickle systems are the most efficient and
provide greater control over the amount of water
applied. There is a reduced potential for diseases and
injury since the foliage does not become wet.
• Irrigation systems should include central pump,
pipes and drip irrigation extensions. Irrigation drips
should be spaced depending on the planting distance or
density.
• If overhead sprinklers and hand watering will be
used, too much wetting of the foliage should be avoided.
• In areas where soluble salts are a problem use
of subirrigation or capillary mats should be avoided
since mats do not provide for leaching.
• A general rule of thumb to follow in irrigating
greenhouse crops is to apply 10-15% more water
than the container will hold to facilitate leaching at
each irrigation and reduce the potential for the
accumulation of soluble salts.
• Water quality should be tested on a regular basis.
• The recommended drainage rate is 30-50% of
the water dose given to the plant. The drained
water should be contained in a storage tank.
• The growing media should be well drained to avoid
root diseases.
• Soil beds and benches are leveled with a slight slope
of 0.8 to 1.0 % to drain the water dripping from the
media containers.
• If water will be plumbed from the home supply line,
a backflow prevention valve in the water supply line
should be installed to prevent the possibility
of contaminating the water in the home.
Natural Ventilation System
• Ventilation can either be built-in in
the design of the roof and wall
configuration.
• There should be vent openings on both sides
and ridge of a greenhouse.
• Large vent openings provide the most
ventilation, the total vent area should be 15-
25% of the floor area.
Naturally Ventilated Greenhouses
• For single unit greenhouses, the combined sidewall
vent area should be the same as the combined roof
vent area.
• Ridge vents should be top hinged and should
run continuously the full length of the greenhouse.
• Top hinged ridge vents should form a angle
60o with roof when fully opened.
• Automatic vent systems should be equipped
with rain and high wind sensors to prevent
crop and ventilator damage.
Mechanical Ventilation System
• Relatively low-speed fans capable of moving a
large volume of air slowly should be used. A
maximum ventilation rate of ¾-1 air change per
minute is recommended for most greenhouses.
• Ventilation fans should deliver the
required ventilation capacity at 0.03 kPa static
pressure when all guards and louvers are in
place unless specific design requirements
require air delivery at higher static pressures.
• Fans should be spaced not more than 7.5 m
apart for uniform ventilation.
• Fans should be located on the downwind side
or end of the greenhouse. If the fans must
be located on the windward side, increase the
design ventilation capacity at least 10%.
A Mechanically Ventilated Greenhouses
• A clearance between the fan discharge and any
obstruction of at least 1.5 times the fan diameter
should be maintained. Fans may be mounted in
the roof if obstructions interfere with other
• mountings.
Exhaust fans should have freely operating
pressure louvers on their exhaust side to
prevent unwanted air exchange when fans are not
• operating.
Air intake louvers or shutters should open
outward. They should be motorized and wired
into the fan control circuit to open during fan
operation.
• Intake louver area should be at least 1.25 times
the area of the fans.
• Fans should be provided with fan guards to
prevent accidents. Manufactured guards should
be used or install a woven wire mesh screen of
at least 1.5 mm (gage 16) wire and 13 mm
openings, for placement within 100 mm of
moving parts. Guards more than
100 mm from moving parts may be made
with
woven wire mesh of 2.7 mm (gage 12) wire, and
50 mm openings.
• All fans should be louvered so that unwanted
air cannot gain entry when the fans are not
operating.
• Fans may be located at either the air inlet
(pressure ventilation) or the air exhaust (exhaust
References
• PPAAEESS.. 22000011.. GGrreeeennhhoouusseess..

PPhhiilliippppiinnee AAggrriiccuullttuurraall
Engineering standards Volume II. AMTEC,
CEAT, UPLB, College, Laguna. Pp. D131 to
D150.